8. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min. if written)



Since it is the final series of the long season you have to go all out on the food you sell at the arena. For the Hamilton Steelhawks they could try to intimidate the Buffalo Stampede and the fans that come by selling food made from Buffalo. One of the things that they could try is an item like chilled monkey brains from Indiana Jones but instead do chilled Buffalo brains. I’m sure that the players and fans from the Buffalo Stampede would be disturbed by a lot of the Hamilton fans in the stands all eating brains from a big Buffalo head. The Hamilton concessions department could market it by showing someone eating brains from one of the Buffalo players to disturb the Stampede team even more. Even if they didn’t want to use real brains they could just serve some chunky red soup like dish like chili in a big buffalo head shaped bowl.

Code:

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

word : something

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
The season was a mixed bag for Chicago Syndicate defenseman Akira Ren. On the bright side, Ren was able to hit the 30 point mark this season and find more of a scoring touch, scoring 11 goals and providing 19 assists. While this was definitely nice for Ren he also wishes that he could have contributed a few more points to be closer to the 40 something point mark. Ren also felt like he could have played better defensively, his hopes he can one day grow into the type of player Corey Kennedy or Parker Smeb is. On a team level, Ren was disappointed that despite having strong advanced stats and often dominating games, the team was unable to find more success in the regular season and playoffs. Going into next season he hopes to improve his play to be one of the top defenseman on the Chicago Syndicate and also hopes the team can find more success in both the regular season and playoffs.


2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
It’s hard to think of a worse format but I shall do my best. Well the regular season doesn’t really matter and qualifying based on divisions seems silly so I suggest we qualify all teams to the playoffs except the worst two. Then we can split the 16 teams into 4 groups randomly. Now instead of having each team play another team every round we should implement a gauntlet format. So if the 16th,15th, 14th and 13th best teams somehow end up in the same group. The 16th team will play the 15th team the winner of that will play the 14th best team and the winner of that will play the 13th best team to make the final 4. That team would obviously get killed in the final 4 but at least the format is fun!


6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
I will probably go with the biased take here and say that the team I’m on, Chicago Syndicate were the best team to not make the finals. I don’t think we would have won the cup that was always Hamilton’s to lose but I think we deserved to make the finals and had an okay shot of maybe winning. Throughout the regular season we were able to beat Buffalo and lost I believe 3 close OT games to get reverse swept. That being said Buffalo is also a very good team so perhaps the top 2 teams did make the finals.


13. Written, up to 4 TPE -
a. I think Hamilton has a clear advantage roster wise. I believe they are the highest TPE team in the league and strong in all areas. While Buffalo is no slouch I don’t think they have the same sort of depth and are running some good young players on the 3rd line/pairing that might get exploited.

b. I’m sure there will be some tactic adjustments by the team that goes down early but I don’t imagine anything too drastic. Both teams have overall solid tactics that probably just need slight tweaking. I expect Hamilton to mostly keep what’s working for them with Buffalo maybe making a few more changes.

c. Clearly it is Lake Superior, I mean it’s even in the name that it is the superior lake. It is the biggest the best, and has some great outdoor activities. Second place would probably be Lake Michigan, it’s close to Chicago and has some fun activities to do there especially in the winter time.

d. I would probably go with the GM of the Buffalo Stampede WannaebeFinn. He seems like a fun guy and I had the pleasure of having him GM my former Player Luke Atmey in juniors with the Detroit Falcons as well as in the SHL on the Buffalo Stampede. I could also find out why he wants to be a Finn!


14. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min)
I can’t really say for sure who should be series MVP since it’s hard to find out who scored how many points in the finals but I imagine it would be similar to the overall Playoff MVP who I would give to either Elizabeth Doyle of Buffalo if they win or Theo Morgan of Hamilton if they win. Doyle stood on her head for several games in the series versus Chicago and I imagine if Buffalo wins the finals it will largely be the same story. As for Morgan he was by far the best player for Hamilton offensively racking up 14 goals in 18 playoff games which should make him well deserving of the MVP title.


16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer.
Verification: velv

Sig Credits: Gorlab and Kylrad

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

Ursin Zimmermann had a solid year considering season 55. Thanks to the improved D partner he had Ursins stats improved as well. The 5 goals he scored were 5 less then he wished to get so he will increase his time in the shooting range a lot to improve his scoring next season. But the 20 assists were pretty great. Ursin wanted at least 20 assists so jeah he scored exactly how much he wanted. The goal for next season will be to get 25+ assists. Considering an even better defense this could definetly be possible. One stat Ursin always sucked at was the plus minus stat. He got better in this season with a minus of only 13. For next season his goal is to get a positive plus minus stat. A stat Ursin got bader over the season is shots blocked. But considering they play better overall he isnt that sad that this stat isnt that good anymore.

7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?

Being a bit of a homeboy i favor Switzerland to do better then expected! Switzerland added some solid new players and their core players improved even more! Their weeknes is still their defensive game even tough they have one of the best defenders in the league in their lineup with Mathias Seger. I expect them to reach at least the quarter finals. From there on everything is possible. The federation heads of switzerland are doing a great job motivating their team. The players do have some great connections with eachother. The players that stand out in this regard are Cal Labovitch and Michael van der Hajden (sorry if I spelled it wrong i am to lazy to look it up). I also expect Lallo Selman to do really good this season. He had a great season with Chicago and is expected to come in hot to show everyone how good he can be.

8) +3 TPE

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13. Written, up to 4 TPE - Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Both of these teams have an impressive set of skaters - without factoring in any coaching or tactical strategies, which team do you think has the better roster of skaters on paper?
b. Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?
c. These two teams hail from the Great Lakes Division. Which of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) do you think is the Greatest and why?
d. If, once it is safe to do so, you had to go hang out in person with one of the users on Buffalo/Hamilton, who would you hang out with and what would you do? (if you pick gabe you get -1 tpe)

a) Well i expected Buffalo to be better then Hamilton considering they have one of the best players if not the best player on their roster with Monkey D Luffy. He is an awsome player with realy good hands and a nice scoring touch. Also the defense of Buffalo is stacked as hell.

b) Well i would stick to the tactics they had. They seemed to work during the season and it is hard to get used to a new playstyle overall as a team. But i would try to add some sneaky improvements to them like having a special trick during a faceoff or a set up play in the offensive zone.

c) Considering i am not from north america i dont really know these lakes so i will try to rank them after their names: so the best lake definetly has to be the superior lake. I mean his name even shows he is superior to the other lakes so i don't think any other lake can be greater.

d) I wanted to pick gabe but i dont want to loose tpe. So i have to pick Tomen. Tomen seems like a great guy and stands for his players. He also speaks german which makes it easier to communicate. He also likes to read which means we can nerd about books especialy the Witcher (I hope he is team Jenn @honkerrs)!

16) +3 TPE
Verificationword: UrsinZCW

 

Thank you @Carpy48, @honkerrs

Code:

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this
season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you
come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you
attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

3 TPE
I don't know if it's because of the smaller amount of lines but Carlos produced a lot better than he anticipated he would in his rookie season. His play wasn't stellar but he managed to put up some points out there. The aspect of his game he probably needs to work on for his sophomore year though is definitely his defensive game, it used to be in strength in the junior's but in this faster, harder league, it simply isn't good enough and has cost his team quite a few opportunities through the season and the playoffs. Carlos still had a good year though all thanks to his new Inferno teammates without whom he probably wouldn't have been as good as he was. Next season it'll be important to keep building momentum and to try and do even better than he did this season, especially with more games added to the schedule.

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2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

Of the 10 most recent finals series, which do you think is the most
memorable and why? Which will be remembered in history as the best/most
important/most memorable series or victory? S46: BUF over NOLA, S47: WKP
over CGY, S48: BUF over WPG, S49: EDM over NEW, S50: CGY over TBB, S51:
HAM over EDM, S52: MAN over SFP, S53: HAM over EDM, S54: NOLA over HAM,
S55: BUF over NOLA.

3 TPE
Well good that you asked as I remember none of them. Seriously, I don't. I guess I was technically signed to Edmonton during S53 when they made the finals so for me it's probably the most memorable because whilst the memory of it escapes me at the moment I was probably really excited to see my SHL team up there in the finals trying to get the cup. Obviously I probably don't remember it much because they ended up losing and I was a raptor at the time. Not that I ever donned the Blizzard's jersey anyways... So yeah it's a tough choice really, as a player it's hard to care about the challenge cup unless you're in it you know? But I know that time will come. At least I'll always have the memory of having been a send-down on a team that made the finals once. Until my current team makes it that is.

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3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)

FHM's 12-team playoff bracket setup has received a fair bit of scrutiny.
It re-seeds after the play-in round and for some reason puts the #1
seed and #2 seed on the same side of the bracket. I challenge you to
come up with a different playoff format - can you come up with a format
that's dumber/worse than this? be creative! Come up with the worst
possible format for a 12-team playoff.

