Choosing a League Format
So many choices...

In many parts of North America the heat is stifling, and hockey may be the furthest thing from your mind. But NHL training camps open in less than four weeks, and before you know it, you will be scrambling to compile cheat sheets and find a league. One aspect of fantasy sports often overlooked is the variety of formats available. Cafe regular Ryan M. analyzes these various flavors, and offers insight that may help you decide whether or not a style fits your personal tastes.

When it comes time to choose or create your fantasy hockey league there are many things to take into consideration. Often times, some very important aspects of a league’s format are given little attention, but it is often these details that will determine your enjoyment of the league. In this article, I will highlight the common forms of fantasy hockey, as well as consider some of their idiosyncrasies.

Scoring Style

There are three basic ways to score a fantasy hockey league: Rotisserie, Head-to-Head, and Points.

In Rotisserie leagues every team is grouped in one pool, and the teams are judged based on their success in statistical categories, relative to each other. Each team earns points based on their rank in a category. The highest achiever in the category earns the top rank, which is equal to the number of teams in the league; the second ranked team receives one less, etc. The points earned from each category are summed in order to determine a team’s total score. Upon the completion of the season the team with the highest point total is considered the winner.

Head-to-Head leagues are similar to Rotisserie leagues in that a team is scored based on categories. The major differences are that the category totals are tabulated for a week at a time, rather than all season, and during that week your team is pitted against one other team, rather than against the whole league. The top teams (the exact number will vary from league to league) based on win-loss record will be entered into the playoff tournament, where owners will advance based on weekly performances until a champion is crowned.

In a Points league, categories are assigned positive or negative values, and a team earns those points each time he his team completes that event. For instance, a goal might be worth three points, a save .2, an assist 1, etc. Points leagues normally (but not always) use the Head-to-Head format. The team with the most points at the conclusion of the week wins. The season concludes with a playoff system like that used for Head-To-Head.

Suggestion – This is the most fundamental aspect of any fantasy league, and you should definitely make sure you like the format you ultimately choose, although you’ll never know until you try them all. In a Rotisserie, league every statistic is important, and it is crucial that you build a well-rounded team. This is true for H2H leagues as well, but to a lesser extent. In a H2H league you can lose a category but still win the week. Balance isn’t necessary in a Points league because, for example, you can compensate for a poor Goals Against category with excess in another category, such as Goals or Assists.

League Size

Twelve teams is the standard league size, although leagues can range from as few as 4 teams, to as many as 30 teams. League size will determine the quality of players you receive, but quality is a matter of perspective, since a 20 G scorer is much more valuable in a 16-team league than he is in a 12-team league.

Suggestion – I would argue that it is easier to manage in a small league. The players on your roster are more recognizable and baseline talent is more readily available. Some owners find the challenge of a large league pool enticing because it requires a broader knowledge of the NHL. Others prefer owning a team of their favorite stars. The decision is one of preference.

Roster Size

Roster size often goes hand in hand with league size. A sixteen man roster is average, nine is small, and twenty-five or more large. Again, the larger the roster size the more marginal players you will be required to manage. One can get a better idea of the two mentioned facets by multiplying them together. As mentioned, a sixteen man roster in a twelve team league is average. Therefore, a typical league will have 192 roster spots.

Suggestion – Deep rosters can have the same effect as a deep league. A standard-sized league with deep rosters can balance the difficulty of managing less notable players while also owning your favorite stars.

Keeper Spots

The standard fantasy format is called a redraft, because every year the slate is wiped clean, and the owners rebuild their teams from scratch. Two alternatives to this setup are the keeper and dynasty formats. Some leagues include contracts with set lengths. The variations are endless. A keeper league will require you to put an emphasis on youth and make moves that prepare for the season ahead, while still building a competitive team for the current season. One of the benefits of keepers is that your team still has something to work for if you find yourself out of the season midway through.

Suggestion – Do you like the idea of always planning for the future, or taking it one year at a time? How important and fun is drafting a new team every year to you?

Scoring Categories

Too often league mangers fall for the more is always better philosophy of economics. In a Rotisserie or Head-to-Head league, all categories are weighted equally, meaning a team with a good +/- is just as important as scoring power. Standard league format has ten categories: goals, assists, plus minus, game winning goals, power play points, penalty minutes, goals against average, save percentage, wins, and shutouts. If however, a league chose ten skating categories and two goalie categories, the relative importance of skaters would increase at the expense of goaltenders. Furthermore, I usually stay away from stats of lesser significance. Specifically, I find short handed statistics and, to a lesser degree, face-offs and shots on goal, are poor categories for a fantasy team. Not only do they tend to convolute the league structure, but also they tend to reward players that excel in areas that are not as critical to the game. Everyone knows that goals are more important than face-offs, and I believe a fantasy league should reflect that.

Suggestion – Heed my advice, and most importantly, make sure you are cognizant of the categories your league uses when you are drafting. Being aware of the statistics that will count this season is important to properly evaluating the players you are drafting.

Good luck with this year’s season, and remember to check the Cafe forums for all of your fantasy hockey needs.

Related Cafe Articles

• Other articles by Ryan Moorman
• Year in Review (2008): Part 1 by Tony Huang (posted on 05/05/2008 in Articles)
• Mike Sillinger by Ryan Moorman (posted on 02/05/2006 in Sleepers)
• Year in Review (2008): Part 2 by Tony Huang (posted on 05/22/2008 in Articles)

 
Ryan is showing everyone he’s the real deal in fantasy hockey, and you can meet up with him in the Cafe Forums where he posts under the screen name of TheHammer24.
 

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