The 2020-21 NHL season is here! Coming up just around the corner here on January 13th. The schedule is set for a 56-game season and a whacky new alignment consisting of four new divisions including the North Division which will be an all-Canadian division. Should be lots of scoring there oh baby! Now it’s time for drafts so let’s dive through the my 2021 Fantasy Hockey Rankings and go over some key targets and risers you should keep your eye on during draft day.
Not using Fantrax for your fantasy hockey league? Check out our Fantasy Hockey Commissioner and find out why you should be.
Disclaimer for rankings: Using standard fantasy categories: Goals, assists, plus/minus, power-play points, hits and shots on goal
Rounds 1-2
It really is all about the scoring settings so make sure you analyze it deeply. If you play in a league with face-offs Leon Draisaitl over Alex Ovechkin is the better choice. I normally like to start my drafts with two strong forwards. Your table setters as I like to call them, build that strong base and have two solid guys to count on for production. If your league has over four goalie categories, it’s hard to argue against Andrei Vasilevskiy but normally I like to wait until round three and take a chance on someone else.
At the end of the first round is where it starts to get interesting. Don’t sleep on Mika Zibanejad who was 4th in the NHL in goals last season. It’s always nice to plug multiple positions as well, if your first pick is a Center, then go winger with your next pick. I love pairing a Zibanejad at the turn with an Andrei Svechnikov who has even more value in a hits league. This way you’re knocking off some solid points, goals and hits with your first two picks.
Rounds 3-4
It’s key to adapt in drafts. You have to pay close attention to the certain runs in the draft such as the Goalie run. I think it’s pretty imperative to snag a goalie here whether you have the first pick of the round or the last and it’s okay to reach. If this you’re nearing the end of the third round and five-six goalies are gone, you better take no.7 on the list even though his ADP could be a round or two below. It’s vital to have at least one top-10 goalie to start that foundation in net.
I am always looking for versatility in drafts. How many categories can this guy contribute to my fantasy team. Brady Tkachuk is someone I like here. He’s still super young with tons of upside. But contributes to goals, points, PIMS and hits. Someone like Aleksander Barkov could get quite a few more points than Brady, but the hits and PIMS totals are massively in favour of Tkachuk.
Rounds 5-10
Rounds 5 is usually where I like to take my first defensemen. This is where you can still get a game-changer type defenseman such as Alex Pietrangelo or Quinn Hughes. It’s all about the building blocks baby! Now it’s time to keep varying between your forwards, defensemen and making sure you get your second goalie. Goals are always a bonus. Alex Debrincat is high riser for me starting the year playing with Patrick Kane. It should be a two-man show for them to start the year. Jeff Petry is a quality defenseman to target in the 8-9 round range on an improved Canadiens team who produce tons of high scoring chances.
End of Draft
Rounding out your bench with some young talent or players with upside is always a good way to end your draft. That mixed in with finding a category you notice you might be lacking or a position you find yourself scarce in is a good way to start here. Don’t have many centers? Take a shot at Anthony Cirelli who’s got a top-six role with the Lightning. Short on wingers? Take a shot on Nikolaj Ehlers who’s paired with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler or Denis Gurianov who’s on the top line in Dallas. Finding the perfect balance of scoring, defense, young players and veterans is the key to building that fantasy championship! Good luck with your drafts!