2 TPE
Easy, the way I would do it is I would take the top 12 teams in the league, order the names of the teams alphabetically and go with that order for the playoffs seeding, afterwards the first 6 go on one side and play each other (1-6,2-5,3-4) and the other 6 do the same on another side of the bracket.... UNTIL NEXT ROUND! Where we do the same thing again, but this time, using the second letter of the team's name, so as to add some variety to it. And so on every round until the final. I guess that's dumber yeah?

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4. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

If the SHL needed to set up a playoff bubble (like the NHL did in
Edmonton/Toronto or the NBA in Orlando), which city would be the best
candidate to host as the hub city? What would the players do during
their time in a playoff bubble? (For graphic option, make an
advertisement [like a pamphlet/brochure] in support of a specific city
as the hub city and highlighting the reasons why.)

3 TPE
Like in real-life Edmonton is probably a good bet as it's in Canada and it's so damn boring and inhospitable of a city during the hockey season that there isn't much to do outside of the bubble anyways, you probably wouldn't even have to set up an actual bubble it'll just kind of form naturally as players congregate in their hotel, safe from the cold (or the Blizzard, get it?). I assume, like any sportsman would do, they would spend their time working out, eating and playing some sort of battle royale or sports related video-game in their hotel rooms. Good clean fun in the bubble of course. I think adding a designated drug buying area would help the players remain safe as they fill their insatiable craving for any sort of relief from the boredom of life in Edmonton, The challenge is gonna be finding players who want to play all the way to the end of the season.

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6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)

Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

2 TPE

Calgary probably. Using advanced mathematical skills and just a touch of science I was able to discern that the dragons got 80 points this year, second only to Hamilton, who won the finals so clearly they must've been there. So that would make Calgary the best team not to make the finals this year. This was possibly a little too straight to the point as it's not 100 words so I'll also add that they are the Dragons, which is kind of a cool team name to be honest, along with the Raptors it's one of those "Come on that's unfair your name is too badass of a mythical creature seriously, a Dragon versus a Panther like it's not even a challenge!"... Anyway..

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16.
CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each
correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked
below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get
credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

3 TPE
VW: Bubbles

|| Carlos Brown || Atlanta Inferno || Colorado Raptors || LW || TPE:868 ||

|| Regular Season ||
|| SHJML (COL) || S52 || 15GP 2G 1A +2 ||
|| SHJML (COL) || S53 || 50GP 14G 4A -10 ||
|| SHJML (COL) || S54 || 50GP 16G 12A +9 ||
|| SHJML (COL) || S55 || 50GP 19G 13A +4 ||
||   SHL   (ATL) || S56 || 50GP 13G 12A +3 ||
|| Playoffs ||
|| SHJML (COL) || S53 || 4GP 1G 2A -1 ||
|| SHJML (COL) || S54 || 5GP 1G 0A -2 ||
|| SHJML (COL) || S55 || 6GP 2G 2A +2 ||
||   SHL   (ATL) || S56 || 11GP 3G 1A +2 ||
|| WJC ||
|| CAN || S53 || 15GP 5G 2A 0 ||
|| CAN || S54 || 13GP 5G 3A +4 ||
|| CAN || S55 || 15GP 4G 4A -1 ||
||S54 SHJML All-Star||

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

Aron Hernadivic had an okay personal season, slightly decreasing on his previous season’s point totals to 30 points. Hernadivic still focused on his two-way game, finishing with a +24 and only taking 6 penalties in minutes. Additionally, Hernadivic focused more on defence this season, playing more than a minute a game of short-handed time. When compared to the previous season, hernadivic’s goals increased from 11 goals to 13 goals while his assists decreased from 20 assists to 17 assists, his plus minus increased by +8, the amount of penalties he took decreased, and he played more penalty minutes this season.
Overall, Aron’s advanced stats were also in his favour, boasting positive CFREL and FFREL stats, as well as great shot suppression numbers. Buffalo as a team struggled with poor shooting percentages, affecting the amount of points they were able to put up individually. I expect Hernadivic to take a massive step forward next season, ideally achieving 40 plus points while staying strong defensively.
163 words, +3

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Of the 10 most recent finals series, which do you think is the most memorable and why? Which will be remembered in history as the best/most important/most memorable series or victory? S46: BUF over NOLA, S47: WKP over CGY, S48: BUF over WPG, S49: EDM over NEW, S50: CGY over TBB, S51: HAM over EDM, S52: MAN over SFP, S53: HAM over EDM, S54: NOLA over HAM, S55: BUF over NOLA

Some of the finals sure have been legendary. It was previous to my time, but BUFs in S46 over legendary users like evok, JoeK and Squall was fine, as was the reverse sweep Calgary had over Tampa bay. The reverse sweep also gave us the legendary cum banner, which is by far the worst championship banner on the site. However, my favourite and most memorable finals was in Season 55, with Buffalo again beating NOLA in 7 games. This series should’ve been over in 4, with Buffalo outshooting NOLA by 20+ shots a game. However, Cain kept em in it and it went to overtime of Game 7. Their co GM had a breakaway to end it on former NOLA user Evok, yet couldn’t clutch it out, and BUF picked up the puck going the other way, with Monkey D Luffy ending it. This game also brought upon the player role restrictions, so thanks NOLA for doing that! Ultimately should’ve went with 9 aggressive forecheckers.

166 words, +3

6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)

Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

I think this answer is easily Chicago. They pushed us the hardest, yet failed to close the deal. This team took a 3-0 series lead before losing 4 straight, a trend I think I attribute to Chicago never really winning a playoff series before. This was likely a great learning experience for them, although with looming cap difficulties, this may have been their best shot at a Cup. I definitely do think they were stronger than us on paper, but didn’t have enough playoff experience in big moments. Calgary is the other answer, but they couldn’t even win a single playoff series and so I don’t think they can be considered here. Perhaps the Dragons should focus more on playoff hockey and less on meaningless regular season results.

128 words, +2

13. Written, up to 4 TPE - Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Both of these teams have an impressive set of skaters - without factoring in any coaching or tactical strategies, which team do you think has the better roster of skaters on paper?
b. Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?
c. These two teams hail from the Great Lakes Division. Which of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) do you think is the Greatest and why?

a. I think it’s Hamilton, and ultimately I don’t think it’s close. Although Luffy is the best player on paper, Hamilton’s depth is unmatched, boasting better individual players than Buffalo in the bottom half of the roster. The only clear strength Buffalo has on Hamilton is in net, and FHM has shown that goalies performance does not always correlate to TPE differences.
B. I think Buffalo will have to make changes. Hamilton is just simply too overwhelming right now can with 2k players on every line. They come at you in waves and I’m not sure Buffalo, or anyone else, would be able to handle it in a 7 game series I see Hamilton keeping their strats up until Buffalo pushes them to the brink, and I’m not sure that happens.
C. Lake Erie is ultimately the best lake. The beaches on Erie are pretty unmatched, especially on the Ontario side with places like Port Dover, Turkey Point, etc. Being great summer destinations. Lake Superior is also impressive with its sheer size making it one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes, but I still favour Lake Erie. Ontario, and Huron would be the middle tier, with Lake Michigan being the absolute cesspool worst lake.

14. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator I think it’s Hamilton, and ultimately I don’t think it’s close. Although Luffy is the best player on paper, Hamilton’s depth is unmatched, boasting better individual players than Buffalo in the bottom half of the roster.
Special! (100 words min)

Not totally sure who deserves series MVP, A Jobin and Aaron Wilson both have good cases. Jobin stopped like 80 of the last 83 shots he faced in games 4 and 5, helping HAM win the series sooner than they likely deserved. Aaron Wilson was also elite defensively, posting multiple games over 90 DGR. In the whole playoffs, I think Luffy wins playoff mvp, likely off his 30 point in 23 games performance. Doyle could also be in contention, but I think Luffy is the only candidate that will be considered that doesn’t play for the Steelhawks. Ultimately I think both AWil and Jobin get missed, and that finals mvp goes to someone flashier like theo Morgan and his stupid insanely lucky shooting percentage.
124 words, +2

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer.

