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HCKY 645: Hockey Operations Report a Broken Link

Please note: This DRR has been replaced by a DRR for EHOP-645, available at the following link: http://drr2.lib.athabascau.ca/index.php?c=node&m=detail&n=57299

This course serves as an introduction and overview of hockey operations, with the prime focus on teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). The centerpiece of the course is the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and the NHL, which describes the rules and regulations governing both the business behind and the playing of professional hockey for NHL teams. As would be expected, the CBA is highly detailed and covers many topics. To help summarize and focus the key ideas, the course is arranged by topic from the CBA. These topics are supplemented by other topics related to the hockey operations side of a hockey franchise.

Required Readings

Week 1

Reading 1: Paul, R. (2018). Generating hockey visualizations in Tableau [Slide presentation].
Reading 2: Paul, R. (2018). Tableau—same chart for each team in league—using Pages [Slide presentation].
Reading 3: Paul, R. (2017). Structure of the NHL team front office [Slide presentation].
Reading 4: Carson, S. (2013, August 6). Flight plan—episode 1—the war room [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/PFh-t4ZjEZs
Reading 5: Paul, R. (2017). Structure of NHL coaching staff [Slide presentation].
Reading 6: NHL. (2014, March 17). NHL life episode 7: A coach’s life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/31jdSGGgVhU
Reading 7: Paul, R. (2017). Structure of NHL scouting staff [Slide presentation].
Reading 8: NHL. (2014). NHL life episode 3: A scout’s life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/AFo-Kza0BEQ
Reading 9: National Hockey League. (2017, June 7). On the clock: Inside the Chicago Blackhawks 2017 NHL draft [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/fans/on-the-clock
Reading 10: Paul, R. (2017). Principal-agent problems [Slide presentation].
Reading 11: Paul, R. (2017). Minor league system [Slide presentation].
Reading 12:  Starkey, T. (2016). Chapter 3: The business. In Chasing the dream: Life in the American Hockey League (pp. 36–58). Toronto, ON: ECW Press.
Reading 13: Paul, R. (2017). Player compensation cost redistribution system [Slide presentation].
Reading 14: Hoag, D. (2013, June 3). 2013 NHL CBA: New revenue sharing program could help the Nashville Predators. On the Forecheck. Retrieved from https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2013/6/7/4406482/2013-nhl-cba-revenue-sharing-program-explained
Reading 15: National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association. (2012, September 16). Collective bargaining agreement: Article 49 Player compensation cost redistribution system (pp. 199–219). Retrieved from http://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/CBA2012/NHL_NHLPA_2013_CBA.pdf
Reading 16: Whyno, S. (2019, June 16). Escrow tops NHL Players’ list of concerns ahead of CBA talks. Associated Press. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/29c659dacfef4254b623418bfc1a912c
Reading 17: Paul, R. (2017). NHL revenue sharing [Slide presentation].

