IceHL Ready for 2011-12 Season

Time for an update on the state of the IceHL. As of the weekend, we have owners in place for all 30 teams and have arranged live drafts for both IceHL EAST and IceHL WEST next weekend. The EAST will make their selections on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7 PM ET while the WEST will go Monday, Sept. 26 at 9 PM ET.

Because the owners voted to use the All NHL player universe, there will be some roster overlap, meaning some NHLers will play for multiple IceHL teams this year. This may come into play later in the fall when we launch the IceHL Jersey Design Competition. More on that later. But suffice to say, I envision it being much more successful than the last time we tried it.

Other than that, there isn't much to report at this stage, so far from the start of the season. If you have any IceHL questions, feel free to ask in the comments below. I'll do my best to answer them.

IceHL Logo Map

View IceHL Map 2011-2012 in a larger map

It's not much, but this map gives you a look at how the teams are spread out. Oddly, before making this map, it never occurred to me how close the Blue Crabs and Sentinels actually are, geographically. Also that both Texan teams use three shades of green and red as an accent. We might need to do something about both of those issues next summer. We're probably going to expand the league by two teams as well. I think northern California and Pennsylvania will be on the short list for sure. 

Don't forget to pan around the map to see the Huskies all the way up in Anchorage.

And for what it's worth, I've placed each of the map markers on the arena where a hockey team in each given market might theoretically play — or actually does, in many cases. Regina and Anchorage probably wouldn't survive in a major league.

On Sunday afternoon I'll be notifying those who were selected to own teams this sesason. Once everyone is confirmed, I'll make an announcement here on the site. Good luck to everyone who entered!

Wanted: 17 New IceHL GMs!

Before you read this, I recommend scrolling down to read last week's IceHL update.

I'm now in the process of getting the 2011-12 IceHL fantasy hockey season off the ground. Last week, I got in touch with the team owners from our inaugural season in 2010-11 to see who would be returning. As it happens only 12 of the 20 are sticking around. But we're also adding in the other 10 IceHL teams that weren't used last year.

We use ESPN's fantasy hockey league website to operate the IceHL. It only permits 20 teams per league. Since there 30 IceHL teams, we'll be opening up two separate leagues this season, split up by conference, with 15 teams each. That means we'll need 17 new owners for 2011. (Really, only 16 because I'll be taking on a team this season.)

Now let's talk about what it takes to become one of the lucky 16.

Dedication

Managing an IceHL team isn't about how much experience you have playing fantasy hockey. It's about how much you're willing to commit to participating and keeping the league competitive and fun. If you're worried you'll lose interest halfway into the season, please sit this one out and give someone else a shot.

Applying for a team

Last year, more than a hundred people applied to own one of 20 teams. I anticipate a similar turnout this year. So if you're not serious about it, please don't apply. Save the space for someone who is.

You may apply for a team by posting a comment below with the following information:

• Your first name and last initial (ex.: Chris S.), no pseudonyms
• Your email address (if you enter it into the box that says "author email," it will only be seen by me and no other users; if you include it in the body of the comment, everyone will see it)
• In the body of your comment, please note your experience playing fantasy hockey and list your preferred IceHL team choices, in order, from the list below. Please pick no more than 10. (If no teams on your list are available, one will be assigned at random.) Also please note whether you designed any of the winning IceHL logos.

You have until the end of this weekend to apply. I need all of the owners decided quickly so we can start making league decisions together. That will include a live chat with all of the owners.

Selecting owners and teams

Last season, owners were selected entirely at random. I think that was the fairest way to handle it and we'll do the same thing this year. Just be aware that demonstrating your dedication and commitment to fantasy hockey will increase your odds. I'm looking for people who aren't going to lose interest halfway through the season.

Keep in mind, however, that simply being awarded a team doesn't guarantee you'll keep it. If any owner becomes inattentive or doesn't respond to communications and emails, I reserve the right to replace him/her with or without notice. Sorry, but I want to keep this league exciting and competitive.

