IceHL Relocation: City Selection, Round 2

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We're deciding on a location for the new IceHL West team that will replace the Philadelphia Aces, who move to the IceHL East where they belong. We began with 16 cities and after the first round of polls, we're down to eight.

Results: Round 1

Despite a Twitter campaign to bring a third country into the IceHL, Mexico City was defeated in the first round by an equally unusual place to put a hockey team — Hawaii. And in a tight race between Las Vegas and San Francisco, there's still a chance California could get a second IceHL team.

Results are hidden until polls close. This round ends Thursday night. Happy voting!

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Were you surprised by any of the results in the last round? What cities are you voting for in this one?

First Look: 2014 Relocation & Realignment

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On Monday, I announced the plan for the upcoming realignment of the IceHL and subsequent relocation of an IceHL EAST franchise. Since we have a couple of weeks before that project begins, I wanted to lay out some more details and open it all up to feedback from the community at large.

Brackets

With the Icethetics tournaments back in full swing this summer, I thought it would make sense to use the bracket format for some of our IceHL votes. In fact, I have four in mind!

City Bracket
To make things simple, we'll start with 16 cities which will give us four rounds of polls to determine an ultimate winner. Scroll down past this section on brackets to to see the 16 cities I currently have in mind.

Naming Bracket
When it comes time to pick a team name, we'll have 8 to choose from. You'll all be free to suggest names over a period of several days. And one of the cool new features of the Icethetics comments section will help determine which of those will be the 8 that go to the bracket.

If you hover over a comment on any post, you'll see some icons pop up in the corner, one of which is a like button. The name suggestions with the most likes (assuming they're appropriate) will be included in the bracket.

Logo Bracket
Just as with previous IceHL projects, all appropriate logo submissions will be included in the voting. But this time, we'll do it bracket-style. I'm allotting two weeks to get through them but the number of rounds will be determined by how many logos are submitted.

Jersey Bracket
Jerseys will work the same way as the logos. All appropriate submissions will be included in the bracket. Seeding for these brackets is still up in the air. I haven't yet decided how that will work, but if all else fails, seeds will be assigned randomly.

16 Cities

The plan for the City Bracket is by no means final, but I wanted to give everyone a look at what I'm thinking so you can suggest changes before voting begins next month.

Tentatively, the bracket will include these first-round pairings:

  • Albuquerque NM vs Phoenix AZ
  • Whitehorse YT (Canada) vs Billings MT
  • Honolulu HI vs Mexico City DF (Mexico)
  • Boise ID vs Cheyenne WY
  • Des Moines IA vs Omaha NE
  • Oklahoma City OK vs Wichita KS
  • Las Vegas NV vs San Francisco CA
  • Sioux Falls SD vs Fargo ND

As you can see, I've tried to pair cities based on geography. Again, I have not yet determined seeding, but I do think these pairings would make for good opening match-ups.

The idea behind these 16 was to look at states, provinces and major metropolitan areas that don't already have IceHL teams.

Timeline

I anticipate getting this project off the ground almost immediately after the season ends on April 13. The league champions will be announced April 14 as will the IceHL EAST team that's moving west. On April 15, I hope to launch the first city polls. The process will conclude in mid to late July with the full branding of the new team complete.

It may seem like a lot for one team — especially given how many we did last summer. But bear in mind that at the same time we'll be launching the third league, IceHL World. That'll include all of the same processes from choosing cities to names, logos and jerseys. We'll stay plenty busy this summer.

Once we get things underway for the IceHL WEST relocation, I'll announce the plans for the IceHL World. I will reiterate that we'll be starting the league with 8 teams. Stay tuned for more.

If you have any suggestions, leave a comment or send me an email.

FAQ: Aces moving to IceHL EAST in 2014-15 season

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The 2014 IceHL Playoffs officially begin tonight! With that, I have an official announcement to make regarding changes to the league for the 2014-15 season.

Background

The Philadelphia Aces were in the IceHL WEST this season despite the fact that their geography should have them in the IceHL EAST. This move will happen prior to the start of the 2014-15 season.

