Hello,

I have not had a chance to update you in a while about the Keeper Pool Year 1. Things have been moving along quite well. The features here at www.hockeydraft.ca makes my life as pool’s president very easy.

There has been a lot of talk in my league of changing the trading rules for next year. Now rather then comment on my own view on keeper league trades, I would like to hear your thoughts.

I have been in many keeper pools and would like to hear your opinion(s).

I will list two deals made as per league rules. One owner raised some issues with the rules and suggested we go a different route. I know the various options out there and again, will remain quiet about my opinion, hoping to see some of yours.

Deal # 1 - Done Dec 12, 2009

D. Sedin & 5th Round Pick

for

Osgood, Krejci & Hickey

Deal # 2 - Done Nov 26, 2009

Lecavalier, Dustin Brown, Braydon Schenn, Leclaire, Russell, 1st Round Pick

for

Heatley, P. Kane, J. Hiller, Erat, Dumont, 8th Round Pick

Now as I said, I am avoiding commenting on why these deals were done. I would like you to gauge the deal and/or comment on your own league(s) trading rules and how you resolved them.

The idea for this article is to help construct a better trading experience next year. Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Posted By Trevor Fuchs

My keeper league is quiet on the trade front; as you know the first two went down last week.

A lot of GMs in keeper pools usually do not make a deal early. They would like to evaluate their team and decide later on what moves are needed to make their club stronger.

Some GMs would say if you are sitting in first place, you don’t make moves.

However, a few things to consider:

- your players will all slow down at some point
- are you truly secure if someone gets injured?
- are any teams making big gains in the standings?
- are you talking to other GMs in general?

You did not invest all this time preparing for a draft, following players, watching games and reading fantasy website updates for nothing. Drafting a team and just crossing your fingers not only limits your chances of winning, it takes away all the fun.

I sit today in first place and have two deals done. I identified a weakness and addressed it. If I did not do those deals last week, my lead would be only 6 instead of 12 points today. I made these deals by chatting with other GMs and reviewing their teams, to make a fair deal you must speak to the opponent’s weakness as well.

A trade is easy in year to year; you do not have to care what happens in the off season. A trade in a keeper pool is a fine art; it requires days or weeks to work one out.

If your statistics site allows for a Trash Talk/Trade Rumors area, you can use this feature to spread the trade rumors or needs of your club.

I remind you that every keeper pool is different in league structure and rules. You should always have a firm grasp on what your opponents are thinking. Do not get attached to players and always take time to evaluate the deal before you accept or decline the offer.

A little hint: always explain the deal to the other GM and how you feel the deal benefits them as well as yourself. In other words, do not be afraid to explain why you are offering the deal.

One final word on trading: do not decline a deal with simply a “no,” as you owe the GM a reason. You can always counter the deal before declining.

Good Luck on Your Next Deal!

Posted by Trevor Fuchs

I am happy to report the first trade has happened in my Keeper League.

One of the GMs is the father of one of the children, who attends my wife’s daycare. He asked me about Kimmo Timonen, defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers. Timonen is off to a fast start with 5 points this season. The other GM has a weak defence and needed to make a deal.

So I was feeling like a GM. I looked over my roster and decided to offer a package.

Scott Gomez (Mtl)
Kimmo Timonen (Phi)
For
Marc Savard (Bos)
10th Round Draft Pick

After many counter-offers back and forth, we settled on the deal originally offered.

I knew I did not want to give up a solid point producing defenceman without replacing him. I made a call to another GM in the league that I knew liked Marc Savard. I did not need another scoring forward and wanted to move him to acquire two needs. This GM and I had been talking about Brain Campbell (Chi) a while back. This player would replace Timonen. I wanted to also resolve my goaltending issue, as I have Lundqvist as my #1 and needed a more reliable #2.

My options I currently have for #2 are: Vokoun (FL), Howard (Det) and Mason (StL).

I offered the deal and it was accepted: Savard (Bos) & Vokoun (FL) for Campbell (Chi) and Leclaire (Ott).

So after both deals were done, I sat back and realized that I have bolstered my defence and provided a better option for the #2 goalie on my team.

I expect these two deals to start trade talk among other GMs in the league. The Keeper league is very different from year to year, as you have to think about next season and beyond.