Week 2

Reading 18: Paul, R. (2017). Player development: Junior vs. college hockey [Slide presentation].
Reading 19: College Hockey Inc. (2017). NCAA college hockey vs. CHL major junior. Retrieved from http://collegehockeyinc.com/ncaa-college-hockey-vs-chl-major-junior.php
Reading 20: Junior Hockey Truth. (2014, September 2). CHL vs. NCAA: Know your options [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/i_DVydLv_KM
Reading 21: Paul, R. (2017). Junior hockey draft [Slide presentation].
Reading 22: Paul, R. (2017). Eligibility of foreign players—Junior/NCAA hockey [Slide presentation].
Reading 23: Ottawa 67’s Hockey. (2015, June 29). Jeff Brown discusses the CHL import draft [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/YBy4C-vtYNc
Reading 24: Wagman, R. (Ed.). (2016). 2016–17 prospect guidebook. Quinnipiac, CT: Hockey Prospectus.
Reading 25: Paul, R. (2017). Junior hockey eligibility for NHL drafted players [Slide presentation].
Reading 26: Morreale, M. G. (2013, October 20). Sunday long read: Tough decision, NHL or juniors. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/news/sunday-long-read-tough-decision-nhl-or-juniors/c-687400
Reading 27: McCurdy, B. (2015, January 4). Did Edmonton Oilers management mess up in not sending Leon Draisaitl back to junior earlier? Edmonton Journal. Retrieved from http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/edmonton-oilers-reassign-leon-draisaitl-back-to-junior-although-destination-unknown-as-yet
Reading 28: Morreale, M. G. (2016, October 31). NHL or juniors? Tough decisions ahead. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/news/decisions-on-top-prospects-on-entry-level-contracts-near/c-283186212
Reading 29: Paul, R. (2017). Top European professional hockey leagues [Slide presentation].
Reading 30: Metter, A. (2012, February 13). Top 10 best ice hockey leagues. The Hockey Writers. Retrieved from http://thehockeywriters.com/top-10-best-ice-hockey-leagues/
Reading 31: Bexell, P. (2015, September 27). The leagues of Europe and their relative competitiveness. SB Nation. Retrieved from http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2015/9/27/9177055/european-hockey-leagues-ranking-russia-khl-sweden-shl-finland-liiga-czech-germany-norway
Reading 32: 2112 Hockey Agency. (2017). League ranking. Retrieved from https://2112hockeyagency.com/league-rankings/
Reading 33: Paul, R. (2017). IIHF international transfer regulations [Slide presentation].
Reading 34: Paul, R. (2017). International hockey: Article 24 of CBA [Slide presentation].
Reading 35: SB Nation. (2013, August 9). Getting to know the CBA—episode 9: Article 15 & training camps. Winging It in Motown. Retrieved from https://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2013/8/9/4603280/getting-to-know-the-cba-episode-9-article-15-training-camps
Reading 36: Paul, R. (2017). Training camp and travel expenses [Slide presentation].

Week 3

Reading 37: Paul, R. (2017). Overview of NHL scouting [Slide presentation].
Reading 38: Muir, A. (2015, June 24). Draft preview: What do scouts look for in an NHL prospect? Sports Illustrated. Retrieved from http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/06/24/nhl-draft-scout-assessing-prospect-talent-skill-speed-size
Reading 39: Morreale, M. G. (2013, November 14). Prospector files: Top scouts talk talent evaluation. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/news/prospector-files-top-scouts-talk-talent-evaluation/c-691397
Reading 40: Paul, R. (2017). Central Scouting Bureau [Slide presentation].
Reading 41: Paul. R. (2017). NHL entry draft [Slide presentation].
Reading 42: Sportsnet Canada. (2016, April 22). This is how the 2016 NHL Draft lottery works [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/fXRp9uUrYEA
Reading 43: National Hockey League (2017, April 26). 2017 NHL Draft Lottery. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/panthers/news/2017-nhl-draft-lottery/c-289104736
Reading 44: SB Nation (2013, June 14). Getting to know the CBA—episode 2: The draft & entry-level deals. Winging It in Motown. Retrieved from https://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2013/6/14/4414710/getting-to-know-the-cba-episode-2-the-draft
Reading 45: National Hockey League. (2014, August 20). NHL announces changes to Draft Lottery format. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-announces-changes-to-draft-lottery-format/c-728795
Reading 46: Paul. R. (2017). NHL entry draft: Article 8 of the CBA [Slide presentation].
Reading 47: Paul, R. (2017). NHL expansion draft rules [Slide presentation].
Reading 48: Paul, R. (2017). Rules and procedures governing Standard Player’s Contract [Slide presentation].
Reading 49: SB Nation (2013, June 28). Getting to know the CBA—episode 4, part 1: Standard player contracts. Winging It in Motown. Retrieved from https://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2013/6/28/4460828/getting-to-know-the-cba-episode-4-standard-player-contracts
Reading 50: Leach, Z. (2019, January 21).The Anaheim Ducks and the issue of “Tagging.” Pro Hockey Rumors. Retrieved from https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2019/01/the-anaheim-ducks-and-the-issue-of-tagging.html
Reading 51: Paul, R. (2017). Competitive balance [Slide presentation].

