What is GM Mode?
GM Mode is a hockey management game built into Yetii Pool. In a hockey pool, you draft players and count their points. Here, you run a whole organization, like a real general manager: lineup, contracts, salary cap, the owner's budget… and your games are actually simulated, against your friends' teams.
It's free, ad-free, with no real money and no currency to buy. You play on the web, on your computer or your phone, and in the Android app, with the same account as your pools.
How it works, in 5 steps
- Create or join a league. A private league for your crew (friends join with a code or an invite link) or a public league, with 18 to 32 teams.
- Take your team. Start with the real NHL rosters, or start from scratch with a city draft followed by a dispersal draft. Teams without a human GM are run by robot GMs.
- Build your club. Trades, free agents, waivers, the farm team and contracts, under the salary cap and within your owner's budget.
- Get ready for game night. Lines, special teams, strategies, practice and game plan: your choices really change the result.
- Watch your games live. Every night at 8 p.m. (Eastern, by default), one night of the schedule is played and broadcast in 3D. At the end of the season: the playoffs, the Cup and the awards.
Ready to take the GM's chair?
Create your league in a few minutes, pick your rules and invite your friends with a code.
Your simulated games, live in 3D
This is what makes GM Mode different: your games aren't just a box score. The simulation engine plays every game possession by possession (faceoffs, passes, shots, hits, penalties…), calibrated on NHL averages, then broadcasts it live, in 3D, right in your browser. Think of it as an NHL GM simulator you can actually watch.
- A real game night: everyone sees the same moment, nobody can skip ahead, and the result only becomes official at the final buzzer.
- Just like on TV: scoreboard, clock, commentary in English or French, the city's goal horn and several camera angles.
- Your strategies on screen: players line up according to your forecheck, each line's system and your special teams.
- Alerts and highlights: an alert when a goal is scored in your game, then every goal replayed in 3D or the full game fast-forwarded.
No 3D on your device? The rink switches to a 2D view automatically. At the normal live speed, a game takes about 35 minutes.
Real NHL players, rated on 14 attributes
More than 1,000 NHL players get ratings out of 100, recalculated every morning from their real stats and NHL EDGE tracking data (top speed, shot power, time spent in each zone). Skaters have 14 attributes, from speed and hockey sense to shooting, passing, faceoffs and defensive play; goalies are rated on reflexes, positioning and rebound control, among others. The real prospects from all 32 organizations are waiting for the draft. To see who dominates in real life, check out the top 200 players.
Behind the bench: lines, strategies and game plan
- Lineup: 4 forward lines, 3 defence pairs, your goalies, two power-play and penalty-kill units, 3-on-3 overtime, your shootout shooters and your captain.
- Strategies: a cautious (1-3-1 trap), normal or aggressive forecheck, an offensive and defensive system for each line, when to pull your goalie.
- Practice: 120 minutes to split up; a strategy you don't practise only gives half its effect.
- Game plan: send your checking line against the other team's top line; at home, you get the last change.
A strategy guide with animated 3D diagrams explains every option. Short on time? The automatic lineup replaces an injured or missing player with the best one available.
The GM's office: owner, budget and ticketing
Your club is also a business. Based on your city (population, hockey popularity, economy, arena), your owner gives you a payroll budget and objectives, then grades you on hockey and on finances. Disappoint your owner too often and the mood goes from “thrilled” to “furious”. You set ticket prices (5 levels: cheaper seats fill the arena and give your team a little boost at home) and split your investments: medical staff, training room, travel, player development and negotiations.
The market: trades, free agents and contracts
- Trades: players, prospects and draft picks up to 5 years ahead, with counter-offers. Robot GMs answer right away; depending on the rules, a committee of GMs approves trades between humans.
- Free-agent auctions: timed and transparent; salary, contract length and your city's appeal all count.
- Waivers, the farm team and contracts: one-way, two-way or entry-level, off-season buyouts and extensions.
Safeguards keep things fair between friends: lopsided trades between humans always go to the committee or the league president.
Drafts: cities, dispersal and real prospects
A league that starts from scratch begins with a city draft, then a snake dispersal draft of every NHL player. Each following season, the entry draft features the real prospects, in reverse order of the standings. Pick clock, lists, auto-pick: if you've drafted a pool before, you'll feel right at home, and most of our draft tips still apply.
A full season: playoffs, awards and progression
The season is 82, 41 or 20 games. After the trade deadline, it's playoff time all the way to the Cup. GMs vote for the Hart, the Vezina, the Norris, the Calder, the Jack Adams and GM of the year; the Conn Smythe, the Art Ross and the Maurice Richard are handed out too. Then contracts expire, veterans retire, young players improve… and a new season begins. Your league can go on for years.
A virtual hockey league with friends… or a public one
The league president picks the rules (28 settings or a preset: Classic, Among friends, Fast or Realistic), the pace (1 to 4 nights a day) and invites friends with a code. The other teams are run by robot GMs that trade, bid and draft: your league is full even if there are only four of you.
- Private league: invisible to everyone else; you can only join with the code.
- Public league: anyone can join while teams are left, to take on other GMs.
- League life: a journal with a recap of every night, a GM profile with your badges and a worldwide GM ranking.
On your phone: the Android app
All of GM Mode is in the Yetii Pool Android app (in beta), 3D games included. Notifications tell you when a game starts, when a goal is scored, when you get a trade offer or when it's your turn to pick. On iPhone, the site works right in the browser.
Hockey pool or GM Mode?
| Hockey pool | GM Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| You manage | A team of drafted players | The whole organization |
| Points come from | Real NHL games | Simulated games in your league |
| The games | Live NHL stats | Broadcast live in 3D |
| Price | Free | Free |
No need to choose: it's the same account. To start a pool with your crew, follow our guide on how to run a hockey pool.
The GM's chair is open
Free, ad-free, no real money. Create your league, invite your friends and watch your games live in 3D.
Frequently asked questions
Is GM Mode really free?
Yes. GM Mode is free and ad-free, and the platform never handles money: no bets, no payments, no virtual currency to buy. All you need is a free Yetii Pool account, the same one you use for pools.
What is a hockey GM game?
A management game where you play the general manager of a team: you build the lineup, make trades, sign contracts under the salary cap and manage the budget. Games are simulated from the players' ratings and your strategies.
Can I play against my friends?
Yes. Create a private league with 18 to 32 teams and invite your friends with the invite code or link. Teams without a human GM are run by robot GMs, so the league works even if there are only a few of you.
Are these the real NHL players?
Yes. More than 1,000 NHL players are rated on 14 attributes from their real stats and NHL EDGE data, updated every morning. The real prospects from all 32 organizations are also available in the entry draft.
What time are the games?
By default, one night of the schedule is played every day at 8 p.m. Eastern and broadcast live in 3D (about 35 minutes per game). The league president can change the time and play up to 4 nights a day.
How much time does it take?
As much as you want. A few minutes a day is enough: the automatic lineup replaces injured and missing players. Hardcore GMs can spend hours on lines, strategies, the market and the budget.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes, on the site, designed for phones first, and in the Android app in beta, with notifications. On iPhone, everything works in the browser. On devices without 3D, games switch to a 2D view.
How is it different from a hockey pool?
In a pool, your points come from real NHL games. In GM Mode, you run a whole organization and your games are simulated against the other teams in your league. Both are free, with the same account.