Entering a New Era in NSHL Re-Rates

Sunday, September 5th

During what NSHL Commissioner kaShman stated was a 'necessary last-minute' meeting with any GMs willing and able to attend, the league went into detail about the most recent re-rate process. Despite only a few GMs being able to attend on such short notice the Commissioner released new details on what went into this season's re-rates and it's a lot bigger news than what most believed when the ratings were released.

Commissioner kaShman reported that after the Flames captured the Stanley Cup and the league proceeded to run the STHS re-rate in order to create the new league file, the ratings produced were 'completely unacceptable' and details were released that 'every player in the MSHL dropped in ratings via the STHS re-rate, regardless of age or potential'.

Through the help of Excel and one massive file of spreadsheets and references, the league had what it considered a basis to build around for manual re-rates where NSHL9 ratings and statistics were plugged in alongside player data and a rating was generated.

The Commissioner admitted he had never been able to tell a GM exactly what the simulator was thinking when it came to re-rates and everyone could really only guess what stat affected what rating and how everything came together. "There was literally no sense to re-rates I had seen done in the past, you could make yourself believe how things worked but this most recent re-rate proved it couldn't work."

Factors to Smooth the Transition

The league and the NSHLPA agreed to three further changes to the new 'manual' re-rates which would vastly improve the relationship between these ratings and Season 9:

#1 - The league would use the average difference between each rating category for every player and not just apply the new rating automatically.

This would drastically tone down any MAJOR jumps or drops in a rating category during this period of change in re-rates. The new system doesn't think the same way the STHS-based re-rates did so the same output cannot be expected.

#2 - The league would set a limit for the maximum rise and fall a player could achieve in one off-season re-rate per category based on their age.

Limitations were set based on the thinking that certain players get better at a certain age, and certain older players, regardless of their production, can only improve so much. For example, the league believes a 21 year old and a 37 year old should not be able to obtain the same +4 rating per category. At 37 the player should be declining while the 21 year old is only starting out and based on production should be able to achieve a better re-rate.

#3 - There should be a 'qualifier' to earn a re-rate in the NSHL, MSHL or both, if need be.

The league set the bar at 20 games played (10 for goalies) for a re-rate in the NSHL, the MSHL or if a player played 20+ games in both, they would be re-rated in both and then have an average of their two re-rates used as their new rating.

The maximimum / minimum increase and decrease per rating category was set different for the NSHL and for the MSHL to ensure a 50 point NSHL regular season didn't earn the same as a 50 point MSHL regular season.

Why the Re-Rates May Appear 'Off'

There's a new re-rate system which takes the blindfold off and is no longer a wild stab in the dark. Each category is broken down and takes in a variety of information on the player and their performance when producing a re-rate. This new system has nothing to do with the way the STHS has re-rated players in the past and therefore the value of certain results may go way up or way down.

In order to avoid a player gaining +15 in PA or SC in a signle off-season, the league averaged out the ratings and placed a limit on what a player could gain or lose in one season based on his age. If the difference between a player's Season 9 rating and his new Season 10 rating was +9 but the limit set on a player his age was a maximum gain of +3, he would go up 3 points in that category.

The result of these averages and various limitations pulls the ratings back down to earth and make for an easier transition period to the new rating system. Over the next re-rate or two, players will lean more and more towards being based solely on the new system.

The Future of Re-Rates

While a number of decisions were made by the league and the NSHLPA this off-season, the potential has been created for a system that is talked about and tinkered with each year to something that is 100% true to the NSHL. If a rating category should be tinkered with, a manual re-rate system allows us that option. If the maximum and minimum gains and losses isn't accurate, changes can be applied. The luxury here is the league knows the re-rates, can explain the re-rates and can act to change re-rates as time goes on.

Unfortunately, with another drastic 'change' in the league, comes an adjustment period where not everyone may agree with what was done. The ratings aren't perfect yet, but we're certainly on a better track with re-rates than we were a few weeks ago.

CBA Fails to Pass For NSHL 10

Thursday, September 2nd

Seven Early 'Nay' Votes Drops Existing CBA

Only 16 of 22 'Yay' votes were needed to carry-over the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement to NSHL 10 however with less than half of the existing 22 GMs returning their votes by Thursday night, the CBA failed to pass. As a result, the league, the NSHLPA and the league's GMs will have to iron out their differences and piece together an agreement before getting under way with the off-season.

