Next year's draft..

[Jd]

I know this is thinking far ahead but is there a set date for next year's draft? I'm assuming it'll be close to the season. I'd also like to thank DanCan for his help on choosing players for me in the 2nd half draft. You did an excellent job and I apologize once again for not being there. I'll either buy a new alarm clock or drink less the night before

[Balder]

Jd said:

I'll either buy a new alarm clock or drink less the night before

Why not both?

[GX]

Tell me what is this draft in here and what you do there and how? I don't now.

[sammy]

Hello GX, the draft works pretty easy. You pick your favorite players, who you think will get the most points during the year. At the end of the year we add up the pints and someone is the winner. Lots of fun and lots of cheering going on for your favorite players.

[aj]

What if all the players are my favorites?

Can I pick them all?

[Tigger]

At the risk of being thrown to jail again , I ask do the players picked have to be NHL´ers? Or is there going to be more than just one draft during the next season?

[DanCan]

The basic rules for the draft are these:

1. The draft takes place a few days after the NHL season is started.

2. Before the draft takes place, a draft order is made. This draft order is supposed to be random. However, it's impossible to make a random draft order in cyberspace. I'm not going to tell you how the draft order has been made in previous years (for the simple reason that I don't really know, except from the fact that in some way it has been based on people's birthdays + a number you choose). I think we'll have to invent a more transparent rule, e.g. that rookies will be placed first in the draft order or oldest members be placed first. What favours the first option is drafters least familar with our draft (rookes) are allowed to pick first. On the other hand, there's always a risk that somebody will "cheat" registering a new username in order to be placed at the top at the draft list. What also speaks for the latter option is that it rewards the more faithful members. What speaks against the latter option is that I (who's moreover the winner of last years draft) will be placed first, since I was the first to register (I created the board). ;D In any case, the procedure for establishing the draft order is something we should clarify.

3. After having established the draft order, we all meet here at the board at an agreed date and time to make the draft. #1 on the draft list chooses one player, #2 picks another player and so on, i.e. once a player has been picked, he cannot be picked by anybody else. So in this sense, our draft follows the NHL model. However, in the 2nd round, the draft order is reversed. This, in effect, means that the draftee last on the draft list picks two players when its his or her turn. And by the end of the 2nd round when its draftee #1 on the draft list to pick, then he/she also picks two players, and then we move down the list again (in round 4, we move up the list, and so on).

4. There's 10 rounds in the draft, i.e. you're going to pick 10 players. And it may take a while to complete the draft.

5. Then the draft starts. You get 1 point for each point produced by your players (goals and assists). NB: you also collect the points scored by your players in the first games before the draft.

6. If any of your players are injured (or scrapped) you will not be allowed to replace them before the injury draft. The first injury draft takes place when the NHL teams have played around 20 games ( a day for the injury draft will be announced). At the injury draft you are actually allowed to replace as many players as you like (i.e. also healthy players). You forfeit the points produced by your scrapped players, but you collect the points scored by your new players in the previous 20 (or so games). The draft list in the injury draft will be based on the standings in the draft. Draftees with fewest points will pick first.

7. Around game 40, a midway-draft will take place. Here you will be allowed to protect only three players, so you're going to pick 7 players. The points, your team has made in the first half will be transferred to the second half of the draft, but beside from that the points will be recounted. I.e. you will not collect any of the points produced by your seven new players in the first half. In other words: the points you start out with when the second half begins, will be the points you got in the first half plus the points scored by your new team (3 protected + 7 new players) after game 41 (if any of the NHL teams have played more than 41 games when the midterm-draft takes place).

8. A second and final injury draft takes place after game 60. Again you forfeit the points scored by players you drop (counting from game 41) and collect the points scored by the players you add (also counting from game 41).

9. The draft ends after the regular season, where a winner (plus additional trophy winners) is announced.

If the NHL season is cancelled because of the CBA dispute, we will have to decide on a plan B (perhaps the Swedish or Finnish league).

[Tigger]

Ok, now I got it! Thanks DanCan It seems I´ve some serious statistics studying to do Luckily there´s the rest of the summer...or even longer
If the lock-out came true, SM - League would be a perfect substitute for NHL, for me at least Maybe we should make a poll of it

[Brimsek39]

Yes, Thanks DanCan I understand now.

I vote for Finland too -- if there's a lockout. Or a combination of leagues that would equal roughly the same amount of players currently in NHL.

[Jazz]

I say we do a draft and pick potential dates the NHL and the NHLPA come to an agreement.....one with the closest date wins!

[SuperJ]

I've been playing Fantasy hockey for a few years but never really seen a good one. Here you're proposing something but it seems to follow the same principles as in other places.

I'm hungry for a real good game. A game that is not based on lucky draw in the auto draft. A game that is based on strategy and not luck. Do you know any?

Here are a couple of my concers of what's available on the net. Specifically Yahoo.
1. A player belongs to a specific team. No other team can play the guy.
I see a problem here. Especially on the position of a goalie. Last season I ended up with Hasek who was out for a while. With four minor goalies, I had troubles to fill the game limit. But also, someone makes a really stupid transfer and you can't do anything about it. And this is the main problem. Especially, if the guy has already no chance of winning and just does it out of spite. If a league is to be played this way, I think the players should stay on the teams for the next season. This way dropping off players would make little sense.

2. Single league - new every season.
Basically it doesn't matter how you do because the next season you'll start all over. Basically, if you don't have a chance to win, you at least should try not to be relegated. Also, guys in the top league would definitely be the ones committed to play the game.

3. Points based system.
I still cannot understand why Pentalty Minutes are counted as points. Most are bad but some penalties are real necessary. Counting them as positive or negative points makes no sense to me. Unless there was some kind of a decision if given penalty was good/bad.

4. Type of league.
I strongly opt for a head to head kind of game. Each team plays a different team. Standings dictate who goes to play in the play offs.



Having these points in mind, we created a Fantasy game for the Polish league which is really simple:

- you have a team but no players
- you play every other team at least twice in the season.
- before your game starts you pick two sets of five players (G,D,D,F,F,F). The first set plays the game. The players from the second set are only used as reserve in case someone from the first roster did not play. The other team does the same but you do not see each other players until such time when changes cannot be made.
- you are ranked in the standings based on wins/ties/goal diff

Because the teams do not have reserved players, we are able to continue the fun through the Polish league play offs.

I would love to play something like that based on NHL.