Beginner Fantasy Hockey Draft Strategy

This article will discuss beginner fantasy hockey draft strategy.

If you want to win, there’s more to it than sitting down and selecting random players.

Well, you’re here. You’re reading this – Congratulations, you’ve joined a fantasy hockey pool.

Now the fun begins. With your fantasy hockey draft approaching, excitement is in the air—but it can also feel overwhelming. Today, we’ll break down the fantasy draft process and simplify it.

We’ll explore draft strategy tailored for one-year fantasy hockey leagues, focusing on head-to-head formats, as rotisserie and cumulative points leagues have declined in popularity in recent years.

Fantasy Hockey Strategy for Beginners

Know Your League’s Scoring System

Understanding your league’s scoring system is crucial. The inclusion or exclusion of certain categories can significantly impact player rankings.

Points Only

This is the simplest type of fantasy hockey pool. Just draft the players most likely to score the most points. While it seems straightforward, many teams still falter during the draft. Standard scoring systems usually award one point for a goal and one point for an assist, with no bonus for power-play points. Goalies typically score three points for a win (sometimes two) and one point for a shutout.

In points-only pools, players like Mitch Marner, RW, Vegas Golden Knights, become more valuable.

Multi-category (Multi-cat)

In my opinion, multi-cat leagues are the most enjoyable. Players who are irrelevant in points-only leagues can become weekly matchup winners in multi-category formats. Standard categories for skaters often include goals, assists, power-play points, shots, hits, and blocks. Many fantasy hockey pools have moved away from penalty minutes, which used to heavily influence draft positions. The more peripheral categories your pool includes, the lower the value of pure scorers like Marner and Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets.

Pay attention to the number of goalie categories in your league. Most standard pools have three or four categories: wins, goals-against average, save percentage, and usually shutouts. Saves and occasionally losses are used as additional categories. The more goalie categories your pool uses, the more value goalies have.

Let’s consider a sample league setup with all the skater categories mentioned above (goals, assists, power-play points, shots, hits, blocks, and penalty minutes). That’s seven skater categories.

For this example, we’ll use three goalie categories: wins, goals-against average, and save percentage. This gives us 10 categories in total, with 30% of them being goalie-specific.

Compare this to a league that also includes shutouts and saves. Now, goalies account for five of 12 categories, or 42%. Most leagues start 9-12 forwards and 4-6 defensemen, with only two goalies.

If two starters control 42% of the categories, goalies matter more, and you’ll need to draft them earlier.

Similarly, the more ‘banger’ categories (like hits and blocks), the earlier players like  Brady Tkachuk and Tom Wilson should be drafted.

Fantasy Hockey Draft Strategy

Unicorns

Certain players require significant draft adjustments in multi-cat pools. If your pool counts both hits and penalty minutes, further adjustments are needed.

For example, without hits and penalty minutes, B. Tkachuk is an early-mid-round pick. With these categories included, he’s a fringe first-rounder. Understand that players like this are unicorns. Tom Wilson is another one. Give these players priority

Tkachuk is a rare breed who can provide 80 points, 300 shots, 300 hits, and 100 penalty minutes. This used to be Alexander Ovechkin’s, LW, Washington Capitals, bread and butter, but age has impacted his stats.

In the early rounds, when drafting forwards, focus on offensive categories. Only 15 forwards produced 90 points last year, whereas 23 players had 200 or more hits.

The First Round

I have a few simple rules for the first round:

Don’t Get Fancy.

Don’t Reach for Your Favorite Player.

Don’t Draft a Defenseman. Unless your pool tracks extra categories for defensemen, even someone like Cale Makar should be a second- or third-round pick.

Don’t reach for youth in a One-Year Pool. Be realistic.

Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks, is your exception. He’s young, but already has a 100-point season under his belt.

For example, if you’re drafting fourth and can choose between David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins, Nikita Kucherov, C, Tampa Bay Lightning, or Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers, do you really draft Connor Bedard, Chicago Black Hawks?

You won’t win your league in the first round, but you can absolutely lose it.

Early-Round Strategy (Rounds 1-3)

Expect one or two goalies to be drafted in the first round. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning, is the only one I’d consider in the first round. The importance of goalie categories in your league will dictate how early goalies should be drafted (and thus, more goalies may enter the conversation for first-round options).

Strategy 1: Draft a Forward, a Defenseman, and a Goalie.

Strategy 2: Build from the Net Out. Draft two goalies and a top defenseman.

Strategy 3: Load Up on Offence. Draft three forwards.

I use the third strategy. While this approach often means missing out on defensemen like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks, or Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers, I still land players like Adam Fox, New York Rangers, or Moritz Seider in the fourth or fifth round. Everything is okay.