My updated team after the deals:

Currently scoring for me:

F - Backstrom (Was), Kopitar (LA), St Louis (TB), Nash (Clb), Dubinsky (NYR), Plekanec (Mtl), Lecavalier (TB), Kariya (StL), Comrie (Edm)
D – Doughty (LA), Goncher (Pit), Niedermayer (Ana), Campbell (Chi)
G – Lundqvist (NYR), Leclaire (Ott)

Currently not scoring for me:

F – Brown (LA), Van Riemsdyk (Phi), Filppula (Det), Horcoff (Edm), Hanzal (Phx), Clowe (SJ)
D – Spacek (Mtl), Russell (Clb)
G – Mason (StL)

On the farm

F – Giroux (Phi), B Schenn (LA), Perron (StL)
G – Howard (Det)

I sit in first place 9 points up on second, 16 points on third. We will see how the weekend treats me. Wish me luck.

Posted by Trevor Fuchs

It was a busy weekend on the home front. I had the Keeper Draft on Friday night; my son took priority Saturday and finally Sunday a trip to Cobourg to see the in-laws. Where do the weekends go?

The draft took only 3 hours to draft 290 players (29 players per general manager).

Round One Results:

1. Ovechkin (Was)
2. Malkin (Pit)
3. Crosby (Pit)
4. Getzlaf (Ana)
5. Backstrom (Was)
6. Thornton (SJ)
7. Datsyuk (Det)
8. Parise (NJ)
9. Heatley (SJ)
10. Iginla (Cgy)

The only surprise, in my opinion, was the selection of Parise, as I think he will be good for 70 points this year. Goalies were not taken until round two, where Miika Kiprusoff was taken 13th overall. The “goalie train” did not happen, with only one other goalie Fleury (Pit) going in round two. I was able to land Lundqvist with the 45th pick (4th round). Mike Green (Was) was taken (3rd Round) 33rd overall as the first defenceman, with Dion Phaneuf (Cgy) going 34th.

The league had some discussion before we drafted on our current point system:

Forwards/Defence – 1 point per Goal and 1 point per Assist
Goalies – 2 points for Win, -1 for Loss and 4 for Shutout

Some general managers brought up scoring, penalty minutes, and/or plus/minus. We agreed to stay at the current point system created by the President

**A little tip for your first Keeper Pool is to keep the statistics very basic. During your first off season, you can decide if you would like to make changes to statistics/rules, etc.

Here is the team I ended up with:

Forwards

Backstrom (Was), Lecavalier (TB), Nash (Clb), St Louis (TB), Kopitar (LA), Giroux (Phi), Perron (STL), Brown (LA), vanRiemsdyk (Phi), Comrie (Edm), Gomez (Mtl), Horcoff (Edm), Kariya (STL), Dubinsky (NYR), Plekanic (Mtl), Hanzal (Phx), Filipula (Det), Clowe (SJ), B. Schenn (LA)

Defence

Gonchar (Pit), Niedermayer (Ana), Doughty (LA), Spacek (Mtl), Timonen (Phi), Russell (Clb)

Goalies

Lundqvist (NYR), Mason (STL), Vokoun (FL), Howard (Det)

My team score is my top scoring 9 forwards, 4 defence and 2 goalies. The rest of my roster collect points and can be used to trade and improve a weaker area for your team.

At the end of the year we protect 5 players (any position) and up to 4 minor players (have not played over 150 games in the NHL for forwards/defence and over 75 games NHL for goalies).

Stay tuned for updates on league business or rumors/trades, etc

Posted by Trevor Fuchs

It is Friday Oct 2, 2009 and the day has come to start the Fantasy Hockey Keeper Pool. I have spoken to the general managers of the league I am in and have put together a rough idea of who is being drafted in the first round.

1. Alex Ovechkin (Big Surprise)
2. Evgeni Malkin
3. Sidney Crosby
4. Pavel Datsuyk
5. Niklas Backstrom (Mini-Ovechkin)
6. Ryan Getzlaf
7. Corey Perry
8. Jarome Iginla
9. Joe Thornton
10. Dany Heatley

This is obviously a list that could change during the day. We start the draft at 7:30pm tonight.

In a keeper-style draft, general managers are looking for a surefire franchise forward capable of coming close to 100 points in the first round. As you see in the list above, most of the players indicated have a chance this year for that 100 point mark.

I expect the biggest trend (the goalie train) in most fantasy hockey pools will start in Round 2. All it takes is one general manager to say “I will be taking a goalie” and the flood gates open - all of a sudden 6 of the top 10 goalies are gone.

The general manager must decide to ignore the goalies and continue to stock up on forwards and defence or take a goalie from a favorable NHL team. This decision is the hardest part of the draft, as every general manager would like to have a Brodeur, Nabokov or Luongo on their team.

The number one rule in a Keeper Hockey Pool is not to panic. Draft the next best point player you identified weeks ago and do not fall into the trap of taking a goalie because other general managers are taking one.