On a local radio station interview, Commissioner kaShman stated:

"I wouldn't say 'shock' is the word when you see how quickly the vote went against what we have. I obviously can't reveal who voted, how each vote was cast and why the GMs voted the way they did but the consensus of 'Nay' voters I would say see it as a time for change. Things are different in this version of the simulator, the ticket market is different, and some teams have been close to financial peril. Perhaps the more 'inclusive' agreement that was brought up by a number of GMs prior to the Playoffs is what's necessary; we'll hopefully talk it out and see where we go from there."

Neither of the NSHLPA reps could be reached for comment at press time and the Commissioner didn't expand on a potential deadline for getting something done but it appears until discussion is well under way, the off-season could drag on.

IIHF Retirements Completed

Thursday, September 2nd

IIHF Agreement Forces Many UFAs To 'Retire'

Whether it's a veteran superstar like Peter Forsberg or Sergei Fedorov, a former Norris Trophy winner like Janne Niinimaa or a fringe NSHLer like Noah Clarke, a long list of would be unrestricted free agents have 'retired' from the NSHL due to the fact that they did not play a single game in tne NHL during this past NSHL season. As per the NSHL's agreement with the IIHF, once a player is not playing professional hockey in North America for an entire season and their contract is up, they're not eligible to return to the NSHL until they return to the NHL.

"More and more you're seeing veteran players head off to Europe instead of playing in the NHL. Unfortunately we don't have the tracking ability and the information to be able to base our initial ratings on European leagues and performance so there's not a lot of hope in keeping tabs on whether or not these guys are still playing hockey at an elite level. The second they return to North America and we can get them a rating, they'll be eligible to return." Commissioner kaShman said in a release to the press.

The transacations page lists all of the players who were removed from their team's roster today, all of whom would have been free agents this off-season and therefore were not guaranteed to return to their teams anyways.

Any players that did not play in the NHL during NSHL Season 9 who still have valid NSHL contracts remain with their teams until those contracts expire.

New Sheriff in Dallas to Lead the Stars

Thursday, September 2nd

The Dallas Stars made their first splash of the off-season on Thursday by naming a new team General Manager to lead the Stars into NSHL 10. Jeff K, a friend of current Montreal Canadiens' GM Steve Page joins the league setting the record for the most number of 'Jeffs' the NSHL has ever had at one time (3).

Dallas has been a franchise in constant re-build mode for the past few seasons and needed a committed person to come in and take charge of the organization. What better time to start than right at the beginning of the off-season when the new GM has every opportunity to help mould the team for the upcoming season.

Jeff's first order of business will be to find a minor league affiliate for his team and with proper guidance determine whether or not NSHL coach Lindy Ruff or MSHL coach Lou Lamoriello will be qualified by the organization.

Jeff can be reached via e-mail and MSN Messenger at marf_666@hotmail.com.

NSHL10 Ratings Are Posted

Wednesday, September 1st

Late Wednesday night the NSHL Commissioner released the official ratings for NSHL 10 after finalizing the outline of the new league file and successfully importing the re-rated ratings. While the Commissioner admits there is 'minor tweaking' left to be done to the file itself (rookie status, no movement clauses etc.) he's confident the team rosters and prospect lists are accurate.

"I'm excited to be able to finally release the re-rates and officially get this off-season under way, although it took a little longer than normal to make the new file up from scratch. I'm very happy with the re-rates themselves as they seem pretty fair across the board but I guess time will tell as the feedback rolls in!" the Commissioner told reporters outside his downtown Toronto office.

The league had to go through the unfortunate experience of draft pick errors and some statisical imperfections over the course of NSHL9, something that was sort of predictable being one of the first leagues testing out the new version of STHS. After the season concluded the Commissioner got to work on a brand-new league file that did not require a conversion from STHS Version 1 and hopefully shakes out a lot of the old bugs GMs had to come accustomed to.

The re-rate ratings are now listed under each team's roster and their contract status and age has also been updated. Below is a page that helps GMs view the current ratings in comparison to the new ratings similar to the NSHL's Trade Window.

All GMs should have received an e-mail from the Commissioner outlining a few of the points to consider when reviewing the re-rates (the lack of importance of 'OV', the adjustment period associated with this re-rate etc).

