TOHL General Manager’s manual
First edition: updated March 7th, 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
Planning
Scouting
Breaking down the player
Notes on trading
Roster management
Training
Finances (includes UFAs)
INTRODUCTION:
Congratulations!
You’ve got a team in the Triple Overtime Hockey League, one of the best hockey simulation leagues on the net. You have joined an elite group. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this elite group will chew you up and spit you out if you’re not prepared. That’s what this manual is about. EHM is a complicated game, and TOHL is a complicated league. A lack of knowledge could be the difference between making the playoffs or hitting the golf course early, trading your key rookie or watching him become a star. Your team’s fate is in your hands. Know what you’re doing.
If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest you download Eastside Hockey Manager. It can be found at <ehm.fhockey.com/EHM%20game.htm>. This program will be your hockey world. In it, you control every aspect of your hockey club. A thorough knowledge of it is essential to your success. For a screen-by-screen walkthrough of the entire program, you can check out <ehm.fhockey.com/tabbytab.htm>.
I cannot stress the importance of familiarizing yourself with EHM enough. Knowing the ins and outs of the program will prevent you from making many costly mistakes. If, at any time, you have a question that isn’t answered through these resources, ask an TOHL GM. We are ruthless in trade talks, but otherwise quite friendly, and willing to help you out.
TOHL GMs communicate primarily through the league Web site's message board, with MSN Messenger as a secondary tool.
GM BASICS:
Many GMs acquire teams in TOHL and have no clue what to do after they get that welcome e-mail. Your first step should be to bookmark the league Web site at <
The league Web site will generally tell you everything you need to know about rules and schedules and contacts. All it takes is a little effort to figure out what's there. The commish, Mitch, posts a lot of info right on the message board. Get into the habit of it at least once a day.
During the regular season TOHL sims four or five days a week (weekdays only), two or three sim days at a time. Schedules are always posted on the message board. Your minimum duty as a GM is to make sure your lineups are okay.
If your team suffers an injury that makes your lineup invalid, you need to adjust your lines.
If nothing has happened and you are happy with your lineup, nothing needs to be done. Either way you should check in daily. Mitch keeps track of activity. Even though you have paid to be part of the league. Too many stretches of long periods of inactivity could get your ass booted out.
In addition to daily maintenance you are expected to handle the few major events that occur for a team every year. You are expected to participate in the entry draft (or make arrangements if you can’t). You are expected to participate in the waiver draft (if we decide to have one). You are expected to vote on the Risto Remes award, which is given to the GM of the Year. Risto was the developer of EHM and deserves our recognition! You are expected to write a handful of articles on your team during the course of the season.
There is a ‘rule book’ thread on the league Web site that further explains the ins and outs of being a TOHL GM.
At the minimum level you need only spend 5-10 minutes a day on your team. If you can’t dedicate that amount of time you may wish to re-think your involvement in a league of this nature.
PLANNING:
Before you go any farther into the wacky world of TOHL, you need a plan. In the following pages we’ll talk about how to evaluate your talent and expertly navigate the treacherous pathways of the general manager.
For now, you need to sit back, take an overview look at your team and figure out what you want to do.
In 90 percent of situations involving new GMs, the rookie decides a youth movement is needed and shuttles all useful veterans out the nearest door in return for prospects and picks. Good enough if you know what you’re doing but MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO!!!
In many of these cases, a complete overhaul isn’t needed and isn’t beneficial.
First, you need to identify the pieces that are already in place. Every franchise has the ultimate goal of winning the Cup. Who on your current roster can contribute to that goal? Find those players, and try to keep them. Keep this in mind. If every GM is asking for a particular player on your first day, that player is probably one you want to keep.
Next, identify your team needs. If you have a Ryan Miller in goal, you’re looking pretty good there. If Bryan Marchment is your defensive anchor, you have identified a need.
Next, find out if you can fill those holes from within or through draft picks. There’s no need to go on a trading frenzy to replace Marchment if you’ve got the next Paul Coffey in the minors. Before doing ANY trading, it is wise to scout, scout and scout again to see what you have. Many GMs have made stupid deals in their first days because they didn’t exercise due diligence.
