Alright boyz, here we go!!! Eastside Hockey Manager 2007 First Impressions Thread!

[Mota]

Yeah but if you cut your dev costs in half but only release a product every two years you're also cutting your revenue in half.

[GMO]

Originally Posted by Mota

Yeah but if you cut your dev costs in half but only release a product every two years you're also cutting your revenue in half.

The 2-year period will allow the game to be sold over 2 years.
It will allow time for the game to become more well known. As more people hear about EHM over the 2-year period, it will keep on selling.
If people like the game they will buy it, no matter if the game was produced 3 days ago or 20 months ago.

Most other software games don't come out every year so why should EHM?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by GMO

The 2-year period will allow the game to be sold over 2 years.
It will allow time for the game to become more well known. As more people hear about EHM over the 2-year period, it will keep on selling.
If people like the game they will buy it, no matter if the game was produced 3 days ago or 20 months ago.

Most other software games don't come out every year so why should EHM?

The problem is something that riz already stated. Most of the income comes from the first week of sales. You won't get anywhere near double the sales if the "current" game is two years old instead of one year old. At a certain point, your new sales are going to level out or drop to darn near zero. Having a 2-year period between games just means that the "dark period" is longer than it would be if you produced a new game every year.

As it stands, there weren't enough sales to keep EHM alive for right now. If the game couldn't generate enough sales to fill out a one-year gap, it sure couldn't generate enough to fill two years.

[GMO]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

The problem is something that riz already stated. Most of the income comes from the first week of sales. You won't get anywhere near double the sales if the "current" game is two years old instead of one year old. At a certain point, your new sales are going to level out or drop to darn near zero. Having a 2-year period between games just means that the "dark period" is longer than it would be if you produced a new game every year.

As it stands, there weren't enough sales to keep EHM alive for right now. If the game couldn't generate enough sales to fill out a one-year gap, it sure couldn't generate enough to fill two years.

"Most of the income comes from the first week of sales."

That's the problem. The game is not well known. The people who know about the game buy it in the first week, but few other know about it so sales drop off. Allowing a 2-year period for sales (but with the same salary costs as a one-year game) will allow more people to know about the game, try it, buy it and spread the word that it's a good hockey sim. Other people will try it and buy it. EHM just needs more time to develop a bigger base of support.

Other software games don't see their sales die after one week. Their sales may in fact increase after one week because more people get to know the game and buy it. While it's true that 2nd year sales may be less than first-year sales, it could still be a significant sales period as more people find out about the game. also the 2nd year sales are mostly profit because most of the costs have been incurred in the first year.

EHM needs more time to become well-known but without a significant increase in costs, and selling EHM over a 2-year period will allow this.

[Hurst2112]

quick question...

I always forget how the settings are worded in the GM options.

I want the coach to adjust tactics. I want a say on the roster and have the coach manage lines.

Do I choose, No, Yes, No or Yes, No Yes

'Use Current Tactics' to me means use what you have selected. So, if I want the coach to choose them, it seems that I should select 'no'. Same with the others. Course, 'use current tactics' could mean use the ones the coach decides on (which means that I would want to select no).

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Hurst2112

quick question...

I always forget how the settings are worded in the GM options.

I want the coach to adjust tactics. I want a say on the roster and have the coach manage lines.

Do I choose, No, Yes, No or Yes, No Yes

'Use Current Tactics' to me means use what you have selected. So, if I want the coach to choose them, it seems that I should select 'no'. Same with the others. Course, 'use current tactics' could mean use the ones the coach decides on (which means that I would want to select no).

I'm pretty sure that this is how it works (although anyone should correct me if I'm wrong):

"Use Current Tactics" should be "no" if you want the coach to set them. The "current tactics" are the ones that are currently set up in the tactics screen. If you don't want to lock in to those, you should select "no" so you're not stuck with them.

[Karim]

Here are a couple of questions about player development.

1) Forwards generally develop faster than defenceman. I've yet to develop my own goalie. I rushed a 22 year old as a back-up and ended up having to trade for a veteran during the year. I have a prospect that I started in the ECHL who dominated and now he's in the AHL. Again, he's only 22. I've heard IRL that a goalie that can maintain a .920 save percentage in the AHL is ready for the NHL. Is this accurate for deciding when a goalie is ready?

