SAMPLE CONSTITUTION
So you want to start a Fantasy Hockey League – well you’ve come to the right place. We’ve been playing serious fantasy hockey for almost 20 years and we’ve still got most of our original GM’s with us. We’ve expanded our league twice, and have a waiting list of guys that want a team.
What makes this so interesting that players would stick with it year after year? I’m sure we all have our own reasons: pride, bragging rights, fun etc. For me it’s the drama of watching young players play their hearts out to get drafted, and watching them develop from prospects through to the best hockey players on the planet. I could watch all this without being in a league, but drafting, owning or trading for some of these guys makes it all the more engaging – it a dimension beyond being a fan, beyond normal annual pools. I also enjoy staying in touch with good friends that share a mutual interest, many of whom I would have no doubt lost touch with long ago. So whatever your reason, buckle up and get ready to have some fun. Good luck with your team, and watch out for that GM with an offer that too good to be true (it is).
First a few rules to get you started, and then you can tailor your pool to the way you would like it. I suggest you give the first year a shot without changing too much – it’s pretty easy to understand as it is, and you don’t want to make it more complicated for poolies that are just getting started at this level.
DEFINITIONS
- Administrator: That’s us, behind the scenes we will ensure that your pool is running well, and that we are available to help sort out any problems that you might have in running your league smoothly
- A League: a collection of hockey fanatics that want to compete against each other
- Commissioner: the person setting up and running the league
- GM: the owner of a team in the league
- Rookie: a player who is an NHL Rookie at the start of the season
- Vet: a Player that is not a NHL Rookie by NHL standards
- Free Agent: a player that is not on a fantasy team
- Roster: a list of players on a fantasy team
- Active Roster: players on a fantasy team activated for scoring points towards a team’s standings
PLAYERS
- Every team must have a minimum number of players after the entry draft that year and a maximum of number players, all determined by the Commissioner.
SALARY CAP
- The salary cap is set by the Commissioner each year. For example, a Commissioner could calculate the average team’s salary in a league and use that for the cap. After the trade deadline we suggest that a slightly higher new salary cap take effect to enable trading. The salary cap can be adjusted in the league settings page.
- Player’s pool salaries will be locked in for the calendar year by the Commissioner at a time that makes sense for the pool (so new contracts don’t impact the cap during the season). The site will track NHL salaries, so watch out, as new contracts can significantly impact roster decisions in upcoming years. There is a player min salary that can be set by the Commissioner (we use $500,000). This can also be set or changed in the commissioner edit page.
- Roster moves will not be allowed that go over the team cap. You will need to drop players to the Free Agent list to complete these transactions.
ROSTERS
- We use 12 forwards- at least 3 must be rookies (can be set by the Commissioner)
- We use 7 defensemen- at least 2 must be rookies (can be set by the commissioner)
- We use 1 goalie- in line up for wins and shot-outs (we also manually use save percentage at the end of the season, just for fun, commissioners can make manual adjustments to team scores).
- Positions and rookie status are set from the data provided by the stats provider (very reputable).
POINTS
- Player’s points count only while a player is listed on a team’s active in our league we add in save percentage manually (by the Commissioner) just to make things more interesting at the end of the season. For save percentage purposes, our goalies need to be announced at the trade deadline, and must play a minimum of 25 games.
TRADES AND ROSTER CHANGES
- Roster changes must be submitted as per the league setting determine by the Commissioner (we use weekly).
- Trades may be made anytime prior to the trading deadline. Roster changes can be made at the time of the trade, but must involve the players in the trade. You will get a warring if your line-up is incomplete. You will not receive points from players that go into your roster for games before the day after the trade.
- Trading draft picks-- you cannot trade past the current year’s draft. The page is not set-up to make these deals. We feel that if a GM trades away his picks past one year, you lose the long-term integrity of the pool.
- The trading deadline is set each year near the NHL deadline. Teams are set after the trading deadline until after the Playoffs end. You will be able to make trades again as soon as the playoffs are finished.
CUTS
- Cuts to be made any time, they will be placed on the Free Agent list. Be careful – cuts are final.
DRAFT
- Each year an Entry Draft can be held after the NHL draft but before the start of the season.
- A Free Agent Draft will ensure that your league is comprised of the best players available
- The Entry and Free Agent draft can be held the same night, and can be held online over the course of many days. We prefer to get together and socialize a bit.
- Draft order is determined by the Commissioner. We follow an NHL convention: in the current year, the team finishing first will draft in last position, etc until we reach the bottom 10 teams, which are placed in a lottery to determine draft order for the 1st thru 10th picks. Like the NHL, the draft order does not reverse, for example 1st picks 1st in each round.
FREE AGENTS
- Free agents are drafted players that are not on a Fantasy teams roster.
- The Free Agent draft will work the same as the entry draft.
TROPHIES and PRIZES
This is up to you. In our league, trophies are awarded for:- the League Champion
- the Rookie of the Year (the Calder Trophy winner)
- Top Scorer (the Art Ross award winner).
