Draft Rules — NHL Fantasy

Overview

These rules summarize how our annual NHL Fantasy Draft operates. If anything here looks off, ping the commish and we’ll update it.

Type: Snake draft (order reverses each round).
Rounds: Default 16 (configurable on splash).
Clock: Timer is visible during live picks.
Trades: Current picks, future picks (R1–R5, next 3 seasons), player contracts, and contract slots can be traded.

Starters: Forwards, Defense, and Goalies fill the starting lineup.
Bench: The final 2 rounds are designated bench spots.
Rookie Guideline: Aim to dress at least one rookie (R) in a non-bench slot. There’s no in-app enforcement now—the league will keep tabs manually.
Targets (typical 16-round draft): F = 8, D = 4, G = 2, Bench = 2. Actual targets adjust by round count.

Assignment: Contracts are assigned from the Team page after drafting a player for that season.
Terms: 1, 2, or 3-year contracts.
Slots: Each team has a limited number of slots per term each season. Trades can move slot inventory between teams (see Trading for the season window).
Baseline Allocation: 2025 draft uses 2 × 3-year, 4 × 2-year, and the remainder 1-year slots. Starting with the 2026 draft, each owner receives 2 × 3-year, 2 × 2-year, and the remainder 1-year slots. Admin tools reset totals outside of production.
Future Planning: Contract slots are provisioned for the current season plus the next three seasons so you can prep and trade ahead.

Current Picks: Can be traded if unused.
Future Picks: Rounds 1–5, for the current season through +3 seasons.
Contracts: Move an existing player contract if the receiving team has an available slot for that term.
Contract Slots: Transfer slot totals for a specific season/term, respecting availability. Trades may cover the current season and up to three future seasons.

Order Generation: Generate a suspense list on the splash, then officially start to lock in picks.
Hard Reset (dev only): Clears picks/order, resets contracts and slot totals, restores future picks to originals, and clears trade logs.
Data Checks: DB health and seed scripts are in the repo; the app shows guidance if setup is incomplete.

Scoring details and any tie-break procedures can be listed here. Provide specifics and we’ll add them.

When is the draft? September 26, 2025 at 8 PM.
Can I draft a rookie to the bench? Yes. The system no longer blocks non-rookie starters, but we’ll still monitor rosters and may follow up if no rookie is dressed.
Where do I assign contracts? Team view: open your roster and assign a 1–3 year term for the current season.