Buy enough food and drinks for everyone. Don't be cheap by getting only one family bag of chips in a flavour that only you like. You may want to share the cost of the food and drink with everyone but tell them in advance how much they are expected to chip in and what they'll be getting. If you order-in after the draft has commenced it can be a distraction. Make sure you have plates, cups, napkins and the necessary cutlery too.

Have someone be the person who keeps the draft moving along. Usually it is the person (commissioner) who is organizing the draft but you may have someone else not participating enforce the draft rules just to ensure that everything is fair. They can also determine the draft order, the method of which should be listed in the rules. They should also collect any prize fees too.

Have that same person record all the selections. Too often I see owners only record their own picks. Someone should have a complete master list. Again, if it is done on-line then this and the last point are not a problem.

At the conclusion of the draft thank everyone, wish them good luck and follow up by giving them the complete list of picks as soon as possible. If you are going to enter the teams on a website tell them when it has been done too.

Then go to the after draft party and reminisce about what players you missed out on and laugh about the players that were taken too early.

This is only a suggested checklist. Each league will have their nuances but the key reason for having a checklist is to make sure that your draft runs smoothly. This makes you reliable and credible and people will want to participate in your league in subsequent years.

Baseball season is wrapping up, football season has started, NHL training camps are coming soon, school is underway, people are finishing off any remaining summer vacation time and their work loads are going to start to ramp up again. People enter multiple fantasy leagues these days so you can't expect people to come to yours if you contact them at the last minute.

Be prepared and ahead of the game because you don't want to be left scrambling for left overs.

P.S. Don't forget to enter my free Top 50 challenge. More than ten people have already entered with many others holding back for training camp reports.

P.S.S If you need some help Dobber's 2014-15 Fantasy Hockey Guide is available and up to date.