Word: fishy, +3

Aron Hernadivic - LW - Buffalo Stampede "A" - 2219 TPE Peak
Age: 23
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180 lbs
Birthplace: Czech Republic
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SHL Achievements
S53 | Named Alternate Captain of the Buffalo Stampede
S50 | SHL Draft: Selected Round 2, 21st overall by Buffalo
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SMJHL Achievements
S50 | St. Louis - Michael Haan Award for Most Dedicated
S50 | St. Louis - Luke Riggs Award - Most Activity in the LR
S50 | Assist Record; 39 assists
S50 | Named Captain of St. Louis Scarecrows
S49 | Selected Round 2, 20th overall by St. Louis
--------------------------------------------------------------------



Aron Hernadivic - Playmaking LW - Czechia
--------------------------------------------------------
Notable Achievements
S52 | WJC Gold Medalists



Thanks to everybody for the sigs :peepoheart:

Code:

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

Going into the season I didn't think that I would be ending up on the first pairing with Seger. That was a pleasant surprise and I hope we stick with this as Klompus continues to develop. Overall, the season wasn't terrible. I didn't go into the season expecting to be in contention for rookie of the year and there wasn't much of a shot at that. Ending with three goals and 17 points though is fantastic and something that I attribute to constant work with Kluster trying to make everything mesh together. I'm disappointed that Klompus ended up a -30 and that's simply because of where Minnesota is at this time. I'm hoping with another few years of building, we will get where we need to be. Klompus was also a ghost on the special teams despite getting a good amount of time on the ice. Over the off-season I will work on my offensive attributes to hopefully get that better.

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161 words, +3

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3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
FHM's 12-team playoff bracket setup has received a fair bit of scrutiny. It re-seeds after the play-in round and for some reason puts the #1 seed and #2 seed on the same side of the bracket. I challenge you to come up with a different playoff format - can you come up with a format that's dumber/worse than this? be creative! Come up with the worst possible format for a 12-team playoff.

So once all the teams are decided for the post-season we're going to put each team's name on a paper in a hat and use that to decide the seeding instead of the regular season results because that's just boring. The team that is lucky enough to draw the 8th seed goes straight to the finals just because and then the 3rd seed draw unfortunately is immediately eliminated. With only 10 teams left playing while the 8th-seed waits at the finals, things will get messy. I propose we have a tournament between three of the five teams that advance to determine who can go to then another three team tournament to determine who makes the semi-final.

Code:

116 words, +2

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4. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
If the SHL needed to set up a playoff bubble (like the NHL did in Edmonton/Toronto or the NBA in Orlando), which city would be the best candidate to host as the hub city? What would the players do during their time in a playoff bubble? (For graphic option, make an advertisement [like a pamphlet/brochure] in support of a specific city as the hub city and highlighting the reasons why.)

I mean if it worked in the NHL, then it's likely going to work for the SHL as well. Put the Eastern conference in Toronto and the Western conference in Edmonton and replicate the NHL's success the best that we can. It'll be tough for the players to leave their families for an extended period of time, but hopefully the team's will be able to keep everyone entertained. We'll have to limit team's to their specific floors to limit the possibility of the virus spreading. Teams will need to come up with ideas on how to pass the time. With the recent release of the next gen video game consoles, the Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5 you could give each team a few consoles to keep them entertained with hit games like Bugsnax! NHL teams did things like ping pong tournaments and stuff that can easily be done here and then maybe get some player Q&As done over social media so the guys have a chance to interact with the fans who can't be at the games.

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179 words, +3

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6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

The Calgary Dragons may be my surprise of the season. On paper going into S56, it looked like Edmonton was right there with Calgary and it would be a close battle. Over the season though Calgary was able to put up 38 wins and had strong seasons from Batsbak, Bouchard and Parmborg. It's a shame that a team with 80 points didn't make it to the finals in comparison to Buffalo's 65 points but that's just a testament to how difficult it is to win games in the East versus the easy games that Calgary was able to get in the West. Overall though the Dragons had a fantastic regular season and should be in the finals in the near future.

Code:

121 words, +2

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7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?

It's hard to believe that the WJC is already over but at least there is the IIHF to help the off-season pass. I'm looking forward to this as a member of Team Japan as I think that we are really set to do well. Japan has some star power but you need to specifically look at Monkey D. Luffy to run away with the season with his monster TPE build after last off-season's error. Martjin Westbroek is another player on Japan that will likely play very well after a strong season in the SHL. The only concern is that Japan's roster is getting on the aging side. While there is some young talent on the rise with Klompus and Sato on defense, there may be a gap there that Japan will fall back during. Other strong teams in the IIHF remain the same. The British Isles look threatening and it will be interesting to see if Canada or the United States can get themselves to a gold medal. There are a lot of the teams that could steal the IIHF but there are also some dud teams in the tournament as well. I can't see Latvia making it far but I could be completely wrong.

Code:

205 words, +3

Code:

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

Word: Toast
+3 (16 total)

CW Task 1- 3TPE
Reflecting back on the season Young Logo isn't satisfied with his personal performance or that of his team because he only plays to win and if you don't have the mindset that you have to grind day in and day out then you will never raise the cup such as many of the crows before him. This season Young Logo only netted 12 goals but assisted on 22 others for a total point score of 34 which isn't bad but every season as a player I want to score more and assist on more because in the end only the goals scored can help you win. Something I am dissatisfied with is the fact I ended with 42 penalty minutes which means I played sloppily and not how I should have been playing. What I will do better next season is score more, be a better player and not get as many penalties because penalties only hurt the team as a whole.

CW Task 2 - 3TPE
The most memorable challenge cup finals in the last 10 seasons of the SHL has to be the season 53 finals between Hamilton and Edmonton. After all the craziness and drama that occurred involving the well known simonT, Hamilton and many other teams the league knew it had to change. I know the league went into work mode changing into FHM 6, where ultimately new teams were created and the simming saw a rapid change. After all of the chaos Hamilton finally saw themselves in a finals with many looking on at them to see what they can bring to the ice. This finals is the same one of the powerhouses that also met in season 51 with the Edmonton blizzard. Over the past couple seasons no other team has been able to compete against these 2. Even though it was a huge series the winner did not matter what was historic of winning this cup is it was the new way of the league.

CW Task 4 - 3TPE
If the SHL needed to do a bubble such as the NBA or NHL the city I think most desired would have to be Miami because of the night life with the SHLs funds we could easily rent out the rinks needed to play and also a very nice hotel and even a strip club in the bubble because its Miami it's like going to Vegas and not gambling you have to have the club atmosphere for it to be acceptable. Miami also has okay beaches so there would also be a socially distanced vacation with your toes in the sand and a beer in your hand listening to juice wrld on the beach. What players could do during their off time is play the new Call of Duty because its tradition to get hammered with the boys and grind cod all day. Also the SHL could afford personal chefs and all id order is steaks and beer because you need good taste to be in the bubble life.

CW Task 7 - 3TPE
This Seasons IIHF tournament should be a really good one. There are as always quite a few good teams in the mix and a couple dark horse teams that could end up making a really nice playoff run. As always we have the teams you can always predict to stay at the top, the juggernauts of the United States and Canada with the new contender Great Britain holding up nicely and also the good but lowkey team of japan. Also we can expect teams like Norway and Sweden to make a run in this tournament being the dark horse expected teams. Both of these teams have some serious talent and good players that want to win so don't be stunned if they do win it all. Teams Like Germany and Ireland will be there for fun as I don't expect them to win it. Finally I'm expecting the USA to take gold while Great Britain takes silver and Canada takes Bronze.

CW Task 13 - 1TPE
A. I think Buffalo has the better skaters on paper. Between all the top talented forwards like Luffy, Sharp, Kholin, and Passamus, the strong defense of Selich, Scoop, and Wang with the amazing goalie of Doyle. I think the buffalo stampede have the better roster. Hamilton also has a really good lineup but Buffalo just get the edge over them

CW Task 16 - 3TPE
Verification word - Logo

Claim 16TPE

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

I think my player exceeded expectations I had for myself and even the expectations my teamates had for my player. I had always been a 3rd line player focussed on helping the team in other ways than pure scoring or play driving ability and was content with that role. I was drafted at the expansion draft by the Inferno and as is usually the case with expansion teams, the depth isn't built yet and the roster is made from players who were left unprotected by their original team. As such, I ended up playing on a 2nd line with other veterans and as a result, I'm pretty sure i achieved personal bests in goals, assists and hits being a 1st page leader in those categories in the SHL. For next season, I hope to reciprocate these kind of results while our younger players grow into the top lines roles they deserve and where I won't mind going back to the 3rd line while keeping some of these goal scoring abilities. My player's name is Nathan Explosion btw.

4. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
If the SHL needed to set up a playoff bubble (like the NHL did in Edmonton/Toronto or the NBA in Orlando), which city would be the best candidate to host as the hub city? What would the players do during their time in a playoff bubble? (For graphic option, make an advertisement [like a pamphlet/brochure] in support of a specific city as the hub city and highlighting the reasons why.)

Atlanta would definitly be the best bubble city. It is marginaly small, but we have the best maymays. Imagine being locked up with hundreds of other players and not having enough maymays for each and everyone of them. We got the Guy Fieri memes and the Celly otters declined into at least a thousand variations, including the famous fieri otter and the PogDog. We also have the highest ratio of Nathan Explosion in the city, with 9 per millions. The inferno's city is also home to the Coca-Cola headquarters, and everyone knows SHL players can't get enough of that sweet coke. With deliveries of the freshest blackest balck times infinity sugary drink, players are bound to perform to the highest standards while the rush lasts.
I would also like to point out that the worst city would be hamilton. hamilton doesn't have any original maymays, they still call those "memes" and I'm pretty sure they still like motivational poster memes, which were like cool back in the 90's or something.

