How to build a club? Let's find out...
Have you ever built a team before? Judging by most of your posts in this section I'd say no, and by your current teams of 2s I'd also say no.... but that's fine. We all gotta start some place.
Don't get me wrong, but I do believe you're going about this the wrong way and I hope the following will help you guys out a little. Even those with established clubs can learn something. There's always room to improve. I'll mention a few specifics, but mainly this is to get your heads straight on what to look for or act.
NOTE: When I speak about club, I'm speaking about 5s & 6s. I don't consider anything less to be a club imo.
Now, you're not likely to find "top" (whatever tf that means) players lurking on the forums looking for clubs. That isn't how it works with so-called "top" players. By the way, anyone can claim to be one and give some inflated stats you'll never verify yourself (and you know you won't).....so it's kinda pointless to ask for that garbage.
What you should be looking for are loyal team players...first, regardless of skill. It's easier to coach people on how you want to see your team play if the worry of being cut for making a few bad plays is not there. This may be hard for you to do in the beginning, but it'll pay off, trust me. You'll develop chemistry, strategies, etc and they'll become second nature if you keep at it. It takes time.
Of course, if you're the impatient type and just want to win win win and just have those types of people on your team that are good / flashy but suck at social skills and usually club hop or cause team dramas out of ego....be my guest.
I say this not to boast, but I have created a few clubs in this series over the years and usually they last pretty long and do very well. I've only created about 4 (I think) ever dating back to NHL11, and I still have members with me from back then. At first I was like many of you, looking on the forums, hoping to click with someone in a drop in game or maybe even through a vs game (I've done that). The key to it all is to find people (through trial and error) who match up well in personalities. Depending on the type of team you want (hard core win at all cost / casual fun / fun, but competitive) you have to find people who fit that mindset.
Win at all cost types: As the name implies - Losing is frowned upon and too many losses is grounds to either leave or start complaining how everyone on the team is garbage except them. People are cool as long as they're winning, but when a few bad streaks happen, they usually bail for other "top" clubs with "top" members. These are the guys who remake constantly. Club life expectancy - 1 - 2 months *It is possible to be longer if by fluke you find all dominating players and things just click, but this is ultra rare and never really likely to happen.
Fun types: Just want to play some hockey, crack a few jokes, and occasionally win a few games. There are a lot of people like this out there who don't have time to stress out over a video game, so it's more about being around good people more than anything. Club life expectancy - As long as there's alcohol...basically infinite
Fun, but competitive - aka the sweetspot: - By far the most difficult to achieve simply because so many factors can either make it work, or make it blow up in flames. There is no one way to form these teams but the best way to keep them together imo is a willingness to learn, be responsible, be patient, be understanding and own up for mistakes when you make them. These clubs are more likely to work to get better, and not just "be better", if you know what I mean. Club life expectancy - 1 month - infinite
NOTE: If you're looking for people or looking to be in a club, let the type of club you're looking to be in be known from the start. It'll save a lot of grief and set an expectation on both sides.
Skill varies from person to person and situation to situation as well. Some people can look dominating in one game and then look like a deer in the headlights the next. It's much better not to be "that guy" who wants to coach everybody on everything either. Remember, you are apart of a team so to make your other members feel like they are also on a team why not get their input on how to address certain situations in game (PP setup, PK setup, set plays, def zone coverages ,etc) and find what works? Once everyone is on the same page, games become much easier to deal with. You build confidence in your abilities and trust in your teammates as well.
If you are the "coach" type, be respectful in your assessment or suggestions. Simply telling someone they're an idiot for making a mistake doesn't help anyone, especially if that person honestly doesn't know how to react to that certain situation. Perhaps something could have been done different by you to have made the play come out better...? Just a thought. Not everyone who plays is a hockey guru or approaches a play as you would. Again, find that middle ground. If a person is willing to accommodate change or acknowledge it could have been handled better, you got a winner in that teammate. If not, they may not be helpful for your club. It's all in how you deal with each member of the team.