There are some quality goalies playing with NHL teams that will be close to 35-40 wins (Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington and Montreal). Names like Price, Huet, Emery or Theodore/Varlamov are not “sexy” picks although they will fit nicely on your team. The difference of Nabakov to Emery might mean 20 points. If you drafted solid point-producing forwards early instead of “boarding the train” then that more then makes up for the goalie concern.

Another trend that can happen is defencemen and this is the biggest mistake you could make in a keeper draft. The top defencemen will outscore the majority of the league’s defencemen by 20 points at most. This year alone there will be plenty of “D” to choose from who are all capable of 40 points or more. Draft the defencemen when you get into the point range of 30-50, as Mike Green from Washington came out of nowhere a few years ago and if you draft solid 30-50 point defence and if they score more points then that is a bonus and you will have clear sailing to the top of the pack.

Stay true to your planning and wish me luck!

Posted by Trevor Fuchs

After reading my first few blogs, I realized that some in the reading community may not have grasped the keeper league idea. For this reason, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to supplying a bit more information about what a keeper league is and how you, the illustrious reader, can get involved:

What is a fantasy hockey keeper league?

The simple answer is that a fantasy hockey keeper league is a hockey pool that continues from year to year. The keeper league creates an off-season for “poolies” to help with the inconvenience of the real NHL off-season. A keeper league requires each manager use the players from the first-year draft and protect a designated amount of their team over to the following season. Each keeper league created is truly unique and, for this reason, the experience is more rewarding than regular pools out there today.

What type of managers should join a fantasy hockey keeper league?

The short answer to that question is anyone that is willing to take on the responsibility of owning a team can join a fantasy hockey keeper league. It is not as simple as drafting a team and watching to see how it pans out at the end of the year. You need to ensure they understand the scope of what they are signing up for.

What is involved in participating in a fantasy hockey keeper league?

During the season, a big part of the process is wrapped up in watching your team’s progress and deciding, like any real NHL team, if you are going to make a run for the prize at the end of the year or sell off your assets to obtain young unproven talent and draft picks. Do you make the big trade to land the superstar that puts you over the top? These are some of the things you need to be ready for in a keeper league.

Once the season is over, you will need to keep your eyes on news and player updates to help make the correct decision on whom to protect for the next season and who you release back into the draft. In some keeper leagues, you can trade once the season is over.

A little note for the newcomers to keeper leagues: ensure you have a period of no transactions and a league shutdown. This shutdown allows everyone a chance to step away for a while and come back hungry for more of the action.

What does it take to run a successful fantasy hockey keeper league?

A successful keeper league starts with finding someone willing to be the president and arrange the initial drafting location, finding committed managers, signing up for stat collection service, creating the league scoring system, establishing league rules, and creating a fun atmosphere.

If you are organized and versed in the hockey world, a presidential role may be for you. Being a good president means checking in with every team from time to time, especially in the off season and ensuring they have the best opportunity to compete.

What are the benefits of being in this type of league?

If you ever wanted to learn more about hockey pools, watch highlights and get to know all the teams and players, this is the type of league for you. By watching your drafted players, it will help you enjoy the hockey more (if that’s even possible) and really make those Saturday nights enjoyable. I love nothing more than watching the Leafs play and getting some emails about trade considerations.

The keeper league extending into a good portion of the NHL off-season keeps your mind fresh and in tune to what is happening around the NHL and how this affects your keeper league team. It adds more fun that a pool that you change opponents every year. You can even create a keeper league cup and the winner parades around with it for a year.

What is a farm club system and how does that work in a fantasy hockey keeper league?

Almost every keeper league has a farm club system or minor league system in place. You can have players assigned to the farm club/minor system and protect them without anyone else being able to draft them the following year. Each keeper league is different, of course, and some keeper leagues will allow you to bring them up to your active roster.

You can also use your “blue chip” minors to attract some big name talent in a trade to help your active roster win the championship.

What are some of the unique rules created for a fantasy hockey keeper league?

As I’ve mentioned, each league is different. Some of the more common rules are:

- the teams who finish out of the prizes are added to a weighted lottery for 1st pick following season
- draft picks carry a point value (i.e. 1st round 50 points) to help with trades meeting the point difference condition
- if a player is not scoring in your active roster and you trade the player you must trade the points as well

The main thing to remember always if you are the president is to have fun and ensure everyone is fair to the league and has fun at the same time. Remember to keep it simple and you will be “keeping” your keeper league for a long time.

Wish me luck as you all may or may not know my fantasy hockey keeper league drafts on Friday. I am drafting fifth overall!