6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

The Atlanta Inferno is the best team to not make the finals this season because we lost the the champions. But also, we had straight up the best team chemistry the world has ever seen. Everyone is active in the locker room, we share maymays everyday and we even get to share name (nathan explosion btw). We had clutch scoring moments, great leadership and a solid goaltender who is a little bit maniac over goalie stats analysis, but you know what they say, goalie in the day, math expert in the sheets or something. Next season, the inferno will feature a couple veterans who are on their last miles and hungry for a chance at the cup and this combined with youth growing up will be a lethal mix for contention.

14. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min)
Welp, you waited until the last day to grind out your CW and the CC finals are longggggggg over by now. congrats to [TEAM], woo! Reflecting back on the series, who gets your vote for series MVP? Make the case why this player deserves it over any other.

Stonewall Jobin deserves the MVP award. Everyone tought he was not good enough, and then he started saving every dangerous shot attempt made on him to carry his team to the finals. Once in the finals, he stepped up another time to reach ultimate goalie level where he slows time and can see everything. I think the only goals he allowed were pity goals or he feared that having too many saves would lead to a PED test, which he may or may not pass because of reasons. Altough he is deserving of the award, he plays for hamilton, which shows he has great mental strenght for enduring the city itself.

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

Verification : tocaps

Angus McFife XVIII RD  7th overall pick by Colorado Raptors
S59 17th OA Pick by Atlanta Inferno
Height: 6''4
Weight:222 lb
Number:23
Nationality : Great Britain
------------------------------------------------------------
SMJHL Career
  S|GP||G||A||P||HIT||PM
S58|0||0||0||0||0||0
TBD
  S|GP||G||A||P||HIT||PM
S40|0||0||0||0||0||0
S0|0||0||0||0||0||0
--S59 WJC Bronze--



Character Page RD- Quarterback


Retired players:
-Toki Wartooth
-Nathan Explosion btw
-Angus McFife XVIII

Code:

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

This season was a return to what I expect from Bobby Lane. Last season was so bad, I made some twitter posts alluding to Lane needing surgery in the offseason to fix an injury that had bothered him through S55. Fortunately, with his performance this season, that narrative made sense. He led the North Stars in goals and points, with 21 and 46, respectively. With the way he is built, he should probably continue to lead in those categories for the next few seasons. My expectation is that he should do slightly better next season. With the build changes in this offseason, I don’t think it will be a huge improvement. I think the greater improvement will come from the entire team getting better. Especially with the defense improving, I hope that means we spend more time with the puck on our sticks. I’m not sure how likely this is, but my hope is that Lane is up over a point per game next season.

Code:

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Of the 10 most recent finals series, which do you think is the most memorable and why? Which will be remembered in history as the best/most important/most memorable series or victory? S46: BUF over NOLA, S47: WKP over CGY, S48: BUF over WPG, S49: EDM over NEW, S50: CGY over TBB, S51: HAM over EDM, S52: MAN over SFP, S53: HAM over EDM, S54: NOLA over HAM, S55: BUF over NOLA.

As someone on the outside of all of these matchups, none really stand out that much in terms of play, or competitiveness. S50 is interesting because of the historic implications of the SHL’s 50th season, but that’s boring. I think S52 is more interesting. First of all, shoutout to my guy, Luke. I’m sure this was an important one to him. Also, shoutout to SFP being in the finals, which seems crazy, given how things have gone for them since then. That said, the important part of this series is that it was our last before switching to FHM. While this doesn’t lend any historic importance to the playoffs, it makes this Finals series the last in our long history with STHS. While some around the league celebrate the end of STHS, it is important to remember how big a role it played in the league’s history. It had problems, just like FHM does. My hope is that our time spent on STHS is remembered as the foundation this league was built on, and not for the problems it presented, especially in the final few seasons.

Code:

4. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
If the SHL needed to set up a playoff bubble (like the NHL did in Edmonton/Toronto or the NBA in Orlando), which city would be the best candidate to host as the hub city? What would the players do during their time in a playoff bubble? (For graphic option, make an advertisement [like a pamphlet/brochure] in support of a specific city as the hub city and highlighting the reasons why.)

Ok, just put it in one of the Great Lakes cities. We know now, but even in the beginning I think it was clear that any of the 3 teams from that division could be a cup winner. Lets not give them any kind of home ice advantage though, and no homerism here at all, so let’s just have it in Toronto. This can also act as a sort of apology from the league that Toronto has to be stuck in the same division as these teams. The best division in the league all get something. The teams in the playoffs don’t have to travel far, and Toronto gets to play host. Of course, we’ll have all kinds of different food delivered, catered, whatever it takes to keep everyone from having to stray too far from where they stay. I imagine the players will spend a lot of time watching movies, playing video games, playing cards, whatever they can do to pass the time while maintaining a sense of togetherness.

Code:

12. Podcast, 3 or 4 TPE
Record a mini-podcast on any of the below topics!
- Highlights of the S56 season (on or off the ice)
- S56 playoff round-up
- S56 Challenge Cup/Four Star Cup finals Breakdown
- S57 predictions

1 person Mini-Pod: 3 TPE for 5 minutes or 4 TPE for 7 Minutes
2 person Mini-Pod: 3 TPE for 6 Minutes or 4 TPE for 8 Minutes
Post the direct link to your podcast.

Rich and Luke S56 Championship Week - 9:47

Code:

13. Written, up to 4 TPE - Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Both of these teams have an impressive set of skaters - without factoring in any coaching or tactical strategies, which team do you think has the better roster of skaters on paper?

To me, the story here is the strength of the Hamilton forward group. I don’t really care how good Buffalo’s defense is, it is no match for this group of skaters. Morgan showed in the regular season he is the best forward in the league right now, and Phelps brings a level of experience that is unmatched.

Code:

b. Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?

I expect we’ll see Buffalo trying a few different things defensively to try to nullify the Hamilton offense. Hamilton probably doesn’t change much, unless Buffalo finds a weakness, which I don’t expect. I think Hamilton stands firm in what has been working for them and rides that to a cup win.

Code:

d. If, once it is safe to do so, you had to go hang out in person with one of the users on Buffalo/Hamilton, who would you hang out with and what would you do? (if you pick gabe you get -1 tpe)

An obvious choice, but I think DrunkenTeddy would be someone I’d like to hang out with. It’s a very nerdy choice, and also very on brand for me, but I’d just want to talk SHL stuff with him. He clearly cares a lot about the league, and I really like talking with people who have passion for the league.