Prior to being relocated by a vote of Icethetics readers last summer, the franchise was known as the Regina Renegades, based in Saskatchewan. To avoid upsetting the balance of the two leagues and any inconvenience to the sitting GMs, I decided to put off realignment to 2014-15.

I also wanted the community to be able to use the extra time to come up with the best way of handling the realignment situation. After hearing from many GMs, a decision has been reached.

Which EAST team will move?

When the Aces move east, an IceHL EAST team will be required to move west to keep the leagues balanced at 16 teams each. That team will not be selected arbitrarily and will not be completely out of the hands of the GMs.

The IceHL EAST team that finishes last in the overall standings (at the conclusion of the Consolation Ladder) will be automatically relocated to the IceHL WEST and rebranded by the Icethetics community. Teams that qualified for the playoffs will NOT be eligible.

Also ineligible for relocation is any team that has won an IceHL championship. The idea is to build a history around teams that have made their mark on the league. The North Carolina Nighthawks won it all in 2012 but did not qualify for the 2014 IceHL EAST Playoffs.

However, due to the nature of the 3-week Consolation Ladder, the No. 9 and No. 10 teams cannot move down far enough to finish in last place.

As such, only the following teams have the potential for relocation:

  • Hartford Mariners
  • Chicago Hitmen
  • Halifax Dragons
  • Hamilton Steelcats
  • Quebec Armada
  • Tampa Bay Barracudas

Again, the final result of the Consolation Ladder will determine which team moves. That announcement will be officially made on Mon., April 14.

Where will the team move?

Voters will choose the team's new location from a predetermined list of cities in western North America. Only cities west of Minneapolis (the westernmost EAST team) will be considered. We'll start with about a dozen and narrow them down through a series of polls.

The following cities, in no particular order, are eligible to take the relocated team:

  • San Francisco, California
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Omaha, Nebraska
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Cheyenne, Wyoming
  • Boise, Idaho
  • Billings, Montana
  • Kansas City, Missouri
  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • Bismarck, North Dakota
  • Whitehorse, Yukon
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • Albuquerque, New Mexico

This list is NOT exhaustive. If there are other cities you think should be included in the voting, please let me know by email, Twitter (@theIceHL), or by leaving a comment below.

What happens to the fantasy league?

The swapping of two teams between the IceHL EAST and WEST will create a problem for the two GMs involved. Since Aces GM Dan Roesch is the only one without the ability to alter his team's fate, he will get to decide how to proceed. There are three scenarios.

Scenario A

In Scenario A, as the Aces move east, Dan may choose to follow the franchise and move to the IceHL EAST along with it. His roster would not be able to follow because the players he owns in the WEST may be owned by other GMs in the EAST.

Instead, Dan would gain the roster of the franchise that moves west — or any available roster of his choosing should any IceHL EAST GMs resign by this point. He'll have first choice above any other GMs wishing to change teams.

In this case, the GM of the displaced IceHL EAST team would also be displaced — but by no means removed from the league against his will. Should the GM in question choose to remain in the IceHL, he would have his choice of any other available team, including the one Dan vacated in the IceHL WEST.

Scenario B

In Scenario B, Dan may choose to retain his roster and stay in the IceHL WEST. His team would then gain the new locale and branding selected by the Icethetics community this summer.

This is the simplest solution as it would not displace the GM of the last-place IceHL EAST team. Instead, that GM would simply become the GM of the Aces, remaining in the IceHL EAST. No GM would lose his roster — specifically Keepers.

Scenario C

In Scenario C, Dan may absolve himself of the Aces franchise entirely by resigning or by choosing to move to any team made available by a GM resignation. (As commissioner, I am aware of at least two teams that will become available this summer. They will be named after the playoffs end.)

If Dan chooses this scenario, the GM of the last-place IceHL EAST team will then decide what to do next. His choices will be A) following his franchise to the WEST and taking on the Aces roster; B) retaining his roster and remaining in the EAST as the new Aces GM; or C)  resigning or choosing to take over any team that has become available through GM resignation.

