NHL Newbie - Looking for Advice

Aceshigh24 · 10-14-2019, 01:29 PM

Hello FHM world,

Been a sports fan all my life. Follow the hell out of Baseball/Football/Basketball but never really got into hockey. Been playing OOTP since version 3 so i'm familiar with the product layout. I'm familiar with some of the popular players like McDavid/Matthews/Crosby/Ovech/etc...but what i'm not familiar with is what is a good team for a starting point. Should i start in the NHL? Should i start in a different country? Lower leagues?

Thanks FHM family.

rain94 · 10-14-2019, 02:45 PM

I would definitely start in NHL. Here is a nice round up of season previews for NHL Teams going into 19-20 season.
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...e-all-31-teams

I also have a list of the the top NHL players from last season.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1609599199

renojedi · 10-14-2019, 03:12 PM

I recommend starting with the standard (NHL) game, expanding it, and then taking charge of the expansion team.

You will get to know players from all over the league and some may do better than they do in real life when given an expanded role. I also find you have a lot less pressure so you can find your footing better. You usually start with a patient owner and a team in re-build phase plus you choose the contracts you take on so you won't be stuck with over-priced, under performing players. You will get to create the team you want from scratch and there are usually enough good players in the expansion draft to at least be competitive.

Plus, there are a lot of good logos out there and an on-line jersey creator so you won't even know it is not a real NHL team when compared to the other team's logos and sweaters.

Aceshigh24 · 10-14-2019, 04:55 PM

Both of you, appreciate the help on this.

Checking out the links now and i like the expansion idea.

vladdy16 · 10-14-2019, 08:01 PM

It could be a good idea to go fictional.

Inaugural fictional drafts are a good way to cherry pick what you value in player profiles/team styles, and then see how it plays out/stacks up.

Then once you are familiar with your fictional league, you'll have a reference point for comparison with the real world.

Another idea would be to limit your role in the big leagues for a few years while simming ahead. Automate most things, but you can be the guy that makes one trade at the deadline, and makes the picks rds 2-5. That way you can have a positive impact in a vacuum, while learning how the rest of the league works.

10-14-2019, 01:29 PM	#1
Aceshigh24 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Brea, CA Posts: 636	NHL Newbie - Looking for Advice Hello FHM world, Been a sports fan all my life. Follow the hell out of Baseball/Football/Basketball but never really got into hockey. Been playing OOTP since version 3 so i'm familiar with the product layout. I'm familiar with some of the popular players like McDavid/Matthews/Crosby/Ovech/etc...but what i'm not familiar with is what is a good team for a starting point. Should i start in the NHL? Should i start in a different country? Lower leagues? Thanks FHM family.

10-14-2019, 02:45 PM	#2
rain94 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 77	I would definitely start in NHL. Here is a nice round up of season previews for NHL Teams going into 19-20 season. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...e-all-31-teams I also have a list of the the top NHL players from last season. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1609599199

10-14-2019, 03:12 PM	#3
renojedi Major Leagues Join Date: May 2003 Location: Richmond, Virginia area Posts: 367	I recommend starting with the standard (NHL) game, expanding it, and then taking charge of the expansion team. You will get to know players from all over the league and some may do better than they do in real life when given an expanded role. I also find you have a lot less pressure so you can find your footing better. You usually start with a patient owner and a team in re-build phase plus you choose the contracts you take on so you won't be stuck with over-priced, under performing players. You will get to create the team you want from scratch and there are usually enough good players in the expansion draft to at least be competitive. Plus, there are a lot of good logos out there and an on-line jersey creator so you won't even know it is not a real NHL team when compared to the other team's logos and sweaters.

10-14-2019, 04:55 PM	#4
Aceshigh24 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Brea, CA Posts: 636	Both of you, appreciate the help on this. Checking out the links now and i like the expansion idea.

10-14-2019, 08:01 PM	#5
vladdy16 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 23	It could be a good idea to go fictional. Inaugural fictional drafts are a good way to cherry pick what you value in player profiles/team styles, and then see how it plays out/stacks up. Then once you are familiar with your fictional league, you'll have a reference point for comparison with the real world. Another idea would be to limit your role in the big leagues for a few years while simming ahead. Automate most things, but you can be the guy that makes one trade at the deadline, and makes the picks rds 2-5. That way you can have a positive impact in a vacuum, while learning how the rest of the league works.