Bjerg

It's hard not to think of the USA dominating the IIHF tournament again this year, but with their surprise early exit in the first round of elimination, we can only hope (as a player who roots for a different team in their group ), that it can be shown that they are not as dominant as everyone thinks. There are several teams that could challenge them this year, such as Japan (the team that knocked them out last year), Sweden, Czechia, Austria, and Great Britian. Some other teams might show some challenge, but they'll need a few more seasons before they're ready to take on the perennial powerhouse of the USA IIHF team.

On the other side of the spectrum is Russia, who, from sources I've talked to, seems to be struggling with recruiting and activity. Unless something or someone can turn them around soon, they’re in for a long hard road in the upcoming seasons. Has a country ever been relegated from the IIHF tournament? It could be that, if it’s possible and the turn around doesn’t happen, that this might become a reality for Russia.

187 Words

It would be extremely interesting to have a team, or multiple teams, on different continents. As far as I know, FHM doesn’t punish long distance travel for teams, so flying across the ocean to play a few games should have no noticeable effect in game. If we were to consider this in-fiction, it would be hard to only have one or two teams on different continents, as the amount of travelling would make it prohibitively expensive. I could see a European Division take shape if there was enough growth and demand in the SHL to have multiple teams across the Atlantic. They could play each other most often, with inter-divisional games coming in clumps so that travel isn’t a huge factor. I would liken it to the NFL playing games in London. First you have games from teams based in North America to judge interest and build fanbases, then, slowly, you look for options for a multiple team expansion so that a division can be created.

166 Words

Bjerg had a decent season, and was more present on the scoreboard compared to his rookie season (S54: 3G | 8A | -15, S55: 5G | 9A | +2). He doesn’t look at his offensive numbers when deciding on if he improved this season though, since he considers himself a Shutdown Defenseman. With 65 Hits, 66 Shots Blocked, and a DGR average of 69 (nice) this season, he unfortunately only saw improvement in his DGR average, as he had 74 Hits, 68 Shots Blocked, and a DGR of 64 last season. He attributes that to the increased pressure of moving up to the second line of defense and being relied on more heavily this season than last (19:42 TOI last season and 20:43 TOI this season), as well as being an integral part of the PK unit, averaging 2:41 of Shorthanded Time this year. He’s looking forward to some big improvement this offseason (moving to the 425 Cap instead of 350), and he’ll have some big shoes to fill, with Mikkel Asmus Sondergard and Valentin Kalashnikov both likely moving up to the SHL, leaving the top line of the Timber defense open for him and his classmates.

196 Words

As someone who has the opportunity to be on the inside of the War Room of an SHL team (SFP), expansion drafts are a tough piece of business. Not only can you not protect everyone who helps make the locker room a fun and engaging place to be, but as a team in a rebuilding phase with a new GM, it can be difficult to lose any players who can help keep the team afloat during the rebuild. Picking who to expose and who to protect is one of the most difficult choices a GM can have to make, as players might not necessarily appreciate the fact that they’re being exposed. There’s always a strategy behind the GM’s decisions, but for players who feel like they’re being left out in the cold, it can be hard to see what that strategy is. The league needed this expansion to relieve some of the pressure from an influx of players in the last few seasons, so I’m excited to see how they can perform in their first season. Hopefully they’re more of a QCC, making the playoffs in their first season, than an NBB, who played well but ultimately fell short.

199 Words

C. I don’t think toughness will have an impact on this series unless either team decides to get down and dirty with their tactics, calling for their players to drop gloves at the slightest provocation. It’s possible that if one team falls behind, they could try and cheese out a win this way, but hopefully we see a clean series, and nothing too out of hand takes place. (67 Words)

E. Well, the fact that Kirby is an all-consuming force from outer space automatically makes him the coolest animal. He can consume anything, take the powers of whatever he can consume, and is virtually indestructible. Not only could Kirby eat/absorb all the other animals in this list, it wouldn’t even be a challenge. (53 Words)