Finally, determine what pieces you can afford to trade, and determine the asking price. Don’t let rival GMs tell you what a player is worth. That player is worth whatever price you say he’s worth. For that, more scouting will be needed.
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of doing your homework before setting out to swing the big deal.
There is not a dumb GM in TOHL. We’re all good, and we’re all ruthless. We’ll rob you blind if you give us half a chance. DON’T give us that chance.
SCOUTING:
Perhaps the most important facet of EHM is scouting.
The scouts that you hire have one job, tell you who’s good and who’s not. Many a GM has traded away a future star because they didn’t scout properly, or relied on scouts who provide bad reports. This section will help you manage your scouts, and get the scoop on the next up and coming star.
#1) Hire good scouts-
This seems pretty basic. Bad scouts will give you bad reports and have you chasing some washed-up prospect while your rivals grab the real deal. Good scouts will put you onto good players, and give you a strong competitive edge.
There are four ratings that matter with scouts. Eye for offense means they will scout offensive players well. Eye for defense means they will scout defensemen well and eye for goaltending means… well… I’m sure you’ve figured that out. A scout can have great eye categories, but if he’s not disciplined enough to do his job well, you might still get inaccurate reports.
A good rule of thumb is hiring scouts with 90+ ratings in the eye categories and at least 80+ in discipline. Anything less, and you’re likely to get glowing reports about some 30-year-old in Korea.
When you first acquire your team, you may be cursed with a crappy scouting staff. Not to worry.
Scouting Reports can be requested in the ‘No Rush Requests Thread’ Do not post more then 5 players at a week (real week). Any others posted will be ignored.
Because scouts are always re-signable, it’s rare for good ones to ever hit free agency,
On occasion, you may notice a trainer or assistant coach with fantastic eye ratings. Again, there’s nothing wrong with hiring the fellow and changing his role. You may also be able to use an assistant coach or trainer who is already on your staff, if they’re good enough. As with all things EHM, it’s entirely up to you.
#2) Scout thoroughly-
Even the best make mistakes sometimes. Whenever you have an important scouting based decision to make, it pays off to scout with your number one guy, then back up his opinions by scouting the same player with your number two guy. Hell, if you have the time, use three scouts. The more info you have, the better off you’ll be.
#3) The scouting report-
Once a scout has viewed a player, he generates a scouting report, which can be viewed by double clicking on that particular player, and clicking again on the “scouting” booklet in the player’s skill tab.
The report looks like this…
Joe Somebody is a natural all-around offensive player ...he likes to avoid the traffic ...he is good on his skates ...he can release a hard accurate slapshot or a blazing wrister past the goalie ...he has soft hands and can control the puck if needed ...he masters at creating scoring opportunities with his playmaking skills ...he's the kind of kind you want in your locker room ...he could be an NHL regular
He could play well together with:
Tomas Fuchsov
Alex Soucy
Gregor Smirnov
Potential: average
Consistency: average
Loyalty: very good
Overview of current skills / projected:
Fighting 23 / 23
Shooting 61 / 88
Playmaking 59 / 88
Stickhandling 62 / 64
Checking 36 / 43
Positioning 38 / 51
Hitting 47 / 48
Skating 62 / 64
Endurance 61 / 92
Penalty 61 / 61
Faceoffs 34 / 67
Leadership 63 / 64
Strength 56 / 59
Scouted by: Rudy Cantu
The first paragraph in the report is largely inconsequential… a bunch of words generated by the computer that are too generic to be of any real use. Most GMs ignore that part of the report.
The next part is being paid more and more attention by league GMs. Players that play well together is more commonly knows as 'Players that click.' There is a definite corrolation between a player's linemates and his performance. If you have player A and player D and the scout says they might play well together, try 'em out. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Now we’ve come to the key part. These three ratings, potential, consistency and loyalty are all important factors in how your player will develop, perform and fit in on your team.