Week 4

Reading 52: Paul, R. (2017). Hockey analytics overview [Slide presentation].
Reading 53: rmnbblog. (2014, October 3). Crash course on NHL advanced stats: Corsi, Fenwick, PDO, and zone starts explained [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/icga7DqOl
Reading 54: Paul, R. (2017). NHL.com enhanced statistics [Slide presentation].
Reading 55: Paul, R. (2017). Hockey analytics: Independent websites [Slide presentation].
Reading 56: Paul, R. (2017). Player usage charts [Slide presentation].
Reading 57: Paul, R. (2017). Goaltending analytics: Importance of the royal road [Slide presentation].
Reading 58: Power, K. (2015, January 6). Video breakdown: How Steve Valiquette will change how we think about goaltending. Retrieved from http://www.blueshirtbanter.com/2015/1/6/7500845/video-breakdown-how-steve-valiquette-will-change-how-we-think-about
Reading 59: Vollman, R. (2016). What’s the best way to build a team? In Stat Shot (pp. 12-74). Toronto, ON: ECW Press.

Week 5

Reading 60: Paul, R. (2017). NHL rookie contracts [Slide presentation].
Reading 61: Knappe, K. (2019, January 31). NHL, AHL, and ECHL hockey contracts 101. Pension Plan Puppets. Retrieved from https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/and-now-you-know/2019/1/31/18165062/nhl-contracts-ahl-contracts-echl-contracts-cba-nhlpa-phpa-how-do-nhl-contracts-work-waivers-two-way
Reading 62: Hill, B. (2018, May 17). How much do young NHLers make? The Hockey Writers. Retrieved from https://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-entry-level-compensation/ 
Reading 63: Paul, R. (2017). Entry level compensation [Slide presentation].
Reading 64: Paul, R. (2017). One-way and two-way contracts [Slide presentation].
Reading 65: Paul, R. (2017). Bridge contracts [Slide presentation].
Reading 66: Paul, R. (2017). Offer sheets and offer sheet compensation [Slide presentation].
Reading 67: Dixon, R. (2019). The projection business. Sportsnet Canada. Retrieved from https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-young-stars-contracts-bridge-deal-big-read/
Reading 68: Paul, R. (2017). CBA Offer sheets and offer sheet compensation [Slide presentation].
Reading 69: Kaplan, E. (2019, July 2) How an NHL offer sheet works and what comes next for Sebastian Aho. ESPN. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/27099988/how-nhl-offer-sheet-works-comes-next-sebastian-aho
Reading 70: Kerr, B. (2019, July 2) The history of the NHL offer sheet. Last Word on Hockey. Retrieved from https://lastwordonhockey.com/2019/07/02/history-nhl-offer-sheet/
Reading 71: Paul, R. (2017). Endorsements; sponsorships; licensing [Slide presentation].

Week 6

Reading 72: Paul, R. (2017). Salary arbitration [Slide presentation].
Reading 73: Drance, T. (2014, July 14). 3 things you need to know about NHL salary arbitration. theScore.com. Retrieved from http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/538417
Reading 74: Ryan, D. (2017, July 25). Spooner vs. the Bruins: How does NHL arbitration work? Stanley Cup of Chowder. Retrieved from https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2017/7/25/16023102/ryan-spooner-arbitration-hearing-how-does-nhl-arbitration-work-nhl-average-salary-arbitration-rights
Reading 75: Lake, R. (2019, July 24). Inside NHL salary arbitration and the 40 players who have filed. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanlake/2019/07/24/inside-nhl-salary-arbitration-and-the-40-players-that-have-filed/#5c93bd3760f3
Reading 76: Paul, R. (2017). Salary arbitration,Section12 of the CBA. [Slide presentation].
Reading 77: Paul, R. (2017). NHL free agency [Slide presentation].
Reading 78: Fitzpatrick, J. (2019, May24). NHL restricted free agents. liveabout.com Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/nhl-restricted-free-agents-2778980    
Reading 79: Lake, R. (2016, August 15). How free agency works in the National Hockey League (NHL). Law In Sport. Retrieved from https://www.lawinsport.com/topics/regulation-a-governance/item/how-free-agency-works-in-the-national-hockey-league?category_id=115
Reading 80: SB Nation (2013, June 7). NHL CBA: College loophole clarified; Anders Lee’s ELC. Lighthouse Hockey. Retrieved from https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2013/6/7/4404684/nhl-cba-college-loophole-ncaa-change
Reading 81: Neumeier, D. (2017, August 18). Draft dodging: The NHL needs to fix prospect free agency rules. Defending Big D. Retrieved from https://www.defendingbigd.com/2017/8/18/16165916/draft-dodging-the-nhl-needs-to-fix-prospect-free-agency-rules-schultz-butcher-vesey-kerfoot-hayes
Reading 82: Barrett, D. (2019, March 28). NHL column: The power of college. The Daily Campus. Retrieved from https://dailycampus.com/stories/2019/3/28/nhl-column-the-power-of-college
Reading 83: Paul, R. (2017). Free agency: Article 10 of the CBA [Slide presentation].
Reading 84: Paul, R. (2017). Coase theorem [Slide presentation].