2) Has anyone had a guy produce and be a consistent NHL despite lower attributes, bad coach reports and bad scouting reports? I've managed to get a couple of undrafted guys developed into 3rd/4th liners but I have one guy who I threw into the AHL as a 20 year old. His physical attributes were great, his mental attributes were good but his technical skills were poor. After two years, his AvR hovered around 6.00. But only being 22 I decided to extend another year and now he's started to improve. I'm going to stick with him more out of curiosity than anything just to see if he makes it. Does anyone have interesting development stories?

[Draft Dodger]

just finished a recent season (out of the playoffs, of course).

the Stanley Cup just ended - San Jose won it over the Rangers in 7 games. It's in NY. San Jose was up 3-2 with 3:30 left and Jagr scored (his 3rd of the game) to tie it. It looked like it was going to OT...but Keith Tkachuk scored for the Sharks with one second left. The thought of the Rangers losing a Cup with 1 second left is extremely gratifying to me.

[condors]

Regarding development stories. I am right around the salary cap. I sign free agents young guys that were drafted and given up on. 5th and 6th defensemen and 2nd and 4th line forwards are commonly these guys. My first and 3rd line guys are were i spend my money. I want 3 all stars skating together for the first line. Then i get 3 top ranked two way guys who penalty kill match up with other teams top line. I usually load up on defensemen in the draft outside of the 1st round. In the 1st round i normally get a goal scorer or goalie. (the forwards/goalies i draft after this usually are only AHL/healthy scrath type guys)

[Mike Lowe]

Been reading this thread for a while now and have been recently intrigued by this game. What is the general consensus? I'm looking for something new since OOTP rosters have been a joke.

I'm a bit drunk after celebrating the end to another softball season and am ballsy enough to ask; does anyone have a liscence laying around they are no longer using? I'd love to give it a try but don't feel like getting attached to the 6-month demo.

Thanks and goodnight!

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowe

Been reading this thread for a while now and have been recently intrigued by this game. What is the general consensus? I'm looking for something new since OOTP rosters have been a joke.

I'm a bit drunk after celebrating the end to another softball season and am ballsy enough to ask; does anyone have a liscence laying around they are no longer using? I'd love to give it a try but don't feel like getting attached to the 6-month demo.

Thanks and goodnight!

It's a great game. If you like hockey, you should like this. I love this game.

You must have some very serious commitment issues if you're worried about "getting attached" to a 6 month demo...

[Mike Lowe]

I can't get the demo to work :-( I keep getting some weird error. I posted about it on the SI forums but nothing so far.

Does this game come with NHL rosters? How difficult is it to "mod" it up to real-life? Hopefully much easier than OOTP2007.

[scooter]

The game is fully licensed by the NHL as well as some other minor leagues like the AHL, ECHL, etc. NCAA players have had their names changed, just like any game with college players, but there is a database out there that "unfakes" them.

The game is very good. It has developed nicely since it's first version (this is the third), but sadly, this is the last version. As you may have seen on the SI forums, the game is no longer in development. While you are still able to purchase it, it is a "dead" franchise.

[riz]

Originally Posted by scooter

While you are still able to purchase it, it is a "dead" franchise.

While this franchise is on permanent hiatus for the time being, Eastside itself is not 100% dead. More like in hibernation or something. The East Shall Rise Again

Seriously though, I'm currently far too busy working on FM that I'd be able to actually work on something EHM related right now, even if I wanted to. But there are some plans lurking around the back of my head that will most likely end up put to use at some point in this universe. What form or shape those plans eventually take is a whole new topic in itself though.

[scooter]

Glad to see you around riz. What you said is essentially what I meant by a "dead" franchise (hence the quotes). I was simply pointing out that he shouldn't be searching the net looking for information on the upcoming release of EHM08. I hope you are able to continue the game at some point in the future. I can't tell you how much time I've spent playing those games...

[Carman Bulldog]

How different are last year's game (EHM 2005) and this years? I played the demo but a lot of the additions (ie. Fantasy Draft??) didn't appeal to me. Any thoughts?

[Travis]

Still enjoying this game greatly. Almost through all the pre-existing players in my current campaign (think I'm in season 2024/25 right now) and looking forward to trying to knock off a few of Gretzky's records with some of the regens I've got on the team now. Only thing I wish that would have gotten fixed was the jersey retirement issue, got easily 3-4 guys that deserve it. Would love to see that patched somehow even if it was just an option for the player to do it themselves (rather than just manually not letting anybody wear those numbers each season).