Thanks to sulovilen for the sigs!
Adam Prpich Portal Link
Adam Prpich | Center | Los Angeles Panthers
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 208 lbs
Birthplace: Zagreb, Croatia
Number: 38
==============================================
682 games to 1000 points
Regular Season Stats:
TBD
Bobby Lane | Right Wing | Retired
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 183 lbs
Birthplace: East Grand Forks, MN, USA
Number: 88
==============================================
Regular Season Stats:
S52 - TOR: 50gp | 20g | 26a | 46pts | -6 | 88hits
S53 - TOR: 50gp | 12g | 23a | 35pts | -41 | 2hits
S54 - TOR: 50gp | 18g | 23a | 41pts | -18 | 14hits
S55 - TOR: 50gp | 8g | 10a | 18pts | -41 | 22hits
S56 - TOR: 50gp | 21g | 25a | 46pts | -5 | 30hits
S57 - TOR: 66gp | 24g | 39a | 63pts | +12 | 67hits
S58 - TOR: 66gp | 36g | 42a | 78pts | +17 | 74hits
S59 - TOR: 66gp | 28g | 32a | 60pts | +28 | 51hits
S60 - TOR: 66gp | 34g | 31a | 65pts | +10 | 61hits
S61 - TOR: 66gp | 14g | 40a | 54pts | +2 | 58hits
S62 - TOR: 66gp | 21g | 31a | 52pts | -9 | 130hits
S63 - LAP: 66gp | 28g | 33a | 61pts | +1 | 84hits
S64 - LAP: 66gp | 15g | 36a | 51pts | +36 | 83hits
S65 - LAP: 66gp | 12g | 18a | 30pts | +6 | 55hits
Jonathan Lundberg |Center| Retired
Rollergator
Height: 6'
Weight: 196 lbs
Birthplace: Gothenburg, Sweden
Number: 31
Position: Center
==============================================
Regular Season Stats:
S24 - KEL: 52gp | 1g | 5a | 6pts | -1
S25 - KEL: 50gp | 13g | 17a | 30pts | +14
S26 - KEL: 50gp | 13g | 32a | 45pts | +14
S27 - KEL: 50gp | 18g | 37a | 55pts | +21
S28 - WKP: 50gp | 7g | 11a | 18pts | +9 | 99hits
S29 - MAN/WIN: 48gp | 9g | 27a | 36pts | +11 | 108hits
S30 - NEW: 50gp | 9g | 20a | 29pts | +13 | 88hits
S31 - NEW: 50gp | 11g | 22a | 33pts | +11 | 60hits
S32 - NEW: 50gp | 13g | 22a | 35pts | +16 | 58hits
S33 - POR: 50gp | 19g | 25a | 44pts | +8 | 156hits
S34 - POR: 50gp | 21g | 27a | 48pts | +10 | 179hits
S35 - POR: 50gp | 17g | 26a | 43pts | +14 | 176hits
S36 - POR/SEA: 51gp | 11g | 24a | 36pts | -18 | 163hits
S37 - SEA: 50gp | 17g | 34a | 51pts | +15 | 195hits
S38 - SEA: 50gp | 14g | 28a | 42pts | +2 | 229hits
S39 - MIN: 50gp | 14g | 25a | 39pts | +11 | 201hits
S40 - MIN: 50gp | 16g | 28a | 44pts | +19 | 193hits
S41 - MIN: 50gp | 13g | 27a | 40pts | +2 | 207hits
S42 - MIN: 50gp | 14g | 16a | 30pts | -3 | 185hits
S43 - MIN: 50gp | 15g | 14a | 29pts | -3 | 155hits
S44 - TOR: 50gp | 9g | 14a | 23pts | +3 | 189hits
S45 - SFP: 50gp | 11g | 17a | 28pts | -6 | 180hits
S46 - SFP/EDM: 50gp | 11g | 18a | 29pts | +1 | 197hits
========================================
S24 - Signed as a UDFA with the Kelowna Knights
S25 - Selected 18th overall by Calgary
S25 - Won Four Star Cup with the Kelowna Knights
S28 - Rights traded to West Kendall. Signed for 2 seasons
S28 - Selected to SHL All-Star Rookie Team
S29 - Traded to Manhattan
S29 - Traded to Winnipeg
S30 - Signed with New England for 2 seasons.
S30 - Won Challenge Cup with New England Wolfpack
S31 - Won Challenge Cup with New England Wolfpack
S32 - Signed with New England for 1 season.
S33 - Signed with Portland for 3 seasons.
S35 - Extended with Portland for 3 more seasons.
S36 - Traded to Seattle.
S38 - Rights traded to Minnesota.
S38 - Signed with Minnesota for 2 seasons.
S39 - Won Challenge Cup with the Minnesota Chiefs
S39 - Extended with Minnesota through S43.
S44 - Signed with the Toronto North Stars for 1 season.
S45 - Signed with the San Francisco Pride for 1 season.
S46 - Signed with the San Francisco Pride for 1 season.
Check out past episodes of Rich and Luke!

1) I was seriously considering to start the season with a media post essentially re-telling the story about my player and how he was likely retiring soon. I honestly believe Yoshimitsu McCloud's skill has already hit its' ceiling and by now, he's mostly threading the waters. In the end, my only goals were really team goals: going to the playoffs and maybe, just, maybe getting a hit on the Syndicate. We technically did, at least, get a win over Chicago but it wasn't quite enough. Still, pretty proud of our efforts although I wish I had the time and competence to help the team way more than I did, assuming I even did help them in any way or shape. The truth is that I've been distant mentally speaking, busy with other affairs and overall lacking the diligence to work on my player. I'm not sure if I'll re-create soon as a result, I don't want to give it a half-hearted attempt and I would really not wish to make a player that might not be all that great and end up leaving any sort of friends I ever make with a waste of a draft pick. Yoshi will be around for a bit longer, but by the moment I start not being useful for the Jets, I'm in favour of retiring and taking some time out to get my issues (namely my graduation thesis) in order.

4) Ooooh, that's a tricky one, in all actuality. If we're talking internationally, I'd suggest Dubai. Now, now, I know you must be thinking that this is a very odd choice but in all honesty, if there's a place in the world that would serve as a perfectly fine and acceptable place for a bubble, it would likely have to be Dubai - they have the infrastructure and they also have the money and resources that would enable efforts to bring members of SHL teams. Diplomatically speaking, I believe the UAE isn't really at odds with anyone, which would help things. Another option could've been the Isle of Man. The Manx land has been somewhat isolated for quite a while and the British weather could maybe help us set up ice over there. If it had to be in North America, I guess somewhere in the Maritimes would work, like Prince Edward Island or Labrador.

5) as the rain
washes away the pain
of my losses, I smile

for it was
even if a rough year
the play-offs we reached

13) a) To be honest, when I recall making my predictions for the finals, I honestly expected Buffalo to beat Hamilton but by a very tight margin. Both teams were pretty good on paper and it was really up to you on whether you would take Buffalo or Hamilton's side on their advantages.
b) Well, speaking about it right now, it looks like Buffalo might have wanted to do some strategic adjustments if they could go back in time, no? Imagine getting ran out by 4-1, that must have been a mouthful to have and... uh... wait, we went out on a 4-1 too, right? Damn... uh... nevermind, sorry, Buffalo.
c) I have a slight suspicion they were running out of stuff to ask for this section when coming up with it. Personally, I do not have any particular alignments towards the supposed qualities of lakes. In fact, I am actually a beach guy myself, being a native of Rio de Janeiro and whatnot. If I must, I would suggest Ontario, because apparently people have gone on to try and surf on it, which sounds really fun.
d) Probably Luffy? I spent some time with him back at the Outlaws and he was pretty alright if I recall correctly. Still think his anime taste is a bit wank but I have no complaints about him and I feel he would be a pretty good friend to have, in all honesty.

16) Yoshimitsu

Player Page - Update Page

Former Players: Yoshimitsu McCloud (LW, #64) -
Won a Four Star Cup once, knew ninjutsu, picture editors hated him, never tried free agency
Anton Harrier (LW, #90) -
Won WJC gold, liked skateboarding a lot, went to the finals with Manhattan, kept his seat glued in LR

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

I'm really happy with how my season turned out, let's start with a free agency that finally led me to the Manhattan Rage, where if all goes all I plan to finish my career and if I have 3 more seasons like this one, I'm pretty sure it will be enough to get into vaunted SHL Hall of Fame. But going back to the season and why I'm satisfied with it - after not so bad last year with Texas I was able to improve upon it, despite regression starting to kick my ass, and go above 40 points yet again in my career, in 50 games played and started I racked up just 15 gols, but thanks to having great line partners was able to assist 28 times on their goals. +/- was one of my best as well - +33, and although I didn't get much special time minutes (just 1:04 PPTOI) still was able to nab 3 assists there. My SH% was I feel a bit unlucky given the attributes, but I shot a lot with 183 shots on goal, good just for 8.20 Shooting percentage.
(187)


3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
FHM's 12-team playoff bracket setup has received a fair bit of scrutiny. It re-seeds after the play-in round and for some reason puts the #1 seed and #2 seed on the same side of the bracket. I challenge you to come up with a different playoff format - can you come up with a format that's dumber/worse than this? be creative! Come up with the worst possible format for a 12-team playoff.

Oh my, I love various playoff formats and it's a bit weird you cannot set up anything you'd like with FHM, in OOTP there is a checkbox to actually allow/disallow residing after each round, but oh well. I kind of always felt in American Football, and to a lesser extent in the SHL, that regular season doesn't have enough games so instead of using this single-elimination brutal system, I'd suggest a double-elimination system with possible group format in round of 16 if we were to expand the playoffs even more. It wouldn't be a full round-robin, instead of we'd use a system where we have 2 winners from each group, which are required to win 2 games each, e.g. we have first head to head between 2 pairs, then winners series where 1 team advances, loser series where 1 is eliminated and finally elimination game to decide the final team to advance. That could be a bit too complicated and almost all teams would made it in, so I don't see much support for that.
(176)


6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

Can I be biased? Duh, of course we, I mean Manhattan Rage, were yet again coming of the great regular season and even started playoff series really well, just to lose 4 straight and be eliminated by eventual finalists Buffalo Stampede. We have a lot of talent on that team and even though I was quite happy with my regular season it's no shame to admit Ithere were at least 4 vastly better forwards carrying the lines - Luke Thomason, Ola Wagstrom, Austin Roenick and Jax Aittokallio. Defence isn't lagging behind either Oliver Cleary, Phineas Gold, Barret McCarthy & Andrej Doskocil all finishing the year with 30+ points. David Vent wasn't far behind either.
(113)


7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?
This should be yet again the Czechia year, at least I hope so that it will be since while I plan to play at least for some more years, some of our vets might be heading towards finishing their careers. We have a great core, I already mentioned Luke Thomason & Barret McCarthy, as well as Andrej Doskocil and those, are my double teammates, from both IIHF & SHL teams. Micheal Scarn was the talk of the league with his free agency and great regular seasons so hopefully, he can duplicate that in the IIHF tournament as well. David Kastrba is another big cog for us and on the defence a lot of minutes are played by yet another fellow Rage player in David Vent. Some of us might regress hard, but we have youth coming up as well and for so many years of having ours heart broken it's time for a positive change. At least something in 2020 should go right, right?
(164)