2021 Fantasy Hockey Rankings
| Rnk | Name | Team | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor McDavid | EDM | C |
| 2 | Nate Mackinnon | COL | C |
| 3 | Leon Draisaitl | EDM | C/LW |
| 4 | Alex Ovechkin | WSH | LW |
| 5 | Auston Matthews | TOR | C |
| 6 | Artemi Panarin | NYR | LW |
| 7 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | TB | G |
| 8 | Jack Eichel | BUF | C |
| 9 | Patrick Kane | CHI | RW |
| 10 | Sidney Crosby | PIT | C |
| 11 | Elias Pettersson | VAN | C |
| 12 | Mika Zibanejad | NYR | C |
| 13 | Sebastian Aho | CAR | C/LW |
| 14 | Brad Marchand | BOS | LW |
| 15 | Mikko Rantanen | COL | RW |
| 16 | Andrei Svechnikov | CAR | LW/RW |
| 17 | John Carlson | WSH | D |
| 18 | Brayden Point | TB | C |
| 19 | Evgeni Malkin | PIT | C |
| 20 | Robin Lehner | VGK | G |
| 21 | Mitchell Marner | TOR | RW |
| 22 | Roman Josi | NSH | D |
| 23 | Matthew Tkachuk | CGY | LW |
| 24 | Victor Hedman | TB | D |
| 25 | David Pastrnak | BOS | RW |
| 26 | Max Pacioretty | VGK | LW |
| 27 | Gabriel Landeskog | COL | C/LW |
| 28 | Carter Hart | PHI | G |
| 29 | Cale Makar | COL | D |
| 30 | Tuukka Rask | BOS | G |
| 31 | Jonathan Huberdeau | FLA | LW |
| 32 | Mark Stone | VGK | RW |
| 33 | Steven Stamkos | TB | C/LW |
| 34 | Brent Burns | SJ | D |
| 35 | Mark Scheifele | WPG | C |
| 36 | Dougie Hamilton | CGY | D |
| 37 | Patrik Laine | WPG | LW/RW |
| 38 | John Tavares | TOR | C |
| 39 | Connor Hellebuyck | WPG | G |
| 40 | Alex Piertrangelo | VGK | D |
| 41 | Quinn Hughes | VAN | D |
| 42 | Patrice Bergeron | BOS | C |
| 43 | Evander Kane | SJ | LW |
| 44 | Jake Guentzel | PIT | LW/RW |
| 45 | Jordan Binnington | STL | G |
| 46 | J.T. Miller | VAN | LW/RW |
| 47 | Brady Tkachuk | OTT | LW |
| 48 | Aleksander Barkov | FLA | C |
| 49 | Torey Krug | STL | D |
| 50 | Carey Price | MTL | G |
| 51 | Morgan Rielly | TOR | D |
| 52 | Taylor Hall | BUF | LW |
| 53 | Mathew Barzal | NYI | C |
| 54 | Wiliam Nylander | TOR | C/LW |
| 55 | Blake Wheeler | WPG | RW |
| 56 | Johnny Gaudreau | CGY | LW |
| 57 | Miro Heiskanen | DAL | D |
| 58 | Claude Giroux | PHI | C/LW |
| 59 | Jacob Markstrom | CGY | G |
| 60 | Teuvo Teravainen | CAR | LW/RW |
| 61 | Alex Debrincat | CHI | LW/RW |
| 62 | Igor Shesterkin | NYR | G |
| 63 | Neal Pionk | WPG | D |
| 64 | Shea Theodore | VGK | D |
| 65 | Kyle Connor | WPG | LW |
| 66 | Seth Jones | CBJ | D |
| 67 | Ilya Samsonov | WSH | G |
| 68 | Jonathan Marchessault | VGK | C/LW |
| 69 | Thomas Chabot | OTT | D |
| 70 | Sean Couturier | PHI | C |
| 71 | Evgeny Kuznetsov | WSH | C |
| 72 | Kris Letang | PIT | D |
| 73 | Frederik Andersen | TOR | G |
| 74 | Filip Forsberg | NSH | LW |
| 75 | Ivan Provorov | PHI | D |
| 76 | Ryan O'Reilly | STL | C/RW |
| 77 | Anze Kopitar | LAK | C |
| 78 | Tom Wilson | WSH | RW |
| 79 | Shea Weber | MTL | D |
| 80 | Philipp Grubauer | COL | G |
| 81 | Brock Boeser | VAN | RW |
| 82 | Zach Werenski | CBJ | D |
| 83 | Erik Karlsson | SJ | D |
| 84 | Travis Konecny | PHI | C/RW |
| 85 | Brendan Gallagher | MTL | RW |
| 86 | Tyson Barrie | EDM | D |
| 87 | Alexander Radulov | DAL | LW/RW |
| 88 | Domink Kubalik | CHI | LW/RW |
| 89 | Jeff Petry | MTL | D |
| 90 | Joonas Korpisalo | CBJ | G |
| 91 | Dylan Larkin | DET | C |
| 92 | Anton Khudobin | DAL | G |
| 93 | Ryan Pulock | NYI | D |
| 94 | Bo Horvat | VAN | C |
| 95 | Rasmus Dahlin | BUF | D |
| 96 | Timo Meier | SJ | LW/RW |
| 97 | Semyon Varlamov | NYI | G |
| 98 | Charlie McAvoy | BOS | D |
| 99 | Ryan Nugent Hopkins | EDM | C/LW |
| 100 | Tony DeAngelo | NYR | D |
| 101 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | CBJ | LW/RW |
| 102 | Kevin Fiala | MIN | LW/RW |
| 103 | Mark Giordano | CGY | D |
