Understanding the HLS2 Simulator

We do in the NSHL have 24 GMs using the HLS2 simulator or at least its output almost everyday. In addition, there are scores of others using the HLS2 in various other leagues. Certainly there must be some knowledge out there on what is important or what is useful in creating lineups and a strong team. The Rerating Process page on NSHL.com trys to explain which ratings could affect others but doesn't go as far as to say if any particular rating affects play, or in what combination, or with what other kinds of players.

So, what do the ratings mean to you? This topic has received more attention lately as a result of all the banter around a significant trade near the end of NSHL7.

It all brings up an idea that was around since season 2 when most of us were still wet behind the ears. What ratings are important for which reasons?

For example, Artur said that the lower the Fa rating the less ice time should be given by placing the player on a lower level line.

Jeff said earlier that PC is vital to scoring, even more so than Sh.

Here's what came in after the fallout of the NSHL8 mid-season GM extrication. It's long (of course) so it's on a separate page. Click here for the China Syndrome, a detailed examination of player ratings, positions played and results based on a 100 (one hundred) season experiment of a former GM made available for the first time. Basing your lines on these results may be construed as "cheating" as they suggest playing players out of position on a consistent basis as well as triple shifting players.

This web page will be used to collect this anecdotal evidence from everyone, NSHL GM or not, so let's have it, all opinions will be used and collected, whether you play in this league or another. I think that this would be even more constructive than reprogramming the HLS2. After all, even if someone were to reprogram the HLS2, someone would also have to document how that worked!

This is all probably related to showing your line combinations, but really we're all more interested in the theory as each roster is different and it doesn't take into account the need to play and develop younger players, etc.

Will you help? Here's what's come in so far.

by Sexy

A few years back, myself and two other gm's were online together and one of the gm's tried an experiment. I'm not sure if the gm's were from this league or not. I keep thinking that Ace was online with me but he may not have been.

Anyways, the experiment faced off two teams. One team had 9's in sk,pa,pc and 7's in sh. The other team had 7's in pa,pc,sk, and 9's in sh. The team with the 9's in shooting won a considerable amount of more games. Somebody should duplicate this experiment again.

by Trevor

I do belive that you, me and Artur (maybe another GM or two), were on mIRC and discussing trades when the subject of which rating was the most important came up and Artur then did the test. If I remember correctly the results had the team with Pc at nine outshot the other teams but the team with the 9 Sh won more games...

by Artur

I have done a few more tests recently, and found a few things, one of which was that Fa doesn't seem to affect the seasonal outcomes a whole lot. The way I did the test was play a season 3 times with given league ratings, than for one team changed Fa of every player to 9, played a season 3 times.

Then, changed Fa of every player on that team to 6 and played the season 3 times. There was no significant difference in the results.

I did test without streaks and slumps. At some point in the first or second season, I spoke to Trevor and he mentioned that a player with low Fa goes into a slump when played on top lines. I noticed something like that too, but on Eagles all players would slump with no discrimination on Fa rating, so it was hard to prove or disprove this.