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

How different are last year's game (EHM 2005) and this years? I played the demo but a lot of the additions (ie. Fantasy Draft??) didn't appeal to me. Any thoughts?

Last years was 2006. Did you mean that or 2005?

I played the 2005 demo but did not buy. 2006 the 2d game view was added and I bought the game. The 2k6 2d was choppy and was only a representation of where the players were on the ice. You could almost tell at some times from the animation that a score was likely.

2k7 the 2d was smoothed out and the icons on the ice now show where each player is. I'm not a hockey expert but the flow of the game looks much more realistic to me. To me the new 2d made the game more enjoyable, enough to justify buying the game. Not enough of a hockey man to speak to how much more accurate the game engine became but after patching it seemed most posters were satisfied.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Sweed

Last years was 2006. Did you mean that or 2005?

there was no 2006.
2005 then 2007 (which came out in 2006).



I still play it a lot, but I run into some frustrations. The biggest, really, is that I have an extremely difficult time figuring out how to evaluate players - there are so many freaking ratings, and, after playing zillions of games, don't know that I'm any closer to discovering how the ratings will translate on the ice.

A secondary (but related) issue is with tactics. I've tried to go in and adjust tactics, but I can never really get a feel for what's changing. And then, if I make a roster change, I have to tweak them again. It's so much work (and for no tangible gain), that I end up just letting the coach make all the decisions...which makes it less fun - because I can't tell if what he's doing is helping or hurting the team either.

[Travis]

DD, I'm assuming you're playing the 2007 version? I just want to check before saying much as I never played the 2005 version, so not sure if tactics were done the same or not.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Travis

DD, I'm assuming you're playing the 2007 version? I just want to check before saying much as I never played the 2005 version, so not sure if tactics were done the same or not.

yes, 2007.

[Travis]

Here's a fantastic resource for seeing what each setting is meant to do:

http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums...pic.php?t=2644

One thing I've found is that certain guys will click, but in the long run, the longer you can leave quality players together playing a consistent game type, the better they will play as opposed to constantly flip flopping line mates/playing styles so long as your tactics are at least ball park for the style a player is suited for.

[Travis]

Dola, I've also found that the ratings I tend to favor in players are anticipation, determination, work rate and checking. Past that I'll start zoning in on certain physical or skill ratings depending on what role I want them to fill, but anticipation and determination are both huge in the sense that no matter how skillful a player is, if his anticipation sucks he just won't be of consistent use, and if determination is low, the less likely they are to achieve their potential. The latter two are more personal preference for the style of play I like my team to have.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

there was no 2006.
2005 then 2007 (which came out in 2006).

I dug out my disk and stand corrected.

[Mike Lowe]

I cannot get the demo to work. Marc Duffy himself has emailed me about the problem but I still cannot get it to work. I want to try the game before buying!

Does anyone want to let me borrow their ID? Is that allowed? I could trade something for it like FOF? I have OOTP2007 but still play it. I also have a copy of the college football sim...forget what it's called.

[JPhillips]

License trading is a sure way to be banned from here. I'd stop asking if I were you.

[scooter]

Not to mention, if the demo isn't working, I'm not sure I'd get my hopes up for the game working for you either. Odd situation. But if anyone can get it to work, it's Marc Duffy.

[Mike Lowe]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

License trading is a sure way to be banned from here. I'd stop asking if I were you.

Ok thanks for the heads up. I wasn't aware of the etiquette regarding this. Out of curiosity, how is this different from trading a PS3 game or letting a friend borrow a game? Not complaining, just curious.

Thanks!

[twothree]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowe

Ok thanks for the heads up. I wasn't aware of the etiquette regarding this. Out of curiosity, how is this different from trading a PS3 game or letting a friend borrow a game? Not complaining, just curious.

Thanks!

The difference or indifference does not matter on this board. It is just one of the rules of the board, like, no posting porn links.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowe

Ok thanks for the heads up. I wasn't aware of the etiquette regarding this. Out of curiosity, how is this different from trading a PS3 game or letting a friend borrow a game? Not complaining, just curious.

Thanks!

this gets debated every few years around here. I don't think there should be anything wrong with a legitimate trade for the game - which would mean someone transferring both licenses to you and uninstalling it from their PC in return for whatever payment you work out. Borrowing the licenses or using one of their two available licenses is not kosher, though, and that's kind of the way your request came across sounding like.