| 104 | Adam Fox | NYR | D |
| 105 | Marc-Andre Fleury | VGK | G |
| 106 | Elias Lindolm | CGY | C/RW |
| 107 | Rasmus Ristolainen | BUF | D |
| 108 | Sean Monahan | CGY | C |
| 109 | Drew Doughty | LA | D |
| 110 | Brayden Shenn | STL | C/LW |
| 111 | Cam Atkinson | CBJ | RW |
| 112 | David Perron | STL | LW/RW |
| 113 | John Klingberg | DAL | D |
| 114 | Pierre Luc-Dubois | CBJ | C |
| 115 | Kyle Palmieri | NJ | RW |
| 116 | Pavel Francouz | COL | G |
| 117 | Colton Parayko | STL | D |
| 118 | Darnell Nurse | EDM | D |
| 119 | Logan Couture | SJ | C |
| 120 | Kailer Yamamoto | EDM | RW |
| 121 | Mike Hoffman | STL | LW/RW |
| 122 | Sam Reinhart | BUF | C/RW |
| 123 | Tristan Jarry | PIT | G |
| 124 | Jakob Chychrun | ARI | D |
| 125 | Nazem Kadri | COL | C |
| 126 | Mikhail Sergachev | TB | D |
| 127 | Jamie Benn | DAL | C/LW |
| 128 | Tomas Hertl | SJ | C/LW |
| 129 | Darcy Kuemper | ARI | G |
| 130 | Nikolaj Ehlers | WPG | LW |
| 131 | Vincent Trocheck | CAR | C |
| 132 | Anders Lee | NYI | LW |
| 133 | Jonathan Toews | CHI | C |
| 134 | Jacob Trouba | NYR | D |
| 135 | Keith Yandle | FLA | D |
| 136 | Nicklas Backstrom | WSH | C |
| 137 | Evgenii Dadonov | OTT | RW |
| 138 | Braden Holtby | VAN | G |
| 139 | Bryan Rust | PIT | RW |
| 140 | Jakub Vrana | WSH | LW |
| 141 | Ondrej Palat | TB | LW |
| 142 | Nate Schmidt | VAN | D |
| 143 | Elvis Merzlikins | CBJ | G |
| 144 | Josh Anderson | MTL | RW |
| 145 | Patric Hornqvist | FLA | RW |
| 146 | Matt Dumba | MIN | D |
| 147 | Max Domi | CBJ | C |
| 148 | Ryan Ellis | NSH | D |
| 149 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson | ARI | D |
| 150 | Dylan Strome | CHI | C/RW |
| 151 | Juuse Saros | NSH | G |
| 152 | Tomas Tatar | MTL | LW |
| 153 | Jake Muzzin | TOR | D |
| 154 | Aaron Ekblad | FLA | D |
| 155 | Alexis Lafreniere | NYR | LW |
| 156 | Petr Mrazek | CAR | G |
| 157 | Blake Coleman | TB | LW/RW |
| 158 | Reilly Smith | VGK | RW |
| 159 | Anthony Cirelli | TB | C |
| 160 | Chris Kreider | NYR | LW |
| 161 | Kirill Kaprizov | MIN | LW |
| 162 | Denis Gurianov | DAL | LW/RW |
| 163 | Jakub Voracek | PHI | LW/RW |
| 164 | Jake DeBrusk | BOS | LW/RW |
| 165 | Rickard Rakell | ANA | LW |
| 166 | Jack Hughes | NJ | C |
| 167 | William Karlsson | VGK | C |
| 168 | Ryan Suter | MIN | D |
| 169 | Jaccob Slavin | CAR | D |
| 170 | Ryan Strome | NYR | C/RW |
| 171 | Sergei Bobrovsky | FLA | G |
| 172 | Jaden Schwartz | STL | LW |
| 173 | Tyler Toffoli | MTL | LW/RW |
| 174 | John Marino | PIT | D |
| 175 | Jeff Skinner | BUF | LW/RW |
| 176 | Kevin Shattenkirk | ANA | D |
| 177 | Nico Hischier | NJ | C |
| 178 | Anthony Mantha | DET | LW/RW |
| 179 | Matt Duchene | NSH | C/RW |
| 180 | Adam Boqvist | CHI | D |
| 181 | Clayton Keller | ARI | LW |
| 182 | Nick Suzuki | MTL | C/RW |
| 183 | Filip Hronek | DET | D |
| 184 | Brock Nelson | NYI | C |
| 185 | Victor Olofsson | BUF | LW/RW |
| 186 | Jason Zucker | PIT | LW |
| 187 | Ilya Sorokin | NYI | G |
| 188 | Duncan Keith | CHI | D |
| 189 | Thatcher Demko | VAN | G |
| 190 | Devon Toews | COL | D |
| 191 | Alex Tuch | VGK | LW/RW |
| 192 | Phil Kessel | ARI | RW |
| 193 | Jared Spurgeon | MIN | D |
| 194 | David Krejci | BOS | C |
| 195 | Cam Talbot | MIN | G |
| 196 | T.J. Brodie | TOR | D |
| 197 | John Gibson | ANA | G |
| 198 | Tim Steutzle | OTT | LW |
| 199 | Alexander Edler | VAN | D |
| 200 | Roope Hintz | DAL | C/LW |
For more help in getting ready for next season, check out the Top 10 Fantasy Hockey Rookies of 2021.
Fantrax was one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites of 2020 and things are just starting to heat up! With multi-team trades, designated commissioner/league managers, and drag/drop easy click methods, Fantrax is sure to excite the serious fantasy sports fan – sign up now for a free year at Fantrax.com.