13. Written, up to 4 TPE - Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
b. Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?
Nope, I hate reactive thinking and recommend believing in what you tested out to be the best approach, knee jerk reactions won't help the team and just create an illusion of doing something and I'm a firm believer in saying that if you want to do something then do right, probably why I end up not doing much in the end, but that's beside the point. (65)

c. These two teams hail from the Great Lakes Division. Which of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) do you think is the Greatest and why?
You have lame Great Lakes I tell you this much, we have so much better names in Poland for our Land of Thousand Lakes, including but not limited to: Śniardwy, Mamry, Niegocin, Orzysz, Jagodne, Tałty. Though if I was forced too choose, then the order would be as follow: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior - why? I'll let you guess this, it's really hard though. (65).

d. If, once it is safe to do so, you had to go hang out in person with one of the users on Buffalo/Hamilton, who would you hang out with and what would you do? (if you pick gabe you get -1 tpe)
So hard question to answer, I know plenty of folks on both sides of the barricade, but in SHL a special place will always belong to Evok, that I shared most of my journey here with. Not nowadays, but if I recreate down the line then playing for the will likely be the biggest reason for that decision. (59)

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
Confirmation word: heh

Piotr Czerkawski | C/RW | S41 | 1843 Peak TPE | #77 | 319 G 443 A 762 P
Age: 25 | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 220 lbs
Player Type: Offensive Forward | Number: 77
Birthplace: Radomsko, Poland
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Awards/Honors
Selected 8th OA by Montreal Militia in S40 SMJHL Entry Draft
Selected 3rd OA by New England Wolfpack in S41 SHL Entry Draft
S41 | Named Alternate Captain of the Montreal Militia
S41 | Won the WJC Gold Medal with Eastern Europe
S44, S45 | President Trophy With Edmonton Blizzard
S45 | Cole Reinhart Trophy With Edmonton Blizzard  
S45 | Challenge Cup With Edmonton Blizzard  
S46 | Named Alternate Captain of the New Orleans Specters
S46 | Cole Reinhart Trophy With New Orleans Specters  
S47 | S47 All-Star 1st Team With New Orleans Specters  
S47 | S47 Nominee for Aidan Richan Trophy - Most Improved Player  
S50 | S50 All-Star 1st Team With New Orleans Specters  
S50 | Winner of Jay McDonald Trophy - Most Goals With New Orleans Specters  
S50 | Nominee for Ron Mexico Trophy - Most Valuable Player With New Orleans Specters  
S51 | S51 All-Star 3rd Team With New Orleans Specters  
S51 | President Trophy With New Orleans Specters
S51 | Winner of Jay McDonald Trophy - Most Goals With New Orleans Specters
S52 | President Trophy With San Francisco Pride
S52 | Cole Reinhart Trophy With San Francisco Pride  
S53 | S53 All-Star 3rd Team With San Francisco Pride  
S53 | Won the IIHF Silver Medal with Czechia   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHL Career Statistics
S43 | NEW | GP: 50   | G: 8  | A: 8 | P: 16  | PIM: 29 | HIT: 43  | +/-:  -19
S44 | EDM | GP: 50   | G: 9  | A:19 | P: 28  | PIM: 18 | HIT: 64  | +/-:  +7
S45 | EDM | GP: 50   | G: 8  | A: 6 | P: 14  | PIM: 5 | HIT: 5 | +/-:  +10  
S46 | NOS | GP: 50   | G:15 | A:23 | P: 38| PIM: 0  | HIT: 24 | +/-:  +9  
S47 | NOS | GP: 50   | G:24 | A:34 | P: 54| PIM: 19 | HIT: 77 | +/-:  +27  
S48 | NOS | GP: 50   | G:21 | A:23 | P: 44| PIM: 18 | HIT: 79 | +/-:  -1  
S49 | NOS | GP: 50   | G:15 | A:25 | P: 40| PIM: 57 | HIT: 150 | +/-:  -2  
S50 | NOS | GP: 50   | G:27 | A:30 | P: 57| PIM: 54 | HIT: 184 | +/-:  +14  
S51 | NOS | GP: 50   | G:28 | A:30 | P: 58| PIM: 26 | HIT: 120 | +/-:  +18  
S52 | SFP  | GP: 50   | G:13 | A:27 | P: 40| PIM: 31 | HIT: 167 | +/-:  +9  
S53 | SFP  | GP: 50   | G:33 | A:25 | P: 58| PIM: 38 | HIT: 88 | +/-:  +23  
S54 | SFP  | GP: 50   | G:19 | A:31 | P: 50| PIM: 32 | HIT: 84 | +/-:  +9  
S55 | TEX  | GP: 50   | G:17 | A:21 | P: 38| PIM: 24| HIT: 78| +/-:  +14  
S56 | MAN | GP: 50   | G:15 | A:28 | P: 43| PIM: 14| HIT: 83 | +/-:  +33  
S57 | MAN | GP: 66  | G:17 | A:36 | P: 53| PIM: 24 | HIT: 102| +/-:  +19  
S58 | MAN | GP: 66  | G:18 | A:36 | P: 54| PIM: 11 | HIT: 76| +/-:  -11  
S59 | MAN | GP: 66  | G:13 | A:9 | P: 22| PIM: 22 | HIT: 75| +/-:  -50   
S60 | MAN | GP: 66  | G:8 | A:20 | P: 28| PIM: 16 | HIT: 70| +/-:  -42   
S61 | LAP | GP: 66  | G:11 | A:12 | P: 23| PIM: 4 | HIT: 58| +/-:  -4   
SHL TOTAL | GP: 1030 | G:319| A:443| P:762| PIM:440| HIT:1627| +/-:  +53  
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SHL Playoff Statistics
S42 | NEW | GP: 6   | G:2  | A: 0  | P: 2  | PIM:0 | HIT: 9  | +/-:  -3  
S44 | EDM | GP:11   | G:2  | A: 0  | P: 2  | PIM:10 | HIT: 8  | +/-:  +1
S45 | EDM | GP:18   | G:3  | A: 2  | P: 5  | PIM:0 | HIT: 8  | +/-:  +7
S46 | NOS | GP:20   | G:3  | A: 9  | P:12  | PIM:2 | HIT: 15  | +/-:  +0
S47 | NOS | GP: 7   | G:2  | A: 3  | P: 5 | PIM:2 | HIT: 11  | +/-:  +0
S48 | NOS | GP: 13 | G:5  | A: 6  | P:11 | PIM:4 | HIT: 20  | +/-:  -2
S49 | NOS | GP: 10 | G:3  | A: 3  | P:6 | PIM:9 | HIT: 20  | +/-:  -2
S50 | NOS | GP: 10 | G:2  | A: 10  | P:12 | PIM:16 | HIT: 45  | +/-:  -2
S51 | NOS | GP: 5 | G:0  | A: 4 | P:4 | PIM:0 | HIT: 14  | +/-:  -1
S52 | SFP  | GP: 19   | G:7| A:9| P: 16 | PIM: 10 | HIT: 42| +/-:  -10  
S61 | LAP | GP: 5  | G:1 | A:1 | P: 2| PIM: 2 | HIT: 3| +/-:  -1   
SHL TOTAL | GP: 118| G:30| A:47 | P:76| PIM:55| HIT:195| +/-:  -13
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SMJHL Career Statistics
S40 | MTL | GP:50 | G:11 | A:12 | P:23 | PIM:8   | HIT:36 | +/-: -12  
S41 | MTL | GP:50 | G:20 | A:26 | P:46 | PIM:32 | HIT:44 | +/-:  +0  
S42 | MTL | GP:50 | G:12 | A:21 | P:33 | PIM:11 | HIT:16 | +/-: +12
SMJHL TOTAL | GP: 150 | G:43| A:59 | P:102| PIM:51| HIT:96| +/-:  0
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SMJHL Playoff Statistics
S40 | MTL | GP: 6   | G:2  | A: 0  | P: 2  | PIM:4 | HIT: 4  | +/-:  -4
S41 | MTL | GP:19  | G:9  | A:13 | P:22 | PIM:2 | HIT:18 | +/-: +9
S42 | MTL | GP: 9   | G:2  | A: 2  | P: 4  | PIM:7 | HIT: 8  | +/-:  -3
SMJHL TOTAL | GP: 34 | G:13| A:15 | P:28| PIM:13| HIT:30| +/-:  +2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contracts/Traded
S40 | Signed 1y / $3M Contract with Montreal Militia
S41 | Signed 1y / $3M Contract with New England Wolfpack
S42 | Signed 1y / $3M Contract with New England Wolfpack
S43 | Signed 3y / $15M Contract (S45 MO) with New England Wolfpack
S43 | Traded to the Edmonton Blizzard  
S45 | FA Rights Traded to the Tampa Bay Barracuda
S45 | Signed 2y / $8M Contract with New Orleans Specters
S47 | Signed 5y / $25M Contract with New Orleans Specters
S51 | Traded to San Francisco Pride for 1st Round Pick
S52 | Signed 1y / $5M Contract with San Francisco Pride
S53 | Signed 1y / $5.5 M Contract with San Francisco Pride
S54 | Signed 1y / $5M Contract with San Francisco Pride
S55 | Traded to Texas Renegades for 2 2nd Round Pick & 2 players 
S56 | Signed 1y / $8.5M Contract with Manhattan Rage
S57 | Signed 2y / $8M Contract with Manhattan Rage
S59 | Signed 1y / $4M Contract with Manhattan Rage
S60 | Signed 1y / $3M Contract with Manhattan Rage
S61 | Signed 1y / $3M Contract with Los Angeles Panthers