[jbergey22]

This thread makes me sad. I am going to miss this game a lot.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

This thread makes me sad. I am going to miss this game a lot.

hai, it was going places.

[Mike Lowe]

Oh I didnt mean for it to sound as though I wanted someone to give me a liscence. I wasn't intending for anyone who actually still plays the game to want to loan me (or whatever) their liscence to see if it would work. I was thinking more of someone who is no longer playing it at all and wanted to trade for a game that I no longer play. Then again, anyone reading this probably does play the game still.

[riz]

What seems to be the problem with the demo when you try to play it ? Does it install correctly in the first place or do the problems appear on installation already ?

The first thing to do would obviously be uninstalling any and all previous versions (even demo) of the game and start with a clean slate.

[riz]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

This thread makes me sad. I am going to miss this game a lot.

Thou art not alone.

I hope the 2007 version with the fan-provided unfaked databases etc. will be able to serve all the hockey nuts for their managerial fix for at least some time. It's not like there are many new games of this type for this sport in the horizon

[GMO]

Originally Posted by riz

While this franchise is on permanent hiatus for the time being, Eastside itself is not 100% dead. More like in hibernation or something. The East Shall Rise Again

Seriously though, I'm currently far too busy working on FM that I'd be able to actually work on something EHM related right now, even if I wanted to. But there are some plans lurking around the back of my head that will most likely end up put to use at some point in this universe. What form or shape those plans eventually take is a whole new topic in itself though.

Great news.
Keep plugging away and your dreams will come true.

[GMO]

Originally Posted by riz

Thou art not alone.

I hope the 2007 version with the fan-provided unfaked databases etc. will be able to serve all the hockey nuts for their managerial fix for at least some time. It's not like there are many new games of this type for this sport in the horizon

Riz: For the match_events and hints files, can I add events or hints to them, or do I have to keep a set number of events or hints?

For example, for the match_events file, let's say there are 443 events in the current file. Can I add more events so, for example if I add 5 events, there are 448 events in the file, OR am I limited to changing the events (i.e. changing the wording) but I must have exactly 443 events in the file?

Thanks.

[Mike Lowe]

Got the demo up and working! Thanks to Marc Duffy and everyone else for helping out!

[riz]

Originally Posted by GMO

Riz: For the match_events and hints files, can I add events or hints to them, or do I have to keep a set number of events or hints?

For example, for the match_events file, let's say there are 443 events in the current file. Can I add more events so, for example if I add 5 events, there are 448 events in the file, OR am I limited to changing the events (i.e. changing the wording) but I must have exactly 443 events in the file?

Thanks.

For the match events, you can add as many alternatives to an event as you like. Naturally you cannot add totally new event types since the game would not expect them to be there (crash) but like I said, you can alter the existing commentary lines and add new ones under each event type. I'd suggest making a backup copy first and then just trying it out.

As for the hints, I'm not 100% but I'm fairly sure you can add more in on your own. Just make a backup first again.

[riz]

Originally Posted by GMO

Great news.
Keep plugging away and your dreams will come true.

Hey, my first dream was to make a hockey sim so I could manage my own version of the Rangers (done with freeware EHM).

My second dream was to make a proper hockey sim with lots of leagues and a full world of hockey, basically Championship Manager, but for hockey (done with the NHL EHM series).

Sometimes, dreams do come true

On top of all that, I've gotten myself a full time job doing what I love, albeit for the time being I'm gonna have to do with soccer and FM. Now I'll go back to dreaming some more if you don't mind

[astrosfan64]

Originally Posted by riz

Hey, my first dream was to make a hockey sim so I could manage my own version of the Rangers (done with freeware EHM).

My second dream was to make a proper hockey sim with lots of leagues and a full world of hockey, basically Championship Manager, but for hockey (done with the NHL EHM series).

Sometimes, dreams do come true

On top of all that, I've gotten myself a full time job doing what I love, albeit for the time being I'm gonna have to do with soccer and FM. Now I'll go back to dreaming some more if you don't mind

Please go back to hockey. I love FM and EHM. Just drop the licenses so it will be cheaper for you. We don't need no stinking licenses.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by astrosfan64

Please go back to hockey. I love FM and EHM. Just drop the licenses so it will be cheaper for you. We don't need no stinking licenses.

Are licenses overrated?

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Are licenses overrated?

ftw

[Blade6119]

I will always remember my days at Head Coach of the London Knights dynasty fondly, and the accomplishments we achieved will stand the test of time.