Week 7

Reading 85: Paul, R. (2017). NHL salary cap and floor [Slide presentation].
Reading 86: Paul, R. (2017). Team payroll range system [Slide presentation].
Reading 87: Paul, R. (2017). Salary cap hit vs. player salary [Slide presentation].
Reading 88: Wilson, K. (2013, July 8). How are bad NHL contracts born? The winner’s curse. Sporting News. Retrieved from http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/news/4509514-nhl-free-agents-worst-contracts-2013-the-winners-curse-vincent-lecavalier-flyers
Reading 89: Paul, R. (2017). Winner’s curse [Slide presentation].

Week 8

Reading 90: Paul, R. (2017). NHL active roster [Slide presentation].
Reading 91: Meltzer, B. (2016, July 15). Who can play where…and why. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/who-can-play-where-and-why/c-889461
Reading 92: Paul, R. (2017). Injured reserve [Slide presentation].
Reading 93: Hockey operations guidelines. (2015). NHL.com. Retrieved from http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26377
Reading 94: Slappers and Stats (2016, March 1). Clarifying the long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Slappers and Stats. Retrieved from https://slappersandstats.com/2016/03/01/clarifying-the-long-term-injured-reserve-ltir/
Reading 95: Paul, R. (2017). Schedule, rosters, reserve lists, and practices [Slide presentation].
Reading 96: Paul, R. (2017). NHL waivers and waivers eligibility [Slide presentation].
Reading 97: Beatty, J. (2013, October 7). A guide to the NHL waiver process. SB Nation litterboxcats.Retrieved from http://www.litterboxcats.com/2013/10/7/4792782/nhl-waiver-waivers-cba-florida-panthers
Reading 98: Muir, A. (2015, November 23). Trapped in the box: Why NHL’s waiver rules need reworking. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved from http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/11/23/nhl-waiver-wire-system-player-development-impact
Reading 99: Clinton, J. (2017, September 21). Five teams facing tricky waiver situations ahead of 2017-18 NHL regular season. The Hockey News. Retrieved from http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/five-teams-facing-tricky-waiver-situations-ahead-of-2017-18-nhl-regular-season
Reading 100: Paul, R. (2017). Waivers and loans of players to minor league clubs [Slide presentation].

Supplementary Readings

Note for students: To view European sites in English, search site address in Google, and use the Google Translate feature, or download the Chrome browser.

Week 1 Supp. Rdgs.

American Hockey League: http://theahl.com/
East Coast Hockey League: http://www.echl.com/
Southern Professional Hockey League: http://www.thesphl.com/view/thesphl

Week 2 Supp. Rdgs.

Canadian Hockey League (CHL): http://chl.ca/
Czech Extraliga: http://www.hokej.cz/
Die Eiskalte Leidenschaft (DEL—Germany): https://www.telekomeishockey.de/
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL): http://en.khl.ru/
Liiga (Finland): http://liiga.fi/
NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/icehockey-men/d1
NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/icehockey-women/nc
Ontario Hockey League (OHL): http://ontariohockeyleague.com/
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL): http://theqmjhl.ca/
Slovak Extraliga: https://www.hokej.sk/
Swedish Hockey League (SHL): http://www.shl.se/
Swiss Ice Hockey: http://www.sihf.ch/de/national-league/
United States Hockey League (USHL): http://www.ushl.com/
Western Hockey League (WHL): http://whl.ca/

Week 3 Supp. Rdgs.

