Development

[redtiger7]

I can't seem to get my players to develop fully. They're hitting thier 30's still below thier potential; the scouts are constantly telling me they're going to be an "outstanding" or a "top" player, yet they go 7 seasons barely able to break 20 points; they're being scouted as 4.0a and 4.5a players, but play horribly year after year.

How do you develop young players?

[Adam B]

Originally Posted by redtiger7

I can't seem to get my players to develop fully. They're hitting thier 30's still below thier potential; the scouts are constantly telling me they're going to be an "outstanding" or a "top" player, yet they go 7 seasons barely able to break 20 points; they're being scouted as 4.0a and 4.5a players, but play horribly year after year.

How do you develop young players?

Not every player will hit their potential. Sometimes guys just won't hit the top level.

The 2 main factors I've found to be most key are:

Icetime and Training.

Your best players are going to develop when they are probably between 18-24. By the time they are 26-30, players are in their prime, and when they are in their 30s, their career trajectory is basically what it is.

So what does this mean? Well Jeff and I have discussed it on the Twitch Streams, and I'm fairly certain in talks about it in the manual, but players who play will be the ones who develop the most. Don't waste a 5 star potential playing 4th line for you when he should be 1st line in the minors for you. Let him play, accumulate those minutes and he'll be better for it. It's the same with players in you main game. If you're having them sit out of games or playing limited minutes, their growth will be limited as well.

Training is more just the icing on the cake. Help that one player whose struggling defensively to get better, etc.

Hopefully this helps you get started, although I'm sure there are others here who could chime in.

[redtiger7]

And that's what I'm doing, putting them in the minors for about 3 years years before bringing them up.
How much ice time do they need in the big league? They're doing about 14-16 min a game average, (2nd and 3rd line) and rarely finishing the season with double digit points. These are all guys rated at 4.0a - 4.5a that my scouts (with 17+ratings) are saying will be outstanding and top players. Anyone I drafted after my 2nd season (on season 15 now) has ever come anywheres near competent.

[demons19]

If 5 star players will not develop well playing on the 4th line with limited minutes and do better in the minors, does this apply to leagues in 1970s? It's just called reserve list....is that considered minors?
As time goes on and the league expands naturally, is there an actual minor league affiliate or its always reserve list?

[Adam B]

Originally Posted by redtiger7

And that's what I'm doing, putting them in the minors for about 3 years years before bringing them up.
How much ice time do they need in the big league? They're doing about 14-16 min a game average, (2nd and 3rd line) and rarely finishing the season with double digit points. These are all guys rated at 4.0a - 4.5a that my scouts (with 17+ratings) are saying will be outstanding and top players. Anyone I drafted after my 2nd season (on season 15 now) has ever come anywheres near competent.

Maybe they need more time. But it could also be the situation players are being put in along with tactics. Do you have guys who have high defensive awareness playing at defensive times with tactics set to be very defensive?

As I said earlier, some players just won't turn out. It's just a fact. Maybe sometimes they need more time in the minors. Is the player happy? How many shots are they getting? Are they getting Power Play time? Etc.

Originally Posted by demons19

If 5 star players will not develop well playing on the 4th line with limited minutes and do better in the minors, does this apply to leagues in 1970s? It's just called reserve list....is that considered minors?
As time goes on and the league expands naturally, is there an actual minor league affiliate or its always reserve list?

With the Historical and Fictional Expansion, the minor leagues are not in the game. The reserve list however acts like a minor league. You don't see stats, but players are essentially playing games and will gain stats as such. Use your reserve list!

As for minor leagues - It's something I'm sure the developers want to look in to, but man, have you ever read up on the History of Minor leagues in Hockey? It's literally nothing short of a disaster.
- You didn't really have a 1 united Minor League until 2004 (when the AHL and IHL combined).
- Stepping back in time, you have situations where most of what is now the CHL in Canada was set up as development groups for NHL teams where players would sign (A) , (B), or (C) contracts and drafts didn't really exist. (Think of it like lower-tier, or rather underage leagues where teams could monitor growth of individual players).
- Going back even further, you have a situation where Montreal bought out an entire League and shut it down just to get 1 player! (Jean Beliveau)

I'm not sure what the plan is, but there has to be some serious thought and planning going in to develop the correct minor league system, even then, with teams moving, folding and switching leagues, there would be a large amount of work to do.

[demons19]

Yeah I understand the work involved and it would be great if your NHL team had control over its AHL affiliate down the road......but as long as reserve list acts as the minor league and they are not just sitting and rotting....they are actually playing and potentially improving.