[Travis]

Growing up just outside of Edmonton during the glory years of the Oilers, I took very much for granted what that team was doing at the time, and even moreso what Gretzky did during his career. While I feel I'm a bit older/wiser now and can look back and start to really see what those accomplishments took, EHM is really putting Gretzky into perspective at this point. I'm in my longest running career right now (think I'm 1/4 of the way through 2025/26 now) and Crosby, nearing the end of his career is still 400+ points back of Gretzky's career points mark (picked Crosby up 8 seasons ago as an UFA). I've had a dream first line of Crosby playing with the regens (I believe) of Naslund and Forsberg for the past 4-5 season which have resulted in Crosby's best point totals, but even at that, it's *very* unlikely that he'll make a serious push. Forsberg's regen on the other hand has a shot, having around 1,600 points at the age of 30, but certainly not a lock. I'm hoping to topple the mark, but the fact that it's been an almost single minded purpose for me since the 2015 season or so to bring a player through the system to challenge that mark and I'll only have one guy by around 2030 who'll be on pace really slams home (for me) just how magnificent of a career Gretzky had.

That said, I'm hoping the ongoing projects to try and update the rosters and get a new set out for the 07/08 season are successful and I can start a new long term project in September to do it all over again.

[Mike Lowe]

What is the story with players being "regens?" Can you turn this off? Sounds incredibly cheesy.

[Travis]

Regens, as far as I understand them, are the games way of keeping a consistent player pool. When a player retires he is "regen'd" from the same country he was originally from, will end up a similar height to his original and shoot the same way. Ratings wise though is where you have to be careful because while some of the stats will tend to be similar (ie: flair), a lot of the regen's stats are random, so just because it's the Forsberg regen doesn't mean he'll be anywhere as good (and vice versa, the Anson Carter regen could end up as a superstar), they just have a likely head start. Also, North American players (I think) regen at an earlier age than European players, so they'll hit the NHL draft a couple years later than their counterparts once regen'd.

As far as I know there's no way you can turn it off, and honestly, aside from a few guys who come in and kick ass, I don't bother worrying about who's regen's they might be, I have a certain set of stats I look at prior to drafting/signing players to ensure that they fit the team system I prefer. Even the one's I listed above could be totally off base as I'm going on hunches rather than having dug through the player profiles to really match them up.

[bhlloy]

Yeah, the only downside to regens is that they keep the nationality. So if you see a German/South African 15 year old netminder, you know it's Olaf Kolzig and he's going to be good. There are a couple more guys who have wierd combo's (Owen Nolan?) but other than that it's not easy to figure out if you aren't tracking things in detail.

[Blade6119]

Was a big fan of 05, so i downloaded the 07 Demo last night, clicked trial, then filled out the register field. Click next and it brought up an error about number of restrictions mentioning 15 and 12. Now, i cant even get to the register field...clicking on the trial button tells me about the restrictions and closes the program. Have a feeling its something to do with my XP, but ill be damned if ive figured it out yet.

[duff88]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Yeah, the only downside to regens is that they keep the nationality. So if you see a German/South African 15 year old netminder, you know it's Olaf Kolzig and he's going to be good. There are a couple more guys who have wierd combo's (Owen Nolan?) but other than that it's not easy to figure out if you aren't tracking things in detail.

Actually they don't keep the second nationality.

I continue playing NHL:EHM whenever I get some free time. I have this game with the Canadiens I've been playing with for the last few months, and I'm having a lot of fun with it. I wrote this yesterday:

A little update on my Canadiens game, which hasn't been going very well. I was very patient with Carbonneau, but it didn't amount to anything and the team constantly under achieved with him. 8th in 2006-2007, 14th in 2007-2008, 9th in 2008-2009, 12th in 2009-2010, 3rd in 2010-2011 before being swept in the first round.

We're now January 11th 2012 and we are currently second in the conference, behind only the powerful Pittsburgh Penguins led by the Crosby-Kovalchuk duo, with a 27-13-5 record.