Elite Hockey Prospects: http://www.eliteprospects.com/
Hockey Prospect: https://www.hockeyprospect.com/
Hockey’s Future: http://www.hockeysfuture.com/
Kasan, S. (2011, June 11). The art of scouting. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/the-art-of-scouting/c-566201
Kasan, S. (2011, June 17). Week in the life of an NHL scout. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/week-in-the-life-of-an-nhl-scout/c-566097
OHL Prospects (2011, April 24). Sunday Top 10—Characteristics/traits that scouts look for. Retrieved from http://ohlprospects.blogspot.com/2011/04/sunday-top-10-characteristicstraits.html
McKeen’s Hockey: https://www.mckeenshockey.com/
Pukalo, M. (2010, May 14). The life: Amateur scout. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/lightning/news/the-life-amateur-scout/c-529145
Pukalo, M. (2010, June 30). The life: Professional scout. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/lightning/news/the-life-professional-scout/c-533334

Week 4 Supp. Rdgs.

National Hockey League. (n.d.). Enhanced statistics. NHL.com Retrieved from http://www.nhl.com/stats/enhanced?navid=nav-sts-adv
Independent Hockey Analytics sites:
Behind the Net: http://www.behindthenet.ca/
Corsica Hockey: http://www.corsica.hockey/
Hockey Reference: http://www.hockey-reference.com/
HockeyViz: http://hockeyviz.com/
Own the Puck HERO Charts: http://ownthepuck.blogspot.ca/
Puckbase: http://puckbase.com/
Sporting Charts – NHL: https://www.sportingcharts.com/nhl/

Week 5 Supp. Rdgs.

Price, S. (2017, July 25). NHL teams’ unwillingness to use offer sheets on restricted free agents remains puzzling. SB Nation. Retrieved from https://www.sbnation.com/2017/7/25/16022254/nhl-free-agency-offer-sheets-arbitration-rfas-2017
Blades, J. (2016, July 1). Offer sheets: How they work, the cost, and restricted free agents who could be targetted. SB Nation. Retrieved from http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2016/7/1/12073238/offer-sheets-nhl-free-agency-frenzy-rules-cba-cost-compensation-draft-picks-rfa-gaudreau-hoffman
B_T. (2015, June 25). NHL offer sheet rules—a refresher. SB Nation. Retrieved from http://www.silversevensens.com/2015/6/25/8773751/nhl-offer-sheet-explained-rules-guide
Lambert, R. (2017, July 31). What we learned: NHL bridge contracts and their many evils. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved from https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-nhl-bridge-contracts-many-evils-134122787.html
Brooks, L. (2016, July 9). How Panthers show aftershocks of NHL’s erased bridge contracts. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2016/07/09/how-panthers-show-aftershocks-of-nhls-erased-bridge-contracts/
HappyCaraT. (2014, September 17). The mutual benefits of bridge contracts. SB Nation. Retrieved from http://www.arcticicehockey.com/2014/9/17/6295669/mutual-benefits-of-bridge-contracts-bogosian-subban-johansen-canadiens-jets
Kimelman, A. (2011, July 5). Why GMs shy away from offer sheets. NHL.com. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/news/why-gms-shy-away-from-offer-sheets/c-568564
Lambert, R. (2013, July 22). What we learned: On the merits and drawbacks of a ‘bridge contract.’ Yahoo Sports. Retrieved from http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/learned-merits-drawbacks-bridge-contract-143219395.html
Lambert, R. (2016, June 30). Huge if true: Boston and giant tease of NHL offer sheets. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved from http://sports.yahoo.com/news/huge-if-true-boston-and-giant-tease-of-nhl-offer-sheets-202756970.html
Larson, D. (2014, July 15). To bridge or not to bridge: Re-signing the youth. Hockey Wilderness. Retrieved from http://www.hockeywilderness.com/2014/7/15/5899675/to-bridge-or-not-to-bridge-re-signing-the-youth
Matsoukas, A. (2014, October 28). NHL contracts after entry-level: Bridge or long-term? Fansided. Retrieved from http://fansided.com/2014/10/28/nhl-contracts-entry-level-bridge-long-term/
Praill, C. (2016, July 13). Why NHL GMs need to say goodbye to the bridge contract. Sportsnet. Retrieved from http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-gms-need-say-goodbye-bridge-contract/

Week 6 Supp. Rdgs.

University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. (n.d.). Hockey arbitration competition of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.law.utoronto.ca/student-life/student-clubs-and-events/sports-and-entertainment-law-society/national-hockey

Week 7 Supp. Rdgs.

Contract information: http://www.spotrac.com/

Week 8 Supp. Rdgs.

There are no supplementary readings this week.