Potential is fairly self-explanatory. A player with superb potential is likely to develop well, while a player with mediocre potential is on the slow road to nowhere. Most GMs agree the prime-developing years are the early twenties. There are infrequent exceptions to the rule. Some players have been known to get a “second spring” late in their careers, but most players stop developing significantly at the 25-27 age range. If you have a young player with good to superb potential, you’ve got yourself a prospect. If you're trading for a 28-year-old who scouts superb potential, you should know the actual upside is very limited.
Consistency is important for players young and old. This rating helps determine how your player will perform during the course of an 82-game schedule. A player with abysmal consistency will be up and down like a yo-yo; Gretzky one night, Alexandre Daigle the next. Like potential, you generally want players to have at least an average rating in this category. A player with mediocre skill ratings can be better than a more gifted player if his consistency is superb and he gives his best every night.
To see how a player performs from night to night, double click to bring up his profile, then click on the performance tab. In it, you will see a green line-graph. Most of the time, you want the line-graph to be above the center line. If it’s up, then down, then up again, you’ve got a player with spotty consistency.
That player will often be more prone to slumps and bad attitude (see roster management for tips on how to shake up a slumping player).
A good rule of thumb for this rating is 6 to 6.5. If a player is performing within this window on a nightly basis, he’s doing okay. If you’ve got a player posting sevens and eights nightly, you’ve got yourself a keeper.
Consistency can be hampered by linemates, ice-time and numerous other factors that affect a player’s performance. If you find a player with good consistency ratings not performing well, it may be simply a matter of moving him to another line (see 'Players that click' above) or giving him some power-play time.
A player’s consistency remains static throughout his career with one exception. This rating may rise or fall at random when the player is traded. When dealt, a player may talk to a newspaper (see the team news section) and give positive or negative comments. Positive comments mean he’s happy to go to the team and his consistency is going up. Negative interviews mean he’s pissed, and his consistency will nose-dive. Something to think about.
Good interviews can happen for any player with poor-or-worse consistency. Bad interviews can happen for any player with mediocre, average or good consistency.
Finally, a player’s consistency goes hand-in-hand with his potential. A player with superb potential but bad consistency is unlikely fulfill his promise (bust is the word we’re looking for). Conversely, a player with average potential may overachieve (get a development boost) if his consistency is excellent. We'll talk about this more in the section on drafting. Therefore, it is a good idea to put consistency at the top of your list when shopping for players.
Loyalty is often overlooked, but its importance should not be underestimated. This rating is important in deciding how demanding your player will be during contract talks, among other things.
A player with poor loyalty will often try to squeeze every penny out of your team. That player will probably not be the happiest fellow on the team either, and in the end, he is also likely to bolt your team to test the market when he turns 31 and his contract runs out.
Loyalty is not as important for a younger player who is just starting out and is several years from unrestricted free agency. However, when dealing with any players who are nearing their 30’s and have a contract coming up for renewal, I highly recommend avoiding anyone who has a loyalty rating of anything less than mediocre.
Those are the players who could ‘test the market’ when their deal runs out. If you have a player telling you that, there is nothing you can do. He will walk at the end of his deal and you’ll have to compete for his services with every other GM in the league. Sometimes your best bet is to try and move him for some form of compensation before he bolts for free.
The rest of the scouting report is fairly simple. In the “overview of skills” section you have ratings on the left, which are the player’s current ratings. On the right, you have the scout’s projected ratings. In this case, given ice-time, Joe Somebody should develop a cannon shot and good offensive hockey sense. Other than that, the skating is mediocre, the hands are barely average and the overall package is not outstanding. He’ll probably have trouble making an impact at the TOHL level.
BREAKING DOWN THE PLAYER:
We’ve talked about the tricky parts of the scouting report already, so figuring out the rest of a player’s skill set shouldn’t be too hard.
In most of these skill categories, the breakdown can be interpreted like this:
0-60 the player sucks in this category
61-70 the player is below average in this category
71-80 the player is average in this category
81-90 the player is above average in this category
91-100 the player is very, very good in this category
#1) Fighting-
Is your guy a pugilist or a pansy? This rating determines how often and how well a player will drop the gloves. A rating below 60 means if your player does drop the gloves, he’s probably going to get slaughtered. If your player is anywhere in the 80-100 range, he’s going to drop the gloves a lot, and he’s probably going to lay the smack down on whoever he fights.