Mid-Round Strategy (Rounds 4-9)

This is also not the time to take big risks—let other owners reach.

Strategy 1: Draft to lock down starting goalies.

Strategy 2: Draft Second- or Third-Tier Goalies Before the Goalie Run.

Strategy 3: Draft a Top Defenseman and a Second-Tier Goalie on a Strong Team. Otherwise, focus on forwards.

If you’re in a draft with me, you’ll likely see me using strategy three. After eight rounds, I usually have six forwards, one defenseman, and one goalie, unless a player unexpectedly falls or the categories heavily favor defensemen or goalies.

Elite forward production wins me pools. I always find strong multi-cat defensemen late in drafts, and goalies are voodoo.

I need my defensemen to hit and block. Under-the-radar options like Sean Durzi, New York Rangers, and players that fill the peripheral categories are always available late in drafts. I’m confident in my ability to find quality options late.

The Late Mid-Rounds (Rounds 10-15)

Start rounding out your roster. By this point, you’ve probably noticed you’ve neglected a position like right-wing or defence. You’ll need to spend a pick or two, in a row, targeting these positions.

This is where I will target a player like Mackenzie Weegar, D, Utah Mammoth. He’s a multi-cat wizard; even a bad season nets him 30-plus points, 60 penalty minutes, 150 shots, 150 hits, 150 blocks.

My main strategy in these rounds is to let the draft come to me. I don’t reach.

Look for the fallers. For example, Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins, might slip. Or, look for players injured last season that teams may have forgotten, like Troy Terry, Anaheim Ducks.

The Final Rounds (Rounds 16+)

If you need to swing for the fences, this is the time. The last round, or the last couple of rounds, is where you can take those risks.

I’ve become a strong believer in drafting veterans with safe floors versus taking fliers on rookies or sophomores. Players like Nazem Kadri, C, Colorado Avalanche, and Morgan Rielly, D, Toronto Maple Leafs, are likely available at this stage.

These players offer a much safer floor than unknowns.

Fantasy Hockey Draft Tips

Limit Category-Deficient Players

If Mitch Marner or Kyle Connor are available, it’s hard to pass on them. High-end point producers are a must-own, even if they leave your hits and penalty minute categories lacking. It’s easier to win with a Marner or an Artemi Panarin on your roster.

However, don’t completely ignore peripheral categories. It’s frustrating to give up a category every week. Once you get into the middle rounds, aim for balanced players.

Defensemen Must Block

You won’t get blocks from forwards, so if your defensemen don’t block, you’re essentially forfeiting this category all season.

This is why I’m willing to pass on Makar and Hughes—they offer limited peripheral stats. I prefer players like Seider and Darnell Nurse, D, San Jose Sharks, and others of that ilk.

Ideally, your defence will produce 40-plus points, 150-plus hits, shots, and blocks. It’s a tall order, but essential to target this level of production.

Avoid, or at Least Limit, Rookies and Sophomores

In a one-year league, young players can be alluring, but they don’t produce like veterans. If you want to take a flyer in the late rounds, take an aging star. At least you can predict their production with confidence.

Only Draft Stud Goalies in Early Rounds

It is getting harder and harder to draft a goalie in the early rounds. More teams are moving to a time-share, and more of the top goalies seem to be on average or bad teams these days.

There are three goalies I would consider in the first two rounds this year: Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars, Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s it.

That said, I do try to draft one goalie from my top two tiers. I like having a goalie I can anchor my team with.

After that, goalies are complete voodoo. It is the most volatile position in the game. Why reach?

When drafting a goalie tandem, ensure they’re from a team that consistently wins games. For example, the Colorado Avalanche are running an elite tandem in Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood. If you only have one of them, at best you get 45 to 50 starts.

Don’t Be a Homer

Draft with your head, not your heart.

One of the cardinal rules of fantasy hockey is not to load up on players from your favorite team. This is the quickest way to derail your fantasy season. If your favorite player lands in your lap, draft him – But don’t prioritize players just because you’re a fan.

If you’re playing just for fun, sure, load up on players from your favorite team—but if you’re playing to win or for money, this strategy is fundamentally flawed. Avoid it.

The Logic Against the ‘Homer’ Rule

Drafting heavily from one team not only shows bias but also leaves your roster exposed. If that team goes through a slump or has a light schedule week, your fantasy performance will suffer. A balanced, well-rounded roster is key to long-term success.

Try to limit your roster construction to no more than three players from any single NHL team.

Don’t be a homer.

Looking Ahead: Dynasty and Limited Keeper Leagues

This guide covers strategies for single-year leagues. Dynasty and limited keeper leagues require a different approach. Stay tuned for a companion article in the coming weeks, where we’ll dive into the nuances of drafting for these formats.