Re: Salary Cap?!?
Here are some tips for scouting that will help you get players that should help alleviate losing players due to salary cap issues...using this strategy helps me get quality players every season without breaking the bank.
For Amateur Scouts
1. Send your scouts on discovery for at least the first two months (shorter timeframes for leagues with less prospects, maybe just 1 month). While in the first year or two when your scouts are a lower grade (B- or C-) this will help narrow down which prospects are worth scouting and when you eventually hire high tier scouts (B or A) that list will be even more accurate.
2. After prospect discovery you will notice that your scouts will have players ranked higher than they used to be. Once you get to this point start scouting their potential and comparison. This will give you the most information on them. If you have time left over once that's done, start scouting their character and skills attributes. Look for skaters with B or A grades on skating. These prospects will pan out better than those with C grades on skating.
The process is a bit tedious, but you will know exactly who is worth taking and who isn't and will give you a much more enjoyable draft experience. You can generally find players with high end potential and A skating ratings early in the 2nd round. There's usually 1 or 2 that are worth trading up or down for.
For Pro Scouts
1. Make sure you have 4 scouts for AHL, and 4 scouts for NHL. One for each region.
2. Set all of them to scout groups.
3. Set the type to a complete report and have them to scout the entire division for the entire season.
4. Set the age range from 17 - 32 years.
This will allow them to scout players in enough time before the deadline you may actually want to acquire throughout the season and keeps the fog of war to a minimum assuming you have FOW turned on. Some say its not important to scout NHL and AHL, but the fact is you will find players that fit your scheme and can improve the team that you can get for pennies on the draft pick.
Hope this helps.