One thing to consider. Having a top fighter on your team DOES act as a deterent, a useful tool for warding off unfortunate injuries. Opposing players are far less likely to go out of their way ‘attempting to injure’ your guys if they think they’re going to get the tar beat out of them by your goon. Worth considering.
#2) Shooting-
Is your player Alexander Ovechkin, or Chris Simon? The shooting rating determines what kind of mustard your player can put on his shot. An average rating will be good enough to beat a goalie from time to time. An above average rating will probably get that player about 25-35 goals a year. A rating of 90+ is sniper range. HOWEVER, a good shot alone does not mean bushels of goals. If a player has lousy stickhandling and playmaking skills, he’s likely to be closer to 10 goals a year than 50.
#3) Playmaking-
Is your player Sidney Crosby or Jarko Ruuttu. This rating determines a player’s passing ability, and his ability to see the ice and make the right play at the right time. Another description for the category might be offensive smarts. A center on a scoring line should be at least reasonably competent in this area, at minimum 75. Preferably, you want your centers to be at least 80 and up in this category. After all, your wingers can’t score if no one gets them the puck.
#4) Stickhandling-
Is your player Jaromir Jagr or Brad May? This rating determines your player’s ability to dipsy-doodle and stickhandle in a phone booth. A player like Jagr, with a rating from 90-100 will be able to deke D-men out of their jockstraps and make something out of nothing, whereas a lousy stickhandler probably won’t be able to get the puck anywhere near the net. Like playmaking and shooting, a player on the top two lines should carry a minimum of 75 rating in this category.
#5) Checking-
Is your player Ray Bourque, or Phil Housley. This rating determines not a D-man’s ability to hit, but his ability to neutralize and tie-up opposing forwards. A player with a high rating in this category, 80+, may not be a great open-ice hitter, but he will likely be one of your more reliable defensemen. Combine this rating with strong positioning AND hitting, and what you have is a defensive monster. Conversely, a player with a low rating in this category will not be on your goaltender’s Christmas-card list. Checking is a key rating for a penalty killer.
#6) Positioning-
Is your player Larry Robinson, or Sandis Ozolinsh. What good are checking skills if the opposing forward is in front of your net, and you’re at the blueline? This rating helps players be in the right spot at the right time. A player with a high rating will be where he needs to be most of the time. A player with a crappy rating will be running around like the chicken that’s had its head cut off. DO NOT underestimate the benefits of brains and defensive smarts in a hockey player. Again, a key penalty killing rating.
#7) Hitting-
Is your player Scott Stevens, or Andy Delmore? In EHM, hitting MAY be the most important defensive rating. A player with high ratings in this category will make solid takeouts on opposing forwards and fare well in the most telling defensive statistic, takeaways and giveaways (consult player profile for this stat). A player with a solid TA/GA ratio is doing a lot to help his team win. After all, the other team can’t score a goal if they don’t have the puck. In many cases, a player with mediocre positioning and checking can get away with it because they just know how to lay a forward out. Think hitting first as you shop for defensemen. But remember, for penalty killing, hitting is NOT a key rating.
#8) Skating-
Is your player Alex Mogilny, or Georges Laraque. This rating simply determines a player’s wheels. A player with a great rating, 80+ in this category will be able to compensate for mediocre ratings in other areas simply by being faster than the other guy. Conversely, a player with concrete blocks on his feet will be so far behind the play he’ll need binoculars to see what’s happening.
#9) Endurance-
Does your player have the endurance to stand up to the TOHL grind? Just like the pros, your player will get worn down and tired as the season goes along. The endurance rating determines how quickly that will happen. A player with a high rating, at least 80, will be able to recover easier from games and maintain a high level of play throughout the season. A player with a low rating will be sucking wind and riding the bench as fitter players take his ice time. The lower rating will also prevent that player from taking anything more than an 80-second shift (and even that’s pushing it).