Player growth

[Kalokos]

Have they changed the player growth system from 2007 ? If so, is it better right now or can we still have prospects become studs in no time ?

[db_smooth]

it is much improved and no longer uses a regen system when spawning new players

[Fubbydude]

Do player attributes update during the offseason? Mine don't appear to be.... prospects don't seem to be getting better and veterens not getting worst? Am I doing something wrong?

[Rystar]

Players most definitely grow during the off season. It's not something you control too much, but having good coaches with good "works well with young players" stats help. You also should let your prospects play in the minors for a bit before pushing them into the NHL- I've never had an 18 year old rookie that put out amazing numbers even if his stats were amazing, great seasons seem to start at season 2. Also, if you have young players that need development, they should be playing a lot- there's no value in having them sit on the bench, better to send them to the minors and have a peaked veteran benched.

You also should scout your young players with several of your scouts. They will have an actual and potential projection. If the actual is 3 stars and potential is 5 stars, then that means your scouts think that player has quite a bit more development still left in him. Some players peak early and some late so you have to account for that carefully. Sometimes the projection is bogus and will adjust accordingly over time.

I've found that very often I know (via my scouts), that a player is not turning out as well as I thought. He still may be very valuable in a trade situation as the other scouts may not have as good data on the player as I do. I've been able to get some really great picks and players by trading highly touted players that were not growing well for ones that turned out to be superstars.

In my current game (20 years in) I modeled the Coyotes after what the Penguins ultimately did this season... Optimized for speed and back checking, defence comes from offence. All of my lines are fast and can score with salaries well under control. I have 3 cups in a row with this squad and I'm 50-4-4 so far this season. I'm a bit too dominent and will need to switch teams because I just have too many strong prospects, all late 1st round and 2nd round picks. Funny thing is, none of my players showed up in the top 10 of their respective positions until this year. It's all about getting the right players together and letting them have time to get good together. My losses generally come at the beginning of the season when the players are still getting set in their roles.

[jacques ingoff]

to me it seems that the younger players are the more likely they can have large bursts of growth during off season, but as they get older the growth potential gets smaller, obviously. i don't think i've ever seen large growth at once in anyone over 23-34. i have had an 18 year old goalie prospect double technical attributes in an offseason though, going from a CHL backup if lucky, to a probable AHL starter.

like Bob Star, i also tend to not play 18 year old rookies in the NHL. if they have good attributes or are coming off a good season, i'll sign them and try them in the AHL or ECHL. if they don't seem to be managing decent production or +/- after 20-30 games, i send them back to CHL or loan them out to an even lower tier. if they have a good season or two in AHL, i'll try them on 2nd or 3rd line, if it's realistic, with a veteran leader type player. the only time i 4th line forward rookies is if they are 23+ and projected to be a 3rd or 4th line player, i normally start rookie defense on 3rd pair.

i have also found the scouting projections can be horribly wrong in both directions. i've had scouts predict 1st line potential a couple times a year on several players who struggle in the AHL and disappoint in training camp until they're 25, then it changes to 4th line talent. on the flip side, i had a 5th or 6th round pick that i KNEW had potential (80+ in determination, workrate, teamwork, anticipation, wrist and slapshot, all green physicals, 20 years old) but the scouts predict limited potential several times a year until he's 25, then it changed to 2nd line talent... after he put up about 250 points in 2 AHL seasons and almost 200 in 3 NHL seasons.