Goalies are very important in most fantasy hockey formats, and you don’t have much room for error when drafting. There will be goalies to stream and others who come out of nowhere, but the best strategy is to grab who you think will carry you through the season at the start of the season.
There are the elite goalies on top teams who will be drafted high, but if you want to wait to fill out your goalie position, here are five goalie sleepers you should keep a close eye on.
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2025-26 Fantasy Hockey: 5 Sleeper Goalies
Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens turned a corner and became playoff contenders last season. There is no indication that the team is going to take a step back either, after a couple of good offseason acquisitions in Noah Dobson and Zack Bolduc. They may not quite be ready to compete for the Stanley Cup, but they will win more than they lose, and their young team is growing and getting better in front of starter Sam Montembeault.
He started 60 games last season and recorded 31 wins to go along with a 2.82 GAA, .902 SV%, 4 shutouts, and a very good 24.59 goals saved above expected. It’s tough to believe that GSAx will be as high again, but good goalies tend to stop more pucks than normal. Montembeault may play a few less games, but still be as good, and you can get him later.
Joey Daccord, Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken had a strong offseason, bringing in Mason Marchment, Frederick Gaudreau, and Ryan Lindgren, but are also expecting bigger things and a good amount of progression by their younger players like Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, and Ryker Evans. With all of that, they may still be on the outside of the playoff picture when the season is at an end, but Joey Daccord won’t be the reason.
Daccord really broke out last season and helped carry the Kraken to a more competitive season. He is the absolute starter again, as I believe Philipp Grubauer should have been bought out this offseason. Daccord recorded 27 wins in 55 starts and posted a 2.75 GAA, .906 SV%, two shutouts, and 19.05 GSAx. He also had 34 quality starts (61.8%), which is considered very good. The Kraken will be better, and Daccord will only benefit from it.
Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are also much improved, arguably the most in the NHL, with a mix of their young talent, veterans, and depth. Lukas Dostal broke out last season and took over the starter role in Anaheim, only to see John Gibson be dealt to the Detroit Red Wings and solidify the starter net for himself, even with Petr Mrazek now with the team.
All of the young defenders now have an extra year under their belts, and some solid two-way veterans will help keep more pucks out of the net. Dostal had 23 wins in 49 starts last season with a 3.10 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 shutout, and a GSAx of 14.35. With everything that has gone right this offseason and with the growth of the team, Dostal is set for some strong 2025-26 numbers for the Ducks.
Karel Vejmelka, Utah Mammoth
I mentioned Anaheim arguably being the most improved, but the Utah Mammoth are my other pick. For everyone on the team, that is a positive, especially Karel Vejmelka. The team will win more, could make the playoffs this season, and Vejmelka still doesn’t have solid help behind him, so the net is his.
Vejmelka will play 55 games or so again, but he won’t start in 20+ this time around unless there are injuries late in the season when it’s win-now mode. He finished last season with 26 wins, a 2.58 GAA, .904 SV%, 1 shutout, and 14.18 GSAx. Another expectation is a healthier defense with John Marino and Sean Durzi playing more than 35 games each this season. He is definitely one of the hidden gems later in the goalie list to draft.
Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
Someone is going to get wins for the Edmonton Oilers, and they will win games. The difference in Edmonton is that the long-time goalie coach has been replaced, and Stuart Skinner has come back to camp 15 lbs lighter after this summer. There is pressure on him to be the number one, and he will be, but there is a lot of weight on his shoulders in net.
Skinner will move better this season and have different opinions and suggestions coming at him than in years prior. Even with his struggles, there have been stretches where he is elite. He is ranked pretty low on the goalie draft rankings, and with wins, a better GAA and SV%, and a high-ranked team defense in front of him, a lot of good things are lining up. He isn’t a risk to draft at how low he is, either.
Make sure you check out our 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey Consensus Goalie Rankings
Whether you want to try to grab multiple of these options or just one a bit later, the sleeper picks from last year hit and should help you be at the top of the standings at year end again.
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