Andrei Kostitsyn - Saku Koivu (C) - Egor Korepanov
Mikhail Grabovsky - Ben Maxwell - Michael Ryder
Chris Higgins (A) - Tomas Plekanec - Guillaume Latendresse
Paul Gaustad - Wayne Primeau - Martin Lapointe
EXTRA: Adam Mair

Andrei Markov - Mike Komisarek (A)
Nick Petrecki - Brent Seabrook
Niclas Hävelid - David Fischer
EXTRA: Sasha Pokulok - Pavel Valentenko

Carey Price
Maxime Ouellet

Korepanov was called up only a few weeks ago because Higgins and Latendresse were injured. He took Latendresse's place on the first line temporarly, but with 2 goals and 5 assists in 7 games, I decided to keep him there and place Latendresse on the third line. He was the 14th overall pick in 2009.

Andrei Kostitsyn (45-22-36-58) and Saku Koivu (45-20-37-57) respectively sits 6th and 7th in NHL scoring. Pittsburgh's Ilya Kovalchuk (43-32-39-71), with a six points performance in his last game, is first in the league followed by his teammate Sidney Crosby (43-28-37-65). Here are the stats for a few other notable players from Montreal:

Michael Ryder - 45GP - 24G - 25A - 49PTS
Guillaume Latendresse - 41GP - 22G - 25A - 47PTS
Ben Maxwell - 45GP - 14G - 33A - 47PTS
Mikhail Grabovsky - 24GP - 17G - 12A - 29PTS
Chris Higgins - 30GP - 10G - 11A - 21PTS
Andrei Markov - 45GP - 3G - 14A - 17PTS

Here are the top prospects in the organisation:

1. #74 Ari Nielsen - C - 19 Years Old - Oak Park, Illinois - Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
11th overall pick in 2010, he's a offensive forward who is solid on both ends of the ice and who is pretty good in every aspects of the game. He was signed immediately after the draft because he wasn't getting any interesting college offers, and we didn't want him sitting one more year in the USHL. He spent his first pro year with Cincinatti in the ECHL and is now one of the go-to guys in Hamilton.

2. #28 Phil McRae - C - 21 Years Old - Chesterfield, Missouri - Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
5th overall pick in 2008. McRae is developping rather slowly, and is starting to get mixed reactions. Some see him as a great well-rounded prospects, some thing his slow development proves he was a waste of a high pick. Attracts really opposite reactions, I, as well as my head scout Trevor Timmins think he could be a second line centre à la Mike Richards while my assistant Pierre Gauthier is really not convinced.

3. #37 Paul Fiedler - G - 19 Years Old - München, Germany - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
41st overall pick in 2010. He spent his first year in the CHL as backup in Cape Breton, but he's now the starter and he's currently the best goaltender in the QMJHL, and only the amazing Eli Malone prevents him from being the top in the entire CHL. He led Germany to a silver medal in the last World U20.

4. #52 Simon Depres - D - 20 Years Old - Laval, Quebec - Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
24th overall pick in 2009. He is a small bulky defenseman with a lot of offensive skills. He's an excellent passer, doesn't have a very good shot. He's a good skater, but doesn't have good speed. He's having a tremendous rookie season in the AHL after two years with Ferris State in the NCAA.

5. #44 Alex Johnsson - D - 19 Years Old - Sundsvall, Sweden - Färjestad BK (SEL)
25th overall pick in 2011. He is a stay at home defenseman who has an excellent frame, he is strong, a very good skater, a team player who works hard and who is excellent defensively. He makes good passes, but his offensive skills are not really what makes him a good prospect.

6. #22 Egor Korepanov - RW - 20 Years Old - Togliatti, Russia - Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
14th pick in 2009. A hard working winger with tons of speed, he has a good frame and is strong on the puck. Sees the game very well, he's excellent offensively, but he tends to concentrate too much on the offense. A great kid; he even lists his GM as one of the persons he really likes.

7. #81 Konstantin Kuznetsov - LW - 19 Years Old - Sumy, Ukraine - Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
71st pick in 2010

8. #39 Zdenek Novak - RW - 18 Years Old - Hradek Kralove, Czech Republic - Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
85th pick in 2011

9. #85 Egor Mikhno - C - 19 Years Old - Voskresensk, Russia - Moscow CSKA (RUS)
205th pick in 2011

10. #4 Emilien Fortier - D - 19 Years Old - Laval, Quebec - Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
131st pick in 2010

A pretty big report, but it kind of helped me get a better sense for my own team.

By the way, I'm playing with a lot of house rules that make me limit myself in trades and free agents signings. It's much tougher this way, and it's more fun too.

-

At that time of the year, I should be having a hard time waiting for NHL:EHM 2008... How I would have loved to see what new features would be available. Just imagining EHM with playable US Colleges...