A Hockey Newbie's Journeyman Career

Winterburnsilva · 05-01-2023, 12:35 PM

A Hockey Newbie's Journeyman Career

Long time Football Manager and OOTP player, I used to go and watch Ice Hockey way back when I was a kid. My grandad would take me to go and watch our local team, the Guildford Flames (in Surrey, England) regularly. I haven't been for years and slowly drifted away from the sport over time, however for some reason this year I stumbled across Great Britain playing in the 2023 IIHF World Championship Division 1 on the TV and have really gotten into it.

Having become bored with my long term saves in other games (a 23-season Woking FC save in Football Manager and a 10-season Minnesota Twins save in OOTP 23) I fancied giving FHM 9 a try. Although I regularly watched the sport as a kid, I would consider myself a total newbie at ice hockey and most of my time is no doubt going to be spent trying to wrap my head around the various rules and tactics etc. My favourite way to play any sports management game is the 'Journeyman' style, starting as an unemployed drifter and trying to work my way up to the top, so that's what I'm going to do for FHM 9, wish me luck!

In the Manager setup, I went with 'Balanced' for both GM/General and Head Coach Ratings, I was tempted to go with Offensive Tactician and Disciplinarian however I have no idea the effect such choices have on the game yet so left it as the default for now.

At the start of the game three teams wanted to talk to me about a coaching job- Yale Bulldogs & St. Lawrence Saints both in NCAA Division I and the Leeds Knights of the English National Ice Hockey League (The second tier of ice hockey in England). It seemed more realstic that a zero experience coach would start in his home country so I went with the offer from the Knights of £1,900 for a 3-season contract.

Up next, will be a more in-depth look at the Leeds Knights of the NIHL!

JackOnAMacYT · 05-01-2023, 05:17 PM

I'm going to definitely be following this save. I've tried this before on FHM, however got kind of bored. I still like the concept of a journeyman, I'm just more of a baseball person than a hockey person. Good luck with the Knights and all the other teams you manage!

Winterburnsilva · 05-03-2023, 05:14 PM

Leeds Knights

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Formed in 2019, the Leeds Knights (Originally named the Leeds Chiefs from 2019-2021) play in the 1,800-capacity Planet Ice Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire. In their debut season they finished 10th in the NIHL with a record of 13 Wins, 36 Losses (including 2 OT/L) for a total of 28pts.

The 2020/2021 NIHL season was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, then in 2021/2022 Leeds had a much improved season with 27 Wins, 19 Losses (Including 2 OT/L) for a total of 56pts, earning them a 5th place finish in the league and qualifying for the playoffs. They also finished runners-up in the National Autumn Cup, losing to the Swindon Wildcats in the two-leg final.

*In the real-life 2022/2023 season Leeds Knights finished comfortably top of the NIHL National League, with 46 wins, 10 losses (5 OT/L) and ending up 10pts clear of nearest challengers Milton Keynes Lightning. They had three of the top four point scorners for the season, with Keiran Brown #1 (Forward, 57 Goals, 64 Assists, 121pts), Cole Shudra #2 (Forward, 50 Goals, 64 Assists, 114 points) and Matthew Haywood #4 (Forward, 42 Goals, 71 Assists, 113pts). They beat Raiders IHC 5-4 in the Playoff Final to claim their first NIHL National Title*

The team has a £300,000 budget for the season and is currently spending £93,717 on player payroll with 20 skaters on the roster (of a maximum 23). I have £206,273 available for Free Agents and although both of the 2 designated foreign player slots are already filled I may be able to tempt an English player or two to join the club if I can find anyone of sufficient talent level available.

The Team Roster

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DISCLAIMER: As I said I am pretty much a newbie when it comes to Ice Hockey management games and the sport in general, so take ANYTHING I say with a massive pinch of salt as I really don't know what I'm doing!

My initial thoughts when looking at the team roster is that left-sided defenceman is a glaring weakness, with just two young half-star/half-star players. Priority will be to see if I can get anyone better in free agency to fill a gap there.

The core of the team will be built around captain Kieran Brown, Matthew Haywood, any one of the three excellent Left Wing options and Lewis Baldwin in defence.

Of particular note is LW/RW Adam Barnes who is earning a relatively monster salary of £15,000, more than double that of the next two players on the list (Jordan Griffin and Matthew Haywood at £7,000 each).

Winterburnsilva · 05-03-2023, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackOnAMacYT

I'm going to definitely be following this save. I've tried this before on FHM, however got kind of bored. I still like the concept of a journeyman, I'm just more of a baseball person than a hockey person. Good luck with the Knights and all the other teams you manage!

Thanks! I always like to start any sports management game with a Journeyman save if I can, especially one that I am totally new at so it should be both a lot of fun and a learning experience.

Winterburnsilva · 05-04-2023, 06:58 AM

TRANSFERS IN

A trio of signings to fill up the 23-man roster, with 30-year old Canadian-Born LD/RD Kyle Flemington, 25-year old Englishman RW Alexander Sampford and 21-year old American-Born Centre Joel Matthews all joining the club. It was while looking through the individual players that I noticed a lot of the Right-Sided defenders were just as comfortable playing on the left side of defence so I am assuming that which side they play on is not as big a deal as I initially thought it was?

