Before scouting
Hank Price
Defense · Age 18 · #85
- Current OVR
- 8/10
- Potential OVR
- ? hidden
AttributeCurrent rating
- Speed
- 10
- Balance
- 8
- Strength
- 9
- Accuracy
- 7
- Power
- 6
Drafting and scouting in PixelPuck
Start with the job you need a rookie to do. Check their current ratings, spend a report on a serious candidate, then weigh their potential against the contract and your roster.
01 · Before the pick
Where the draft fits
Your opening draft follows the inherited final game in the story. In later seasons, you draft during the offseason before the next season begins.
Review the roster
Pick a need, such as a quicker defender or a forward with better accuracy. In a normal offseason, review retirements and expiring player and staff contracts before the draft rounds.
Browse and scout
The first round opens with 14 prospects. Use the page arrows to see everyone. Open cards to compare positions, ages, current ratings, and contracts. Spend reports on the players you might choose.
Make one choice
Draft a player or sell the current pick. Other clubs then select players. The next round adds 14 more prospects alongside those still available. A player you pass over may be gone.
Review roster roles and lineups before deciding which position to fill.
02 · Read the report
What scouting reveals
The current draft screen shows exact current ratings before scouting. Select Scout in a prospect’s detail screen to reveal overall potential and the ceiling for each attribute. One report covers one prospect.
Controlled example. These are two captures of the same generated Hank Price. Only his scouting status changes. This website comparison is not connected to your save.
One report used
Hank Price
Defense · Age 18 · #85
- Current OVR
- 8/10
- Potential OVR
- 9/10
AttributeCurrent → potential
- Speed
- 10 to 10
- Balance
- 8 to 8
- Strength
- 9 to 10
- Accuracy
- 7 to 10
- Power
- 6 to 8
Read the attribute ceilings
Hank’s accuracy can grow from 7 to 10. His balance stays at 8, and his speed is already 10. The report uncovers those limits. It does not raise his ratings or guarantee that he reaches 9 OVR.
Player ratings use a 1 to 10 scale. An 8 OVR player has four current stars. A 9 OVR potential is four and a half stars.
Better scouts give you more reports
The allowance covers the whole draft. It does not refill each round. Our one-star scout starts with three reports and has two left after scouting Hank.
Save some reports for later rounds if you want to compare their prospects. You can draft an unscouted player, but you will be choosing without seeing their potential.
The staff screen labels reports “Full Profiles” from three stars. The current draft detail still uses the same current and potential bars. It does not add a separate weakness label.
| Scout quality | Reports per draft |
|---|---|
| 1 star | 3 |
| 2 stars | 4 |
| 3 stars | 5 |
| 4 stars | 6 |
| 5 stars | 7 |
03 · Check the offer
No signing fee still means a cap commitment
A drafted rookie costs no Club Funds to sign. Their yearly contract still counts toward the salary cap, including when they are on the bench.
Initial Club Funds cost
0 coins
Your Club Funds balance does not fall when you make the pick.
Hank’s sample offer
$10.8M per season
A three-season rookie deal. The displayed amount is a yearly cap hit.
Read the term on the detail screen
Three seasons is the preferred rookie term. The current game can offer one or two seasons to spread out your roster’s contract expirations. Check the prospect’s detail screen for the actual term and projected team cap before you select them.
A pick that would push the team farther over the cap is blocked. A pick that fits now can still leave too little space for a later rookie.
04 · Make the choice
Choose speed on defense, give up shooting
In this sample Vancouver roster, both first-line defenders have 4 speed. Hank Price offers 10 speed now. Lars Nurmi is a forward with stronger shooting ratings. Both have 8 current OVR, 9 potential OVR, and the same contract offer.
| What matters | Hank Price | Lars Nurmi |
|---|---|---|
| Role and age | Defense, 18 | Forward, 19 |
| Current OVR | 8 | 8 |
| Potential OVR | 9 | 9 |
| Speed now | 10 | 8 |
| Strength now | 9 | 8 |
| Accuracy now | 7 | 10 |
| Power now | 6 | 8 |
| Yearly cap hit | $10.8M | $10.8M |
| Contract term | 3 seasons | 3 seasons |
See Lars Nurmi’s scouting screen
Prospects are generated. Your names, ratings, contracts, and roster needs can differ. This is one sensible choice for this club, not a best rookie list.
05 · Another option
Sell the current pick for Club Funds
Select Sell Pick and confirm the offer to give up that round’s selection. You receive coins instead of a rookie. Other clubs make their selections and the draft advances.
- Round 1
- 5 coins
- Round 2
- 3 coins
- Round 3
- 1 coin
Selling can make sense when you want the Club Funds or cannot fit another rookie under the cap. It adds no player salary, but it does not increase your cap limit or remove an existing contract.
See the pick sale confirmation
After the draft
Check where the rookies landed and set your lines. Opening draft picks join the bench, so selecting a player is only the first step toward using them.
Checked against the development build on October 29, 2026.
Release and testing
PixelPuck is in development for iPhone. There is no public App Store release date yet. You can email the developer about future testing opportunities. Android is planned, with no release date announced.
Email about testingOpens your email app.