If both Dan and the displaced East GM choose Scenario C, existing IceHL GMs will have the option of taking over the Aces or the displaced team. These GMs must notify me of their wishes by a set deadline, at which point a lottery will be held.

If no GMs are interested in taking over either team, they will become available to new GMs joining later this summer. Details will be announced in September.

When will all this take place?

The playoffs wrap up on April 13, at which point champions will be crowned in both leagues. Within a week or so, I hope to hear back from all 32 GMs on whether they plan to leave or return for another season. But circumstances may change over the course of the summer meaning some decisions may change as the new season gets closer.

Once it's known which teams are becoming available through GM resignation, Dan may make his decision. However, his deadline to decide will be Sept. 1, 2014 — allowing him to wait and see if any other GMs resign, making new teams available prior to the start of the season.

In other words, this could be decided immediately after the season ends, or almost five months later before the new season begins. We'll find out as we go. Follow @IceHLAces on Twitter to hear from Dan directly.

If you have any other questions, please ask in the comments. I may add the answers to this post if necessary.

Halifax, Philadelphia to Join IceHL

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Well this is only a week late.

Last Friday, our city polls came to an end. The two teams being relocated got new homes and voters made some decisions about what to call the teams that are being rebranded.

New cities to be welcomed in 2013-14

That's where two IceHL teams are being moved to this fall. Halifax, Nova Scotia was the most popular locale as it won both polls. But of course only one team can go there. With 39% of the vote, it'll be the Atlanta Arsenal moving north. 

Coming in at a close second, Philadelphia, Penn. will be the new home of the Regina Renegades. The move puts the team squarely on the eastern side of the map, which means they'll probably have to come out of the IceHL WEST fantasy league. More on that in a moment.

Sharpshooters become Saskatchewan's team

For the most part, our teams marked for rebranding will be keeping the city name they've had for five years. Almost all but the Saskatoon Sharpshooters. With the relocation of the Regina club, the Sharpshooters will be renamed for the province of Saskatchewan. Whether the Sharpshooters name sticks around still remains to be seen.

Voters were also split over whether to rename the Dallas franchise for the state of Texas. So during name voting, both options are available.

League realignment still to be determined

Now to this. Realignment will be a hot topic this summer. With the Renegades moving east, it would be silly to keep them in the IceHL WEST. But moving teams isn't as easy as it sounds now that we have a committed group of awesome GMs managing each team.

It would be most obvious to move the Minnesota Mammoths — clearly the westernmost team in the IceHL EAST. But this is a team coming off a championship season, expecting to pick first overall in the next draft. If they moved to the WEST, that league would have two championship teams — and only one team can pick first overall.

So let's take a look at the map. The St. Louis Archers are the second westernmost team. They could move. But GM Ryan Laden has been doing a masterful job assembling a roster full of talent. Should his team move to the WEST, he faces a Keeper problem. Every year, IceHL GMs get to carry four players over to the next season. Certainly there would be overlap with existing IceHL WEST clubs.

This keeper overlap will be a problem no matter which teams move. That is, however, unless the GMs stay in their respective leagues. For example, if Philadelphia and Minnesota switch fantasy leagues, the GMs could switch teams as well meaning rosters wouldn't be an issue. The Mammoths' keepers would transfer to Philadelphia while the Renegades' keepers would transfer to Minnesota. But I doubt Minnesota's champion GM Matt Riegler will be eager to give up his Mammoth identity easily.

I've been coming up with ways of dealing with this realignment problem and how to compensate teams that end up losing out. But it's a tough call, I have to tell you. There don't seem to be any easy solutions.

How do we deal with realignment?

I know the GMs are all very nervous about what happens next. Given the keeper implications, all GMs have the potential to be impacted by this. So before I make any decisions, I'd like to get some feedback from the community here.

Bearing in mind the impact on the GMs, how do you guys think we should handle this? Do we make it simple and let Philadelphia play in the IceHL WEST for a season (a la Winnipeg in the NHL's Southeast Division) leaving the tough calls for a later date? Or do we just rip off the Band-aid and get it over with? And if so, how?

For now I leave you with this.

Hope my photo edits make IceHL relocation feel a little more real.