GMs are encouraged to review the re-rates and submit their feedback directly to the Commissioner at the league e-mail or by posting on the NSHL Forum. The Commissioner's office has already agreed to release the cumulative results of the feedback in a statement once the ratings have been up for a few days.

Compare the Season 9 and Season 10 ratings here.

NSHL10 Coach Ratings Released!

Thursday, August 26th

List of Possible Coaches More Than Doubles

On Thursday night the NSHL released the updated list of available coaches for Season 10 which has more than doubled in size of available coaches since last season.

With new coach signing procedures introduced during Season 9, all GMs must now decide whether or not they wish to Qualify their Pro and MSHL coaches, that is, offer the coach a one year deal at 10% more than he made last year. While none of these offers are immediately accepted, the coach Qualifying Offer ensures the team has the right to match any incoming offers and earn a 10% discount on the highest incoming offer the coach wishes to accept.

The league will announce when the first wave of coach signings begin but first all GMs should advise the league whether or not they wish to qualify their NSHL and MSHL coaches at their new ratings.

The NEW! Season 10 ratings for coaches can be found here.

Compare them to their Season 9 ratings here.

'Cost Per..' Numbers Released For Season 9

Thursday, August 26th

Comparison of How Teams Spent Last Year

The NSHL office released two charts on Thursday revealing a breakdown of how teams spent their money last season. The 'Cost Per' charts show each team's pro and farm 'cost per win', 'cost per pro point' and 'cost per pro goal' and indicates the top five teams at the top and bottom of the charts.

"The 'Cost Per..' charts are nothing more than a spending indicator for each GM to compare themselves against the rest of the league. They don't really indicate how to win or who should win because of what they spent, the teams that won more games obviously spent less per win, so GMs should view it as more of a tool than a report card." Commissioner kaShman said in a statement released with the charts.

For the Pro 'Cost Per..' chart click here.

For the Farm 'Cost Per..' chart click here.

NSHL10 Announcement: Referees & Linesmen for NSHL10

Wednesday, August 25th

Zebras Take to the Ice This Fall!

NSHL Commissioner Jay kaShman announced late Wednesday evening that the league had come to terms with a combined 72 referees and linesmen that are set to take to the ice later this fall when the NSHL pre-season action gets under way.

The league announced it doesn't expect things to change much with officials on the ice for the games but believes it's important for everyone to know which official were at their games, "even if all you see is their name in the boxscore the next day!"

The referees and linesmen will not feature ratings, simply names and a position and should add to the depth of the league for its 10th Anniversary season. The complete list of names will be made available to everyone in the coming days as the league continues to work to get the NEW! league file updated.

Re-Location, Re-Location

Wednesday, August 25th

Four Teams Find Familiar Homes

GMs Sharkie and Jeff Guthrie agreed earlier this season that they would re-locate at the end of the year after the league made a financial offer to all teams giving GMs the chance to switch cities if they wished.

GM Sharkie will swap cities with the Ottawa Senators' Steve Page who put in the only request in the league to take over someone else's city prior to the All-Star Classic this past season. The move will cost GM Page $1,000,000 a year that both GMs are in the league and landed Sharkie an additional $12.5 million in winnings from the league incentive.

GM Guthrie will swap cities with the New Jersey Devils' Mitchell Ferar although only lands himself $2.5 million in league incentives as the swap was voluntary for the Devils.

The only other team swaps that can be made now will be in the MSHL as GMs work out deals with minor league cities to sort out their affiliates.

Mason's the Man

Friday, August 20th

Mason Captures Hart & Calder Trophies as Kings Dominate Awards

A night of firsts followed the first time an NSHL franchise has ever won two Stanley Cups as Los Angeles Kings' netminder Steve Mason collected the hardware for Rookie of the Year as well as the Honour of being named the recipient of the Hart Trophy as the League's Most Valuable Player. With the wins Mason becomes the first player in Kings' franchise history to win any of the major awards by nomination, something that despite their long history in the league, no player on the team has ever done.

While the voting was fairly unanimous for Mason in those two categories, one category which oddly enough he didn't win was the Vezina Trophy for the League's Top Goaltender which instead went to another very deserving recipient for the second year in a row, third time in his career, the St. Louis Blues' Martin Brodeur.

Toronto's Nicklas Lidstrom collected his 5th Norris Trophy as the League's Top Defenseman, remaining the most dominant player in any one position in league history.