 Player Page  |  Update Page

Code:

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

Patrick Shepherd had kind of a down year for his final season in the SMJHL. He finished the season with 9 goals, 13 assists, and -9. In S55 he had a career year finishing with 10 goals, 26 assists, and +6. So S56 was a fairly large step back for Shepherd and it also saw his short handed time drop dramatically as well, going from 2:53 (good for 2nd in the entire league) down to 1:47. For a player that is touted as a defensive specialist this is a fairly significant indication of player usage. Patrick was used in more offensive situations and not trusted with nearly as much defensive responsibility and it really showed in his overall performance. He seemed to be playing out of his element for most of the season. Going into next season, his first in the SHL, he will try to be getting back to his roots and focusing on his physical stats and the defensive side of his game, hoping to make an impact out of the gate on Baltimore by providing solid defensive numbers. 

Code:

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Of the 10 most recent finals series, which do you think is the most memorable and why? Which will be remembered in history as the best/most important/most memorable series or victory? S46: BUF over NOLA, S47: WKP over CGY, S48: BUF over WPG, S49: EDM over NEW, S50: CGY over TBB, S51: HAM over EDM, S52: MAN over SFP, S53: HAM over EDM, S54: NOLA over HAM, S55: BUF over NOLA.

Looking at the last 10 finals series there are several that standout for being very memorable, but I think the S55 final has to be the most memorable. Not only was it a  seven game battle that had its final outcome wildly up in the air, but the SHL saw a unique statistic that the league had never had before. The league had a player with a performance so surprising that no one really knew how to handle it. That player was Alexander Smith and his performance was winning a Challenge Cup without having ever stepped onto SHL ice. It was a truly memorable achievement and will live on SHL history and lore for all time. It also helps that this was the first Challenge Cup Final that I followed since joining the site due to one of my friends having a chance to join a cup champion for his rookie season. 

Code:

4. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
If the SHL needed to set up a playoff bubble (like the NHL did in Edmonton/Toronto or the NBA in Orlando), which city would be the best candidate to host as the hub city? What would the players do during their time in a playoff bubble? (For graphic option, make an advertisement [like a pamphlet/brochure] in support of a specific city as the hub city and highlighting the reasons why.)

If the SHL needed to set up bubble cities like in the real world, I would advocate for them to use Toronto and Edmonton just like the NHL did. There are several reasons as to why I would choose to use two Canadian cities, but the most obvious one is that in the case of a major pandemic that would facilitate the need for bubble cities, the Canadians will actually follow guidelines and attempt to do the right thing. This not only protects the general populace but it also helps to better protect the players and staff needed. While in the bubble the teams would try to emulate regular life as best as they could. Teams would still have morning skates and regular practice as ice time allowed, but when away from the ice the teams would be allowed to make use of the regular hotel amenities and we would try to set up rec rooms to allow the different teams to interact and play stuff like ping pong or pool or any other type of activity we could bring in to help ease the burden of being stuck into a very rigid life for several months at a time.

Code:

6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

The Carolina Kraken were the best team to not make the finals this season in the SMJHL. They were the top team in the eastern conference in the regular season and had a roster that should have been good enough to win throughout the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Kraken they ran into a very hot Vancouver Whalers team that would eventually go on to win the Four Star Cup. The Kraken managed to play them close, requiring a full seven game series before the Whalers eventually advanced. I personally think that if the Kraken had had any other path to the finals that they would have faced Vancouver for the Four Star Cup.

Code:

7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?

This IIHF tournament will be interesting to watch and see how it plays out. There are a lot of new factors going into this tournament that could potentially make for some unexpected results. I think the team to watch out for is Team Ireland. They have had a wealth of talent declare ready to play for them this tournament. It looks like a completely rebuilt and retooled roster that is ready to wreak some havoc at the international level. It is a very young roster, so if they should fail to dominate this season, they will be a scary roster going forward. As far as other teams go, I think that you will have to watch out for the usual suspects; Team USA, Team Russia, Team Sweden, and Team Canada. All of those rosters will be filled with high level talent and be able to challenge for the gold medal and it will really just come down to who is hot and who is not at the right times.

Code:

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

Trees

G - Denebor Milasch

(I got tired of replacing my Sig photos since it always seems to break now) 

Previously: Patrick Shepherd (S52 - S64)

Code:

13. Written, up to 4 TPE - Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.

Code:

. a. Both of these teams have an impressive set of skaters - without factoring in any coaching or tactical strategies, which team do you think has the better roster of skaters on paper?

Based purely off of numbers, Buffalo has the more impressive set of skaters. Their top 6 D are above 1000. 3 of those are above 1500. 2 of those above 1750. Of the forwards, 8 are above 1000. Their top F sitting at 2167. Of the top 8, 5 are above 1500 and 4 are above 1750. Top that off with a goalie at 1357 and they are set.
+1 TPE

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b. Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?

I have always felt that a team should stick to their tactics for the most part. Minor changes make sense, and with enough testing maybe some more major changes can be accepted. All strategic adjustments must highly be considered with the ups and downs. This way you do not make a sudden change and loose it all.
+1 TPE

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c. These two teams hail from the Great Lakes Division. Which of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) do you think is the Greatest and why?

Obviously Lake Superior is the greatest, Great Lake. It is the farthest north lake. And in this world, getting out of the United States sounds like a good idea. With a name like Superior, how can you not name this the greatest, Great Lake. With a name like Superior, they know they are the best.
+1 TPE

Code:

d. If, once it is safe to do so, you had to go hang out in person with one of the users on Buffalo/Hamilton, who would you hang out with and what would you do? (if you pick gabe you get -1 tpe)

Well I have already hung out with Evok before. She came to my wedding. If I had to pick someone right now, it would probably be Teddy. He is always been so nice and chill talking with him that I think we could grab a beer together and have a nice chat.
+1 TPE

16. Potatoes +3 TPE

Total +7

Code:

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

I managed to play top line minutes as a rookie as center has been a position of weakness recently, but it's also an honor to be called on so early in my career. There was a point this season that I went on a five game goal scoring streak and thought that maybe I had made great strides in my games. However, I was mostly snake bitten the rest of the season and couldn’t find the net much after that. I expect with the retirement of Nickolas Klaus that I will be called on even more than before. I plan on being a terrific two-way player and hopefully that can help us further down the road. I’m working on a number of things this offseason to give us a bit more push such as my passing skills, staying strong on my skates and overall vision of the ice as well as a few other areas that I still need work in.

Code:

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Of the 10 most recent finals series, which do you think is the most memorable and why? Which will be remembered in history as the best/most important/most memorable series or victory? S46: BUF over NOLA, S47: WKP over CGY, S48: BUF over WPG, S49: EDM over NEW, S50: CGY over TBB, S51: HAM over EDM, S52: MAN over SFP, S53: HAM over EDM, S54: NOLA over HAM, S55: BUF over NOLA.

I wasn’t around for much of this, but the Specters victory over the Steelhawks is very memorable for a number of reasons. Hamilton was favored by many after coming off the first cup in FHM history and New Orleans had never won a Challenge Cup. Instead of a close series, New Orleans swept Hamilton, Aleister Cain played out of his mind and the rest of the team did what they needed to do to win with confidence. But, the celebration was short-lived and the aftermath of the victory is almost as memorable as the win itself.

Immediately following that was the departure of several key players amid wholesale changes. Gone were up and coming players such as Keith Lee and Mitchell van der Heijden and a slew of prospects and the former took shots at some of his old teammates as he left. In came Rex Kirkby, a big name blueliner the Specters needed, and the rest is history.

Code:

6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

In the SHL, I predicted both Hamiltion and Chicago to make the finals. I believed that the Syndicate were going to be the team to beat after the monster season they had and that this was there absolute best shot at a Challenge Cup. With names like Corey Kennedy and Martjin Westbroek having monster seasons and the rest of the team doing very well defensively, I felt that they could go all the way and they really almost had it too. After going up 3-0 in their series versus Buffalo, they came back down to earth in the final four games in what has to be a crushing blow for the team.