Posted by Trevor Fuchs

Hello Again,

Well it has been a week or so since the last Fantasy Keeper Pool update. As you all know I am attempting to have a successful start.

I last left you with the issue of trades and am happy to report it has been resolved in time. To make a long story short (trust me I can make a long story longer), the trading of the player and the points was the only way around the issue. However, staying up many a night figured out the solution to trading a player and not his points away.

I think I have about 80 pages of sample trades and figuring out the point transfer that would not be confusing or at the very worst gives people an excuse not to trade.

Trading is such an important part of any pool. You want enough trades to create drama although you do not want a landslide. I think I have found a happy balance.

The system is very simple:

- draft 29 players (25 for team and 4 for Minor Squad)
- you score based on Top 9 Forwards, 4 Defencemen & 2 Goalies
- trading includes next year’s draft picks (point values assigned to draft picks based on round)

Where the old pool I was part of went wrong:

- trading of players and points the player obtained
- no lottery for last place (whoever finished last obtained the 1st pick)
- you could easily trade yourself into 1st place by trading points with player
- not enough money prizes caused people to tank by November of that year

I think the role of the president is to find a happy balance and the former president found the easy way out and traded players and points. I do not disagree with his decision because I endured the many late nights (sorry to my wife again) and figured a solution so as not to have the same issues arise in this new league. You have to want to find a better alternative, so I am already coming up with ideas for the new season in 2010/2011.

I do worry that with new rules in place around the trading will cause people to become confused and hesitant. However, I think once we get rolling it will become clear to them and the trades will happen. When I joined the other pool the minor team system confused the heck out of me. It took a few months and I became comfortable.

The funniest part of the numbers pull to set the 1st year order was the top 2 picks went to the newest GMs. Both are not as familiar with pools and were watching for point updates as the scores rolled in. The good news is they both will have a solid player to set the tone for thier teams.

October 2nd is fast approaching and I have been on the phone obtaining chairs and tables, as I have been relegated to the basement as the wife has another party with the girls that night. I guess it is the least I can do for all the time spent on my new hobby.

I still am picking 5th and, since I did not receive responses on whom YOU think I should take, I do know that Ovy, Malkin, Crosby will be gone. I am not sure who the 4th pick is taking, as he is keeping it under wraps. I have decided that Ryan Getzlaf or Pavel Datsyuk will be my choice.

I will be sending my thoughts on trends in drafting later this week. I will discuss the perils of drafting defence too early and the goalie train!!!

Posted by Trevor Fuchs

Hello Hockey Pool Community,

My name is Trevor Fuchs and this will be my first official blog! I am very happy to be blogging on what I have come to believe is the easiest and most customizable website for running an NHL hockey pool.

I never thought about blogging much, but I’ve seen and read plenty of other blogs out there. I figured since I give up my life and time away from my wife and child (the little 16 month old monster) for every hockey season, I might as well entertain the blogger world (or bore you all the same).

My main focus over the next while will be to take you on a first hand account of my very own keeper pool – Year 1. You might be scratching your head why I am only in the first year, so keep reading….

The biggest part of any new NHL season is always the hockey pools and planning for it. Usually by August I start chomping at the bit for my hockey pools. I stick usually to one only because I don’t want to start cheering against myself. Low and behold, I am preparing for my NHL hockey pool as I write this. It is amazing how simple a draft should be, yet hours and hours of reading (go figure I read something) and preparation go into it.

The newest trend in hockey pools are keeper leagues. You start to wonder why keeper pools have not taken hold of the “poolies” world by storm yet. I can tell you from experience is that various factors go into the success or failure of a keeper pool.

I was part of a keeper league for 1.5 years, but the league folded mid 2008/2009 season. I really enjoyed the league and only because of certain GM’s and a lack of organization did the league fail. I was determined to make it right, as I believe a keeper pool is better than any other pool on the market. I hope to have everything in place by October 2, 2009. The wife was thrilled when I told her of my project.

Last night while sitting with a fellow GM we discussed the upcoming draft and rules layout. He then drops a bombshell on me that required a two hour discussion session with the two of us and one other GM by phone. I will save the problem and comment on a future blog as to the resolution.

Oh and something just crossed my mind that I would like some input – based on my draft position #5 should I take a Forward (Goals & Assists) or should I take a Goalie (Wins, Losses & Shutouts) – I have an idea who I am taking do you??

Obviously I am not under any delusion that Crosby, Malkin or Ovechkin will be there at #5

Needless to say I was up past bedtime again last night – sorry to my wife….. It is hockey season!!!

Posted by Trevor Fuchs.