If you're just looking for people, do it through Drop-ins, it's faster. Yes I know it is a bit of cesspool, but more often than not you'll find some solid players and good personalities there. My suggestion is not to get too swept up in those who score a lot or can dangle through the masses. In club, people like that can get shut down pretty easily as individuals. Instead, look for people who pass, people who look to setup plays / make cuts, people who play positional in both ends of the ice. People like that understand structure which is very important to a club.
A good club also communicates well. If you aren't a talker, whether it is for language issues, no available mic, or just want to focus on the game, that's fine. If you play consistently, your teammates should be able to read you given a bit of time as they get familiar with you. It would be good to at least have some sort of team chat (a written one) going on so some sort of communication can happen though.
Hopefully in NHL 18 there will be a team practice as there was in the past for EASHL. Currently, the only way to get better as a team is to just play games and go through trial and error. This is especially difficult for players who are newer to the series who join teams and are just expected to know things. Even for those experienced players out there, practice is still important when joining a new group.
My suggestion would be to try to focus on small things first like how to establish a forecheck, not chasing the puck in both the offensive and defensive zones (staying spaced) and using your teammates. From there, simplicity is best. A simple pp (2-3 passes, shoot) and pk (box, no chasing) to make everyone feel comfy. With time, you can get more dynamic with it all.
In the end, it's all about fun. This game is not worth getting angry or frustrated over and then taking it out on others. There will be good nights, and there will be bad ones. We all have them. Make some friends, learn from your mistakes, and grow as a squad. Good luck to you all!
Thanks for reading if you made it this far lol
If you're curious, my club is here: https://www.easports.com/nhl/clubs/ps4/D6%20NatioN
We are not looking to recruit, just an FYI. I was lucky enough to find over time a great set of guys for my team. It was by no means an easy or streamlined process. We put in the work to get better and we have. Always trying to improve. I am by no means a "top" player, and none of my team would call themselves that either. We, simply put, make each other better.
The goal of this post is to help other teams grow so we can have a better EASHL community. EASHL is by far the most fun mode in the game, but having more full teams competing would make it even more so. Cheers.
Don't get me wrong, but I do believe you're going about this the wrong way and I hope the following will help you guys out a little. Even those with established clubs can learn something. There's always room to improve. I'll mention a few specifics, but mainly this is to get your heads straight on what to look for or act.
NOTE: When I speak about club, I'm speaking about 5s & 6s. I don't consider anything less to be a club imo.
Now, you're not likely to find "top" (whatever tf that means) players lurking on the forums looking for clubs. That isn't how it works with so-called "top" players. By the way, anyone can claim to be one and give some inflated stats you'll never verify yourself (and you know you won't).....so it's kinda pointless to ask for that garbage.
What you should be looking for are loyal team players...first, regardless of skill. It's easier to coach people on how you want to see your team play if the worry of being cut for making a few bad plays is not there. This may be hard for you to do in the beginning, but it'll pay off, trust me. You'll develop chemistry, strategies, etc and they'll become second nature if you keep at it. It takes time.
Of course, if you're the impatient type and just want to win win win and just have those types of people on your team that are good / flashy but suck at social skills and usually club hop or cause team dramas out of ego....be my guest.
I say this not to boast, but I have created a few clubs in this series over the years and usually they last pretty long and do very well. I've only created about 4 (I think) ever dating back to NHL11, and I still have members with me from back then. At first I was like many of you, looking on the forums, hoping to click with someone in a drop in game or maybe even through a vs game (I've done that). The key to it all is to find people (through trial and error) who match up well in personalities. Depending on the type of team you want (hard core win at all cost / casual fun / fun, but competitive) you have to find people who fit that mindset.
Win at all cost types: As the name implies - Losing is frowned upon and too many losses is grounds to either leave or start complaining how everyone on the team is garbage except them. People are cool as long as they're winning, but when a few bad streaks happen, they usually bail for other "top" clubs with "top" members. These are the guys who remake constantly. Club life expectancy - 1 - 2 months *It is possible to be longer if by fluke you find all dominating players and things just click, but this is ultra rare and never really likely to happen.
