Every Result Matters: New Standings Points System for 2026-27

Published on July 22, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) News Release

BINGHAMTON, NY - As the next step in our 2026-27 season rollout, we are introducing a new standings points system designed to keep more teams within reach of the postseason race for a longer portion of the regular season. Beginning this season, we are moving from our previous three-point win structure to a clear 2-1-0 system:

Two points for any win

One point for an overtime or shootout loss

Zero points for a regulation loss The new format aligns our basic standings points model with the system used by the National Hockey League, where a win is worth two points, a regulation loss is worth zero and an overtime or shootout loss is worth one.

But familiarity is only one reason for the change. Our larger objective is to create tighter standings, more competitive division races and more meaningful games deeper into the season. We do not want teams, players or fans reaching the end of December and feeling that the season has already slipped out of reach. By keeping the reward for winning clear while reducing how quickly large points gaps can develop, we believe more clubs will remain within striking distance longer - and more markets will have meaningful hockey to follow throughout the season. The change does not erase the separation that the strongest teams earn on the ice... it simply gives a team playing well a more realistic opportunity to gain ground and keeps the next weekend relevant.

What Changes - and What Does Not

Under our previous points model, teams could create separation in the standings more quickly because of the greater number of points awarded for wins.

Under the new system, a win remains the most valuable result and is the only result worth two standings points. A team that loses in regulation receives nothing, while a team that remains tied through regulation and loses in overtime or a shootout receives one point.

The system therefore continues to reward winning while slowing the rate at which teams can become separated from the rest of the field.

It is important to be precise about what 2-1-0 means. It describes what an individual team earns from its result:

When a game is decided in overtime or a shootout, three total standings points are distributed between the teams - two to the winner and one to the losing team. The new system should therefore be described as 2-1-0, rather than as a guarantee that only two total points are available in every game.

We Tested the Change Against Last Season

Before approving the new system, we reviewed the results from last season and recalculated the standings using the 2-1-0 model.

That analysis produced two important findings.

First, the distance between teams at the top and bottom of the standings became significantly smaller. The race was compressed, and more teams remained visibly within reach of the clubs ahead of them.

Second, the final order of the standings did not change.

That was important to us. The new system tightened the race without rewriting the competitive outcome or changing which teams had earned their final positions based on the games already played.

In other words, the change would have made last season's standings closer - but it would not have artificially rearranged them.

A Standings Model Can Change How a Season Feels

Recalculating completed games can show us how the numbers change, but it cannot fully recreate how players and teams would have responded if they had been competing under the new system in real time.

Standings affect the psychology of a season.

When a team can see that the next position is still within reach, it can change the energy surrounding an upcoming weekend. Players may approach a close game with greater confidence and urgency. Teams may see a clearer opportunity to gain ground. Fans have more reason to remain invested because the next result still has visible consequences.

A team that feels close to the race may respond differently than one looking at a large and increasingly difficult points deficit to overcome.

We cannot promise that every close game will turn out differently. However, we do believe that keeping the standings more compressed will create more opportunities for consequential games, stronger late-season comebacks and greater belief that the next weekend can still make a difference.

Designed to Keep More Teams in the Hunt

Our goal is not to manufacture parity or diminish the value of a successful season... Teams still have to win.

A club that consistently earns victories will still rise to the top of its division. A club that loses in regulation will receive no standings points. The new system simply reduces the speed at which large points gaps can accumulate and makes it more realistic for teams to gain ground through a strong stretch of hockey.

That benefits everyone involved:

For teams, it creates more meaningful competitive opportunities and keeps more games connected to the postseason race.

For players, it provides a clear and familiar system in which every win earns the same two points and reaching overtime preserves the opportunity to earn something from the game.

For fans, it creates tighter standings, more scoreboard watching and more reasons to remain invested as the season progresses.

For the league, it establishes a straightforward system that is easier to understand, communicate and follow from one market to another. Part of One Connected Competitive Platform We did not consider the standings system as an isolated change.

It was reviewed alongside our new conference and division alignment, the regular-season schedule and the post-season qualification structure. Our objective was to build one connected competitive platform in which the divisions create clear races, the points system helps keep those races meaningful and the schedule gives every team an opportunity to build its season.

The new 2-1-0 system will apply equally to every approved regular-season game, whether that game is played within a division, between divisions or across conferences. The approved rollout plan establishes that every regular-season game counts equally under the same points system.

What Comes Next Our 2026-27 season rollout continues tomorrow.

Thursday, July 23: We will explain how teams qualify for the postseason and how our four new divisions will shape the playoff race.

Friday, July 24: We will release the complete 2026-27 regular-season schedule. We encourage fans to follow @TheFPHL and the official social channels of all 17 teams throughout the week. We're excited to see your social posts:

Do you think the new 2-1-0 system will make the division races more exciting?

Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from July 22, 2026

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.