The Roger Neilson Memorial Trophy was awarded to JJ of the Los Angeles Kings as the League's Top General Manager an award JJ last won in Season 2 when his Kings hoisted the Cup.

The run of trophies didn't stop there for the Kings who dominated the regular season in both the NSHL and the MSHL. Joel Quenneville collected the first ever Pat Burns Trophy for the League's Top Coach while MSHL affiliate Manchester's coach Claude Julien also won the award in his league. Like their big league affiliate, Manchester had a goalie be the top dog and serve as League MVP as Mikael Tellqvist was named MSHL MVP as well as the League's Top Goalie.

Commissioner kaShman handed out the Commissioner's Award for the third year in a row to another new recipient who has done a lot of behind the scenes work for the league. Chicago Blackhawks GM Darryl Miller received this year's award for hard work and continued dedication. The Commissioner added during his speech that "Goss and I have even suckered Darryl into doing PA work this off-season so the man deserves something.."

To view the entire list of the night's award recipients click here.

FLAMES ARE TWO TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!

Thursday, August 19th

For the first time in NSHL history there is a two time Stanley Cup Champion as on Thursday night the Calgary Flames captured the franchise's second Cup with a 4-2 victory over the Eastern Conference Champion New York Rangers. The Flames lost the first game in the best of seven series but went on to win four in a row to win the series 4-1 and celebrate their victory at home with their fans.

Although the loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Rangers, it was GM Messiah's first appearance in the Finals, and came after a hard fought and very successful regular season where the club earned top seed in the East. Rangers' forward Alexander Frolov was named the league's Conn Smythe Trophy winner as Playoff MVP after leading the Playoffs in goals (13) and in points (27).

For Flames' Captain Rod Brind'Amour, Game 5 was his final as a player as the 39 year old veteran announced earlier in the year this would be his last season regardless of the outcome. "Hoisting that Cup sure makes it easy to ride off into the sunset!" Brind'Amour told reporters after the game after being asked whether or not he'd come back to help the Flames try and repeat next year. Mike Peca, another Flames' veteran will also be hanging it up once and for all and already has looked into a second career in broadcasting.

Congratulations to Brent Campbell, now two time Stanley Cup Champion and the whole Flames organization on their achievements. Congratulations as well to Messiah and the New York Rangers on a stellar year and here's hoping for an even better result for the organization next season!

With the Stanley Cup, MSHL Championship, Conn Smythe and MSHL Playoff MVP Trophy already presented, the league will be handing out the rest of the Awards hardware tomorrow night to officially conclude the NSHL's 9th season.

MONARCHS CAPTURE MSHL CHAMPIONSHIP!!

Wednesday, August 18th

Walleye Swept After Double OT Loss

To start the season Cory Murphy was a virtual no-name in the NSHL circle but on Wednesday night his goal just over a minute into the second overtime of Game 4 of the MSHL Championship series, Cory Murphy is a legend around not only his team but the entire MSHL family. Murphy's goal handed the Manchester Monarchs the win in Game 4 and allowed them to sweep the Toledo Walleye in the Finals and take home their first MSHL Championship trophy.

The Monarchs become the second team in MSHL history to hold the top regular season record and then go on to win the title as the Hartford Wolfpack did it in Season 7. The Toledo Walleye were the top seed in the Campbell Conference but were unable to bring it all together in the Finals against the dominating Monarchs squad.

The MSHL awarded the MSHL Playoff MVP after the game to potential regular season MVP candidate as well, Monarchs' goalie Mikael Tellqvist for his dominance between the pipes. Tellqvist led the league in Save Percentage, Wins, Minutes Played and Shots Faced on his way to helping the team capture the title.

Your NSHL 10 Player Agents...

Friday, June 18th

The race for the NSHL Player Agent for the league’s 10th Anniversary was over before it even began as the league received a single entry from two volunteers that wanted to create the league’s first dual PA. With the single entry there is no need to vote as the role has to be filled with the only interested candidate, or with the recent CBA changes, candidates.

Returning to the NSHLPA role will be seasoned veteran, current San Jose GM and long serving Player Agent, The Goss. Joining him will be the GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, Darryl Miller.

Over the coming weeks before the off-season the two will work together with the league Commissioner to determine an effective working relationship for everyone involved.

The two are expected to announce a format for splitting the workload before the end of the regular season, an announcement which may come a lot sooner than later.