Available teams

Here are a list of all 30 teams. You may select from any of those that do not already have owners.

Alaska Huskies Owner: Steve S. 2011 Champion		Atlanta Arsenal
Baltimore Blue Crabs		Boston Colonials
Boulder Beasts		Calgary Cavalry Owner: Joshua S.
California Wave Owner: Jon W.		Chicago Hitmen
Dallas Outlaws		Detroit Motorheads
Edmonton Kodiaks Owner: Ed P.		Hamilton Steelcats
Houston Hellcats Owner: James L.		Milwaukee Lagers
Minnesota Mammoths		Montreal Olympiques Owner: Chris S.
New Orleans Gators		New York Guardians
North Carolina Nighthawks		Portland Pioneers
Quebec Armada Owner: Curtis L.		Regina Renegades
Salt Lake City Scorpions Owner: Kyle G.		Saskatoon Sharpshooters Owner: Brian H.
Seattle Aviators		St. Louis Archers Owner: Ryan L.
Tampa Bay Barracudas Owner: Chris S. (commissioner)		Vancouver Lumberjacks Owner: James W.
Washington Sentinels Owner: Simon C.		Winnipeg Winterhawks Owner: Daniel R.

If you want to apply, just make sure you follow the instructions outlined above. Good luck!

Update on Thursday · Sep 1 · 2011 | 10:38 PM PDT by Chris

Application deadline: Sunday, September 4 at 3 PM Eastern (noon Pacific)

Another Season of IceHL Hockey!

A unique kind of life was breathed into the IceHL last season when 20 readers took part in an online fantasy hockey league using IceHL teams. And we're doing it again this year. Only bigger and better.

If you wanted a shot at operating an IceHL team last year and didn't get it, you have another chance. In the coming weeks, I'm going to be looking for some new owners to take over our available teams. Half of the 2010-11 GMs have already committed to 2011-12. And I'm very excited to have them back.

But it's time to grow. Our league can only carry 20 teams. But the IceHL is made up of 30. So this season I will be adding a second league, splitting the IceHL into two groups of 15 teams each. Hence the need for a handful of new owners. If you're big into fantasy hockey, we'd love to have you.

To be clear, I'm not asking for volunteers just yet. I'm just letting you know of some opportunities which will come up soon. I'm first giving all 20 of last year's owners first dibs on returning to their teams. Once I know who's coming back and who isn't, we'll fill all of the available teams.

At that time I'll be getting in touch with anyone who was in the running for a team last year but didn't end up getting it for whatever reason. Then I'll open it up to the rest of the group. Only serious fantasy hockey players need apply. We want to keep the leagues competitive and exciting. That's difficult to do if you're the sort of person who loses interest after a few weeks.

If you're new to this page, here's a little background. The IceHL a fantasy hockey league built from the ground up by Icethetics readers, who voted on every aspect from cities to nicknames to logos. Everything was decided by the community. It was an amazingly fun project to oversee but it's not quite over yet. We've never gotten around to voting on uniform designs. That is a goal I've set for Icethetics for the winter. More details to come on that.

Hopefully you all are as excited as I am about another season of IceHL hockey. And if you're so inclined, I hope you get to join us! (Yes, "us"... I'll be managing my own IceHL team this fall for the first time.)

IceHL Logo Winner!

After a week of voting, it has been determined that IceHL artist Ross Taylor's design will officially become the IceHL league logo! Congrats to Ross. Look for his work at the IceHL League Office page at ESPN.

Based on the response to this contest, I'm worried about moving ahead with jersey designs. Let me know in the comments if you plan on submitting artwork and for how many teams. If it seems like there is a decent response, I'll consider moving forward. You may use anything from Adobe Illustrator to Microsoft Paint for your artwork, but the quality standards will still be set very high. There's no point to this if the entries look like junk. (Sorry.)

If we do move forward, I will explain the process for getting the logos to be used in your artwork. Until then, there's no need to ask.