Code:

7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?

I think that my team, Team USA, always has a shot at a gold medal and I expect us to make the medal round easily. With Michael Fox switching to defense for the tournament and possibly permanently, I expect the USA will dominate in the round robin and be a force once again in the medal round. I think Great Britain will once again be the team to beat this season. This is the tournament that Norway finally makes the leap and makes the medal round this tournament after falling short as they have recruited heavily the past few seasons. A team I think could slip is Germany as many of their players are regressing and limped into the medal round last season. Austria is another team which just had multiple players retire and very little coming up to replace them. I think because of this, both Ireland and Norway will replace them in the medal round.

Code:

13. Written, up to 4 TPE - Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.

a. Both of these teams have an impressive set of skaters - without factoring in any coaching or tactical strategies, which team do you think has the better roster of skaters on paper?

Hamilton’s forward group on paper is very diverse with a good mix of two-way players, snipers, forecheckers and playmakers, while Buffalo’s roster is filled with players that are very similar to each other with few exceptions. So I expect Hamilton to be the better team just due to the fact that they have that diversity and are able to gel together better.

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b. Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?

I expect Hamilton to stick to their game plan for the most part, but be ready for adjustments if Buffalo makes some. The Steelhawks generally played a run and gun type offense and it worked all season, while the Stampede have played more of a two-way game and that may not work for them in this series, so I expect them to adjust quickly to the better team.

Code:

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

thesheepmaster

16 TPE

Ethan Duncan | #11 | D | Winnipeg Aurora | 2407 Peak TPE
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 192 lbs
Birthplace: United States
S52 SMJHL Draft: 46th Overall by the Kelowna Knights
S53 SHL Draft: 6th Overall by the West Kendall Platoon

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHL Regular Season Statistics
S56 | BAP | GP: 50 | G: 09 | A: 08 | P: 17 | +/-: -31 | PIM: 24 | HIT: 12 | SB: 35 | FO%: 53.2
S57 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 06 | A: 29 | P: 35 | +/-: -27 | PIM: 56 | HIT: 20 | SB: 58 | FO%: 54.6
S58 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 21 | A: 37 | P: 58 | +/-: +18 | PIM: 12 | HIT: 71 | SB: 62 | FO%: 54.9
S59 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 18 | A: 35 | P: 53 | +/-: -5 | PIM: 29 | HIT: 103 | SB: 52 | FO%: 51.7
S60 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 24 | A: 40 | P: 64 | +/-: +25 | PIM: 30 | HIT: 106 | SB: 11 | FO%: 49.3
S61 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 26 | A: 49 | P: 75 | +/-: +42 | PIM: 10 | HIT: 123 | SB: 35 | FO%: 50.9
S62 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 36 | A: 47 | P: 83 | +/-: +26 | PIM: 22 | HIT: 120 | SB: 17 | FO%: 51.4
S63 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 40 | A: 50 | P: 90 | +/-: +51 | PIM: 10 | HIT: 88 | SB: 1
S64 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 31 | A: 38 | P: 69 | +/-: +31 | PIM: 12 | HIT: 74 | SB: 6
S65 | BAP | GP: 66 | G: 35 | A: 36 | P: 71 | +/-: +19 | PIM: 30 | HIT: 103 | SB: 3
S66 | WPG | GP: 66 | G: 14 | A: 36 | P: 50 | +/-: +7 | PIM: 36 | HIT: 73 | SB: 99
S67 | WPG | GP: 66 | G: 23 | A: 32 | P: 55 | +/-: +36 | PIM: 36 | HIT: 63 | SB: 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total | GP: 776 | G: 283 | A: 437 | P: 720 | +/-: +192 | PIM: 307 | HIT: 956 | SB: 485 | FO%: 52.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHL Playoff Statistics
S58 Playoffs | BAP | GP: 05 | G: 01 | A: 02 | P: 03 | +/-: -02 | PIM: 00 | HIT: 05 | SB: 04 | FO%: 56.6
S59 Playoffs | BAP | GP: 05 | G: 01 | A: 02 | P: 03 | +/-: -02 | PIM: 00 | HIT: 06 | SB: 05 | FO%: 53.7
S60 Playoffs | BAP | GP: 12 | G: 01 | A: 05 | P: 06 | +/-: -02 | PIM: 00 | HIT: 13 | SB: 02 | FO%: 45.7
S61 Playoffs | BAP | GP: 18 | G: 05 | A: 08 | P: 13 | +/-: +05 | PIM: 08 | HIT: 48 | SB: 09 | FO%: 46.4
S62 Playoffs | BAP | GP: 15 | G: 04 | A: 12 | P: 16 | +/-: +05 | PIM: 00 | HIT: 20 | SB: 08 | FO%: 48.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total | GP: 40 | G: 08 | A: 17 | P: 25 | +/-: -01 | PIM: 08 | HIT: 72 | SB: 20 | FO%: 48.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Achievements
S53: Occasus Trophy
S53: Colin Schmidt Award (Team Award)
S54-S55: Voted Alternate Captain of the Kelowna Knights
S54: Laurifer Trophy
S54: WJC Gold Medalist (GM/Player)
S62: Third Team All-Star
S63: President's Trophy
S63: IIHF Gold Medalist
S63: Lance Uppercut Award
S63: Second Team All-Star
S65: IIHF Top Forward
S67: President's Trophy
S67: Second Team All-Star
S69: President's Trophy
S71: President's Trophy
S72: Challenge Cup Champion

       

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

Walton Stromberg, overall, had a solid season. In the off-season Walton put a lot of effort to improve his offensive game, which was the part of his game that was a bit lacking, if he wanted to really be one of the best players in the league. Stromberg led the team in points in the regular season and was tied for first in points for playoffs too, so that mission was definitely accomplished. The defensive game remained quite good too, and Stromberg had fourth most shot blocks among forwards. The powerplay production still dropped from previous season, so that’s something to again improve next season. It still feels that Stromberg, like the whole Timber team last year, had a bit more in them than what they showed. The challenge next season will be to take the last step to really get the maximum performance out, in what will be the final SMJHL season for Stromberg. (155 words)

3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
FHM's 12-team playoff bracket setup has received a fair bit of scrutiny. It re-seeds after the play-in round and for some reason puts the #1 seed and #2 seed on the same side of the bracket. I challenge you to come up with a different playoff format - can you come up with a format that's dumber/worse than this? be creative! Come up with the worst possible format for a 12-team playoff.

First of all, the “standard” playoff formats hockey leagues around the world use, are the standard for a reason – they are fair and logical, and they give enough significance to the regular season standings to keep things interesting in the regular season. So if we can’t do that, we could as well just randomize the whole thing and make it a draft. After regular season, all teams will be sent to one pool, and all teams have equal chance to win the first selection: they will then be the home team and they get to choose who they play against. We draw teams out of the lottery machine until every team has an opponent. After the first round we do it again, and everyone have equal odds again. (128 words)

4. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
If the SHL needed to set up a playoff bubble (like the NHL did in Edmonton/Toronto or the NBA in Orlando), which city would be the best candidate to host as the hub city? What would the players do during their time in a playoff bubble? (For graphic option, make an advertisement [like a pamphlet/brochure] in support of a specific city as the hub city and highlighting the reasons why.)





6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?
I’m a total homer here and say Maine Timber. Timber was excellent in the last season’s playoffs and surprised a lot of people by going to the finals. This season, although there were some key players lost to the big league, the team should have been even better, and at least better than what they showed. It felt like there was something holding them back and they just never found that biggest gear to really get going. The defense seemed like the weakest area, and it got bolstered with the acquisition of Elwulf Jericson, but even that wasn’t enough to get past the second playoffs round. Maybe with a better regular season and easier playoff match-ups they could’ve made another longer run. (122 words)

9. Graphic, 3 TPE
Design a Challenge Cup championship hat for one of the teams in the finals. (A four-star cup championship hat for the SMJHL is ok as well.)




16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
Verification word: endorse

3+2+3+2+3+3=16

player page / update page / sig portfolio

Jaromir Jagrbomb - RD - Quebec City Citadelles

Walton Stromberg - C - Philadelphia Forge

Career highlights:

S54 SMJHL Entry Draft - 25th overall pick by Maine Timber

S54 - Alex Andani Award (WJC Top Rookie)

S55 SHL Entry Draft - 22nd overall pick by San Francisco Pride

S57 - WJC Gold Medal as the captain of Team Finland

S58 - Selected to SHL All-Rookie Team

S60 - Inducted to Maine Timber Hall of Fame

S62 - IIHF Gold Medal with Team Finland

S64 - IIHF Gold Medal with Team Finland

S66 - IIHF Gold Medal with Team Finland

S69 - SHL Challenge Cup Champion (Philadelphia Forge)