SCORESHEET FANTASY HOCKEY: ROSTER BALANCING PROCEDURES
During a draft, the Scoresheet Roster Balancing feature, if activated, will fill all of your starting positions before you receive any less important backups. In each Scoresheet Hockey game (your team will play 3 each week), you'll use 3 centers, 3 left wings, 3 right wings, 4 defensemen, and 1 goalie. Along with these 14 starters, you'll draft 12 backups. These backups fill in when a starter is injured, or if you trade or demote your starter.
Roster Balancing is turned off by default, as indicated by the number "99" in the "Use roster balancing starting with round" field on the "Undrafted Players & Ranking List" webpage for your league. Roster Balancing is turned on when a number is entered in this field that correlates with a actual round in which you want Roster Balancing to take effect (in addition to all subsequent rounds). To turn Roster Balancing on for the entire draft, a "1" or "2" would be entered in this field.
Normally, with Roster Balancing turned on, you'll receive 14 starters in the first 14 rounds, then 1 backup at each position, then a second backup at each of the 5 positions, and finally, two "extra" backups (from any position). During the draft, we proceed down your player ranking list, giving you your highest ranked, available (undrafted) player. Once you get a full complement of starters at a position (this is 3 centers, or 4 defensemen, etc.), we skip over your other listed players at that position, until we get to a player you have listed that plays a position at which you still need a starter. We do the same thing in the 'backup' rounds - once you get a backup at a position, we skip over other players listed at that position and go down your list drafting players at those positions at which you still need a backup. Once you get your first backup at each position, we go back to the top of your list and start down again, giving you a second backup at each position (this process repeats once you get a second backup at each position).
Since you start 3 players at each forward spot, and 4 defensemen each game, a position on your team is not considered 'filled' with starters until you have that many players at that position. For instance, you could get 3 centers before you get any players at other positions, or 3 right wings before you get any left wings if your player ranking is set up as such. The Scoresheet draft system goes down your list, giving you the highest listed available player until you have enough starters at each position.
Plus Sign Option
With Roster Balancing turned on, you may still override Roster Balancing, rules by putting a plus sign (+) next to a player's number. This tells us that you want to draft that player, even if you already have filled the position. For instance, you might want a 4th center, even if you haven't filled all of your starters at other positions. Once you draft a player (even with a "+"), he is counted at his specific position. Plus signs will only override Roster Balancing for ONE extra player at each position - you will not get a 2nd backup at a position before you have all of your starting positions filled, nor will you receive a 3rd backup before you have at least 1 backup at each of the 5 positions.
As an alternative to listing a specific player on your ranking sheet, you may also list a position with a plus sign (+). This tells the Scoresheet draft system to draft any of the players that you've ranked above that point on your list as an extra player at that position. That is, it's the same as relisting each player you've already ranked at that position with a plus sign after their player number. For example, let's say you rank 30 centers in your top 70 players, and then put "C+" in the 71st slot. As soon as you get 3 centers (filling your starters at center), the Scoresheet draft system will skip over the other centers you've listed and instead give you players from other positions at which you do not yet have all your starters. Then, once the "C+" reaches the top of your list, the draft system will look for any centers listed above that point and draft them if they are still available (thereby drafting the top ranked center on your list as your 4th center). If no centers are available, the draft system will ignore the "C+" and proceed down your list.
We suggest that you not overuse the Plus Sign Option. The option has been created to allow drafting of a key backup before you have all of your starters (the 'best available player' theory). However, we do stress that it is to your advantage to draft a balanced team, and it is recommended that you do not list more than 10 plus signs on your ranking sheet. In some cases, the Plus Sign Option may cause some teams not to have all of their starters exactly at the end of the 14th round. If you use a lot of plus signs, you may end up with extra backups at some positions and only one backup at other positions.
Players Drafted Not on Your Ranking List
It is possible to have a player drafted on your team that you did not put on your player ranking list. This occurs if your team is still in need of a player at a particular position, but there are no more available players on your ranking list who play that position. The order in which players are drafted by default is based on the total number of Scoresheet points earned last season, which is the same order as the Scoresheet player lists. To avoid having a player drafted for your team that you did not list, your player ranking list should include many players from all positions. A complete draft list should contain approximately: 50 centers, 50 right wings, 50 left wings, 55 defensemen, and about 35 goalies. Your completed list should total about 245 players using the recommended numbers of players at each position listed above. However, the exact numbers of players listed will depend somewhat on how often you use the Plus Sign Option.
IMPORTANT HINT: You do NOT need to group players by position on your player ranking list. You should list players in the order you think they will be most valuable in the upcoming season. If used, Roster Balancing will ensure you get a reasonably balanced team.