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05-03-2023, 05:14 PM	#3
Winterburnsilva Minors (Double A) Join Date: Nov 2018 Posts: 103	Leeds Knights Formed in 2019, the Leeds Knights (Originally named the Leeds Chiefs from 2019-2021) play in the 1,800-capacity Planet Ice Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire. In their debut season they finished 10th in the NIHL with a record of 13 Wins, 36 Losses (including 2 OT/L) for a total of 28pts. The 2020/2021 NIHL season was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, then in 2021/2022 Leeds had a much improved season with 27 Wins, 19 Losses (Including 2 OT/L) for a total of 56pts, earning them a 5th place finish in the league and qualifying for the playoffs. They also finished runners-up in the National Autumn Cup, losing to the Swindon Wildcats in the two-leg final. In the real-life 2022/2023 season Leeds Knights* finished comfortably top of the NIHL National League, with 46 wins, 10 losses (5 OT/L) and ending up 10pts clear of nearest challengers Milton Keynes Lightning. They had three of the top four point scorners for the season, with Keiran Brown #1 (Forward, 57 Goals, 64 Assists, 121pts), Cole Shudra #2 (Forward, 50 Goals, 64 Assists, 114 points) and Matthew Haywood #4 (Forward, 42 Goals, 71 Assists, 113pts). They beat Raiders IHC 5-4 in the Playoff Final to claim their first NIHL National Title* The team has a £300,000 budget for the season and is currently spending £93,717 on player payroll with 20 skaters on the roster (of a maximum 23). I have £206,273 available for Free Agents and although both of the 2 designated foreign player slots are already filled I may be able to tempt an English player or two to join the club if I can find anyone of sufficient talent level available. The Team Roster DISCLAIMER: As I said I am pretty much a newbie when it comes to Ice Hockey management games and the sport in general, so take ANYTHING I say with a massive pinch of salt as I really don't know what I'm doing! My initial thoughts when looking at the team roster is that left-sided defenceman is a glaring weakness, with just two young half-star/half-star players. Priority will be to see if I can get anyone better in free agency to fill a gap there. The core of the team will be built around captain Kieran Brown, Matthew Haywood, any one of the three excellent Left Wing options and Lewis Baldwin in defence. Of particular note is LW/RW Adam Barnes who is earning a relatively monster salary of £15,000, more than double that of the next two players on the list (Jordan Griffin and Matthew Haywood at £7,000 each).

05-01-2023, 12:35 PM	#1
Winterburnsilva Minors (Double A) Join Date: Nov 2018 Posts: 103	A Hockey Newbie's Journeyman Career A Hockey Newbie's Journeyman Career Long time Football Manager and OOTP player, I used to go and watch Ice Hockey way back when I was a kid. My grandad would take me to go and watch our local team, the Guildford Flames (in Surrey, England) regularly. I haven't been for years and slowly drifted away from the sport over time, however for some reason this year I stumbled across Great Britain playing in the 2023 IIHF World Championship Division 1 on the TV and have really gotten into it. Having become bored with my long term saves in other games (a 23-season Woking FC save in Football Manager and a 10-season Minnesota Twins save in OOTP 23) I fancied giving FHM 9 a try. Although I regularly watched the sport as a kid, I would consider myself a total newbie at ice hockey and most of my time is no doubt going to be spent trying to wrap my head around the various rules and tactics etc. My favourite way to play any sports management game is the 'Journeyman' style, starting as an unemployed drifter and trying to work my way up to the top, so that's what I'm going to do for FHM 9, wish me luck! In the Manager setup, I went with 'Balanced' for both GM/General and Head Coach Ratings, I was tempted to go with Offensive Tactician and Disciplinarian however I have no idea the effect such choices have on the game yet so left it as the default for now. At the start of the game three teams wanted to talk to me about a coaching job- Yale Bulldogs & St. Lawrence Saints both in NCAA Division I and the Leeds Knights of the English National Ice Hockey League (The second tier of ice hockey in England). It seemed more realstic that a zero experience coach would start in his home country so I went with the offer from the Knights of £1,900 for a 3-season contract. Up next, will be a more in-depth look at the Leeds Knights of the NIHL!

05-01-2023, 05:17 PM	#2
JackOnAMacYT All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: NJ Posts: 1,304	I'm going to definitely be following this save. I've tried this before on FHM, however got kind of bored. I still like the concept of a journeyman, I'm just more of a baseball person than a hockey person. Good luck with the Knights and all the other teams you manage! __________________ 2025 PIRATES More to come...

05-04-2023, 06:58 AM	#5
Winterburnsilva Minors (Double A) Join Date: Nov 2018 Posts: 103	TRANSFERS IN A trio of signings to fill up the 23-man roster, with 30-year old Canadian-Born LD/RD Kyle Flemington, 25-year old Englishman RW Alexander Sampford and 21-year old American-Born Centre Joel Matthews all joining the club. It was while looking through the individual players that I noticed a lot of the Right-Sided defenders were just as comfortable playing on the left side of defence so I am assuming that which side they play on is not as big a deal as I initially thought it was?