(16/16 TPE done)


Let’s be honest here. My player, Luca Del Vecchio, did not perform as well as the previous season. Call it the sophomore slump or regressing to the mean, or even blame it on a less efficient defensive group up front, but at the end of the day the results are that we are sitting out of the playoffs. Overall I would say that this was to be expected considering how all teams learned how to use FHM a lot better this season compared to last. It was kind of nauseating, over the course of the season, to see how many shots Luca faced night after night, often being hit up for 40+ shots a game.
There is not much more I could do beyond continuing to grind it out and gradually improve my player. A goalie is the last rampart of the team but there are five other skaters on the ice that need to improve as well and help out.
(161 words)


Baltimore in the dead heat of the summer is pretty annoying, and with the arena closed to increase capacity (the Platoon being popular here), the cool ice is off-limits. Heat is not a problem for Luca who comes from Italy, and is used to Mediterranean summers after all. However, with nothing to do but practice, he has taken the plane (provided by SDCore of course) to Louisiana to go watch the finals alongside some friends from his draft class. Having not played in the playoffs yet, this was a fun experience for Luca and gave him a taste of playoffs atmosphere, within the arena as well as around the city. Something strange, considering how far south New Orleans is.
All in all, it was a great experience and a first real vacation for Luca, who has been working tirelessly since being called up to the SHL 2 seasons ago. The opportunity to relax and take a step back to look at what he has accomplished so far and being able to share this with friends from his draft class has been a great moment.
(184 words)


With FHM, there is a lot less randomness with the sim. So this will come as no surprise when I say that the bigger nations in the IIHF will be the ones rising to the top. Most users create a player that is affiliated to either Canada or USA, and as such their depth is rather large. A lot of users have also been recruited over time into teams such as Great Britain, Czechia, Sweden, Germany. With all these teams and less randomness, I believe that my team (Great Britain) has another good shot at a medal, but the gold might be a bit of a reach this season compared to USA & Canada. We have a good number of players at (or near) peak TPE levels, especially on defense, that we have to have some defensemen play at forward. This bodes well for my own player who will have a stronger opportunity to shine in net, now that he has become the starter for the team. (167 words)



a) Cain is undoubtedly the best goalkeeper in the league and as such New Orleans has the advantage on paper in this matchup. It’s been a long time, STHS and FHM included, that both of these goaltenders have been at the top of their game and leading the field. Overall NOLA has the better defensive unit in front and that will help Cain a lot more and hence why I give him the advantage. (74 words)
b) Gabriel Johnson is the man who ruined STHS forever. Since he’s on HAM (who also ruined STHS forever) and the other Johnson (Darnell) has not done anything of the sort, I would give the better Johnson award to Hamilton. That is of course, if we’re talking about game wise. Morally, NOLA Johnson is superior for not ruining the fun of everyone else. (63 words)
c) In general, with the whole TPE gaining, the regular season matchups mean little, especially if they’re early on in the season. In this case, the stylistic differences between the two team make them an interesting point of contention. Answering this post-series, it turns out that it was a good prediction, albeit most games in the series were close even if it was a sweep.  (65 words)
d) Without a doubt I’d be on the first plane to New Orleans, enjoying Louisiana to the fullest. I’d be spending a lot of my time roaming the streets in search of fun local food and looking for local spices and spice blends, which if you were on my team, you’d know is a passion of mine. (57 words)



Verification Word: Formula1