FHF
Summer Meeting Agenda

1)        Orientation
        Welcome and introduction
        Resource binders
        Addition of new items to agenda
2)        State of the league address
3)        Report from Year 1
        Standings
        Awards
        Finances
4)        Report from Year 2
        Standings
        Awards
        Finances
5)        Nominating/filling positions
        Commissioner
        President
        Secretary
        Recorder
        Steering committee
        Roster and Injury Status Officer
        Salary Cap Officer
6)        Reading and clarification of constitution
        Reading of sections
        Approval as official document of FHF
7)        Discussion on rule/constitutional changes
        Reading of items 1-21
        Addition of new items
        Discussion on items 1-21
        Voting or new rules based on items 1-21
8) Set next meeting date



The following are points/questions up for discussion in agenda item #7 and may trigger a vote to implement a new rule or to make rule changes. I have included some thoughts from various GMs around the league as to why they may want or support these changes/ideas.

Scheduling/Dates
1)        Should division leaders be ranked 1 and 2 in the conference when setting up the playoff schedule?
2)        We need to set up a consistent regular season schedule. Eg. # of games vs. own division/conference and other conference. When do we play the divisional games?
3)        We need a set deadline for a roster freeze (trade / signing deadline). I suggest a set date as to a number of weeks before the FHF playoffs are to begin. We have to remember we work in week cycles and this would make for a consistent date from year to year. We should also remember that our playoffs are the final four weeks of the regular NHL season. Trading and signing players are an integral part of the fun of our league, therefore I would suggest a freeze only a couple weeks before our playoffs begin.
Rosters/Scoring Categories
4)        What should we do about the GAA?
5)        Should we try to incorporate more defensive player categories?
6)        Should we drop our active goalies to one instead of two? Some teams have drafted and made deals under the assumption we would be using two goalies and would have an excess at the position if changes were made. It has been suggested the best way to decrease the value of goalies in the FHF would be to add more categories for forwards and defenseman rather then take away goalie categories as then the franchises would still have value in the goalies they have built up on their roster.
7)        Should we increase our prospect list size?
8)         Should there be a limit as to how many players of each position you can have the rights to (roster/injured/prospects)? This way teams couldnt hoard all of the quality goalies for instance away from the rest of the league.
9)        How will the prospect list work in conjunction with the draft? I see this working one of two ways. A) we allow teams to select as many players as they like and then narrow their prospect list down to the prospect list limit before the season begins, or B) teams must make room on their prospect list by signing players to the big club or by releasing them to UFA before the draft begins. Teams will then draft as many spots as they have available on their prospect list.
The problem with A is that we could see first or second round draft picks become UFAs that year if the team who drafted them doesnt see them cracking their own prospect list. This way they will be forced to be signed to a B contract and will play for the FHF franchise right away without being given time to develop on the prospect list.
The problem with B is that you will have teams that feel they have a great amount of prospects already and are scared to release them for fear of drafting a player that might not be as good. This could lead to a high number of teams not participating in the draft or only drafting maybe one player in a given year.
League Fees
10)        Currently league fees are set at $40 per year payable every two years for $80. I recommend increasing the fee to $50 per year. The extra $10 per year or $160 league revenue is to help pay for printing and binder expenses for each teams. At the meeting each team will be supplied with a resource binder. I would also like to purchase a cup for the league champion and a plaque for the season champion. After the cup/plaque/binders are paid for we can go back to $40 or keep the fee at $50. We will decide then.
11)        There is some interest in permanently raising the entry fee to a higher number to make the pool more competitive and to offer a larger prize pool. $75 has been mentioned by GMs. There are also GMs that want to view this pool as more of a fun distraction and will be scared off by a higher entry fee. We should keep in mind that this pool was started as a way to have fun, not make money. The money aspect was only brought in to encourage participation and make sure owners took their job seriously.
Miscellaneous
12)        How many teams make the playoffs. Should all 16 teams be in or should only the top 8 get in? Should we allow fewer teams in and then give the top teams a bye? We could allow 12 teams into the playoffs and then the division winners would get a bye to the second round.
13)        Awards/prizes for other achievements? Should we create an award for most improved team? Should they receive a $ amount?
14)        We need to decide on a criteria as to when a team is considered inactive and will not be allowed back into the FHF when there term is up. How de we decide when to find a new owner?
15)        Should teams be able to bid amounts on players that will put them over the cap or roster limit? Some have suggested that they should have to clear room first before making the bid. Others feel they should be able to bid but must make an action to lower the team salary or clear a roster spot before the player is added.
Expansion
16)        Set up a time frame for expansion. Do we even want to expand? What should we achieve before we should expand. I feel we should have 16 active owners and a set down constitution that is working smoothly and efficiently. We need participation from GMs as FHF administrators active in day to day operation of the league as well as their individual teams before I want to bring in more teams.
17)        How big should our league get? Do we have an ultimate goal as to a desired size of a league? Where does expansion end?
18)         How many franchises should we grant in one year?
19)        We need to set up an expansion draft. How many players is each team allowed to protect? How many prospects can we protect? Should we set a limit on how many players a single team can lose in the expansion draft and/or a limit on number from each position?
20)        Do we need to change rosters sizes/rules based on more teams being in the league?
Summer Meeting
21)        We need to setup an annual date and/or event for this meeting. Next years will be in conjunction with our yearly entry draft. Ideas have ranged from a meeting in a hotel to a cabin at a lake to a yearly houseboat trip in B.C.