Fun types: Just want to play some hockey, crack a few jokes, and occasionally win a few games. There are a lot of people like this out there who don't have time to stress out over a video game, so it's more about being around good people more than anything. Club life expectancy - As long as there's alcohol...basically infinite
Fun, but competitive - aka the sweetspot: - By far the most difficult to achieve simply because so many factors can either make it work, or make it blow up in flames. There is no one way to form these teams but the best way to keep them together imo is a willingness to learn, be responsible, be patient, be understanding and own up for mistakes when you make them. These clubs are more likely to work to get better, and not just "be better", if you know what I mean. Club life expectancy - 1 month - infinite
NOTE: If you're looking for people or looking to be in a club, let the type of club you're looking to be in be known from the start. It'll save a lot of grief and set an expectation on both sides.
Skill varies from person to person and situation to situation as well. Some people can look dominating in one game and then look like a deer in the headlights the next. It's much better not to be "that guy" who wants to coach everybody on everything either. Remember, you are apart of a team so to make your other members feel like they are also on a team why not get their input on how to address certain situations in game (PP setup, PK setup, set plays, def zone coverages ,etc) and find what works? Once everyone is on the same page, games become much easier to deal with. You build confidence in your abilities and trust in your teammates as well.
If you are the "coach" type, be respectful in your assessment or suggestions. Simply telling someone they're an idiot for making a mistake doesn't help anyone, especially if that person honestly doesn't know how to react to that certain situation. Perhaps something could have been done different by you to have made the play come out better...? Just a thought. Not everyone who plays is a hockey guru or approaches a play as you would. Again, find that middle ground. If a person is willing to accommodate change or acknowledge it could have been handled better, you got a winner in that teammate. If not, they may not be helpful for your club. It's all in how you deal with each member of the team.
If you're just looking for people, do it through Drop-ins, it's faster. Yes I know it is a bit of cesspool, but more often than not you'll find some solid players and good personalities there. My suggestion is not to get too swept up in those who score a lot or can dangle through the masses. In club, people like that can get shut down pretty easily as individuals. Instead, look for people who pass, people who look to setup plays / make cuts, people who play positional in both ends of the ice. People like that understand structure which is very important to a club.
A good club also communicates well. If you aren't a talker, whether it is for language issues, no available mic, or just want to focus on the game, that's fine. If you play consistently, your teammates should be able to read you given a bit of time as they get familiar with you. It would be good to at least have some sort of team chat (a written one) going on so some sort of communication can happen though.
Hopefully in NHL 18 there will be a team practice as there was in the past for EASHL. Currently, the only way to get better as a team is to just play games and go through trial and error. This is especially difficult for players who are newer to the series who join teams and are just expected to know things. Even for those experienced players out there, practice is still important when joining a new group.
My suggestion would be to try to focus on small things first like how to establish a forecheck, not chasing the puck in both the offensive and defensive zones (staying spaced) and using your teammates. From there, simplicity is best. A simple pp (2-3 passes, shoot) and pk (box, no chasing) to make everyone feel comfy. With time, you can get more dynamic with it all.
In the end, it's all about fun. This game is not worth getting angry or frustrated over and then taking it out on others. There will be good nights, and there will be bad ones. We all have them. Make some friends, learn from your mistakes, and grow as a squad. Good luck to you all!
Thanks for reading if you made it this far lol
If you're curious, my club is here: https://www.easports.com/nhl/clubs/ps4/D6%20NatioN
We are not looking to recruit, just an FYI. I was lucky enough to find over time a great set of guys for my team. It was by no means an easy or streamlined process. We put in the work to get better and we have. Always trying to improve. I am by no means a "top" player, and none of my team would call themselves that either. We, simply put, make each other better.
The goal of this post is to help other teams grow so we can have a better EASHL community. EASHL is by far the most fun mode in the game, but having more full teams competing would make it even more so. Cheers.
BlahQz - Owner of WikkiD6 - PS4
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