We had our draft this week for the Steemit fantasy hockey league. In this post, I'll go over my strategy for the draft and why I chose each player.
Round 1 - Brent Burns (SJ - D)
Round 2 - Erik Karlsson (Ott - D)
I was 11th out of 12 to draft in the first round. The top all-stars (ex. Kane, Ovechkin, and Crosby to name a few) were gone by the time it got to me, so those guys weren't an option. Your defense can make or break your team in fantasy hockey, and there aren't a lot of great, high-scoring defensemen available. The first order of business was to secure a couple defensemen who know how to rack up points.
Round 3 - Jonathan Quick (LA - G)
Next, I wanted to pick up an awesome goaltender who plays a lot of games. I would've loved to take record-setting Braden Holtby, but he was snatched up in the first round (9th). Holtby had a league leading 48 wins last year, and Quick was in 2nd with 40 wins. Also, no goalie played more games last year than Quick. I was thrilled to snag Jonathan Quick in the 3rd round.
Round 4 - Nathan MacKinnon (Col - C,RW)
There is no shortage of awesome forwards to choose from, so I wasn't in a hurry to fill up those spots. In round 4 I took my first forward. Better forwards were available, but you'll notice MacKinnon plays 2 positions (center and right wing). This means I can play him in either spot and will get to play more players than my opponents throughout the season, resulting in more opportunities to score points. That's another key to winning in fantasy hockey - get a lot of players who are eligible for multiple positions.
Round 5 - Pekka Rinne (Nsh - G)
I was looking for another goalie with a lot of games played and a high number of wins. Pekka Rinne was near the top in both these categories, so I was happy to get him in the 5th round. My goalie spots are now filled.
Round 6 - Tyler Toffoli (LA - C, RW)
Round 7 - Brayden Schenn (Phi - C, LW)
In round 6 and 7, I took Tyler Toffoli and Brayden Schenn. Both high-scoring players as they scored 58 and 59 points, respectively last year. But perhaps even more importantly, they're both eligible for two positions! Again, this means I will often have the opportunity to play more players than my opponents.
Round 8 - Max Domi (Ari - LW)
Domi may have been drafted too early, but I wanted him on my team. Max Domi is my favorite player in the NHL because he's so much fun to watch. His play-making skills are unreal! As a rookie last year he racked up 52 points, and his team should be much better this year.
Round 9 - Aleksander Barkov (Fla - C)
With 59 pts and an 18 +/- last year, I'm quite happy picking Barkov up in the 9th round.
Round 10 - Patrik Laine (Wpg - RW)
This kid has enormous potential and could be my best pick of the entire draft. He was the 2nd overall pick in the 2016 draft.
Round 11 - Colton Parayko (StL - D)
I need a couple more defensemen at this point. Parayko had a high +/- last year and an okay number of points.
Round 12 - Anthony Duclair (Ari - LW, RW)
To prevent racial discrimination accusations, I chose Duclair in this round. He is yet another player who's eligible for two positions. I probably could've picked him up in a later round, but I think he's going to have a great year and the LW/RW flexibility is huge!
Round 13 - T.J. Brodie (Cgy - D)
Brodie is my final defensive pick. He scored 45 points last year with a positive +/- and has been improving every year. I think he's a good pick this late in the draft.
Round 14 - Vincent Trocheck (Fla - C)
I said earlier that I wasn't in a hurry to pick forwards because there's no shortage of good picks. Well here we are in the 14th round and I'm able to grab Trocheck who scored 53 points last year, had a +15 +/-, and has improved every year.
Round 15 - Mika Zibanejad (NYR - C,RW)
Zibanejad is my 5th player of the draft who's eligible to play two positions. He had 51 points last year, and has been improving every year. Additionally, he's now playing for the Rangers who are much better than Ottawa, which should help him have better stats.
Round 16 - James van Riemsdyk
My final pick didn't have a good season last year because he only played 40 games. The two prior years he played 80 and 82 games. He scored 61 and 56 points in those two seasons, respectively.
Overall, I'm very happy with the draft, and am stoked for this hockey season!
