Maybe this means you will be able to keep the ice imp even after the christmas event is over. Why else would they add a feature like that to a pet that will only be around for like 2 weeks?
Looks like you're wearing a trimmed prayer cape, surely a firecape would increas the max hit? I don't think 4 more str bonus could increase the max hit. But maybe, you never know.
I used the sc wizard hat when killing Rock lobsters with Ice barrage yesterday. I got around 600-800 xp each barrage, but after around 10 casts the hat went down 10% in charges, so you have to bring alot of them if you want it to be worth it.