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As the Stanley Cup playoffs get going, we are drifting closer to one of the most exciting times of the year; the NHL draft.
If you are GM in a Dynasty league, this is also the time you should be getting ready for your fantasy league prospect draft. With that in mind, we will be discussing the Prospect Draft Rankings for NHL Dynasty Leagues. Depending upon your league, you may draft prior to the actual NHL draft; some will draft after the actual draft. One of my dynasty leagues draft starts on June 5th so you have to do your research early and hope your information is strong. As in any draft, there’s some luck involved in getting the right guy.
In doing my own research, I have found there to be plenty of mock drafts/rankings out there for the actual NHL draft but very few are focused on fantasy hockey. I took the time to review various sources to put together a ranking list that I feel works best for fantasy hockey. Please remember, this is not my mock draft on how I expect the actual NHL draft to go, this is a fantasy hockey ranking for Dynasty leagues. I am ranking these players as if this was a multi-category league which would include such stats as G, A, PPP, Hits, Blocks, SOG and PIM’s.
Without further ado, here are my top 30 fantasy rankings for your fantasy prospect draft.
1. Connor McDavid – C
2. Jack Eichel – C
3. Mitch Marner – W
4. Dylan Strome – C
5. Mikko Rantanen – W
6. Noah Hanifin – D
7. Mathew Barzal – C
8. Pavel Zacha – C
9. Timo Meier – W
10. Yevgeni Svechnikov – W
11. Ivan Provorov – D
12. Kyle Connor – W
13. Zack Werenski – D
14. Lawson Crouse – W
15. Travis Konecny – W
16. Nick Merkley – C
17. Brock Boeser – W
18. Daniel Sprong – W
19. Jake DeBrusk – W
20. Oliver Kylington – D
21. Anthony Beauvillier – C
22. Ilya Samsonov – G
23. Paul Bittner – W
24. Jeremy Bracco – W
25. Denis Gurianov – W
26. Jansen Harkins – C
27. Joel Eriksson Ek – C
28. Jeremy Roy – D
29. Zachary Senyshyn – W
30. Filip Chlapik – C
Taking a look, the top four picks are pretty much automatic in most fantasy drafts. I could see Strome going before Marner in a lot of drafts (especially those with FOW as a category) and I wouldn’t argue with that. They are really too close to call but for me I find that it’s easier to find a center than it is a high end winger so that boosts Marner’s value for me.
I also won’t be surprised to see Hanifin go top five in a lot of fantasy drafts. I find defencemen tend to slip in fantasy hockey drafts more than the high-skilled forwards so for that reason, he slips to six in my draft.
Rantanen is a personal favorite for me, especially in multi-category leagues. The highest ranked European skater is going to be a very good power forward in all leagues. It was hard keeping him out of my top four.
Barzal and Zacha are both highly skilled players and are sure to be top 10 picks in most fantasy drafts. Don’t sleep on either of these guys. I can guarantee your league-mates won’t.
Meier is another personal favorite of mine. I am lucky that I live close enough to get to see a lot of Halifax Mooseheads games in person. Meier is the real deal and has the potential to be one of the top goal scorers in this year’s draft.
Svechnikov is another powerful player in this year’s draft who has a nice mix of skill and power. In his first year playing in North America, he showed a seamless transition to the CHL style of play.
Provorov is my second favorite defenceman in this draft and is probably closer to the NHL than Hanifin.
Dropping down, literally and figuratively, to Lawson Crouse I am sure many of you are wondering why he is so low on my rankings. Call me crazy but I just don’t see the offensive upside that so many others see. To me, he’s a poor man’s Benoit Pouliot; great size, excellent skater, does everything right but put up points. I’d rather let someone else take a chance on him in a draft that is filled with so much size and skill from guys who haven’t struggled to produce at a higher rate in Jr. hockey. If he’s still there at 14, I’ll take a gamble on him, but I don’t expect him to last this long in most fantasy drafts. Good luck to whoever drafts him ahead of me.
Another guy I have fairly high is Brock Boeser. This kid loves to shoot the puck and he can score at a high rate too. He’s another one of those powerful skaters who isn’t afraid to get in the dirty areas and loves to drive to the net.
If there’s one guy who’s seemed to drop in many GM’s eyes it would be Oliver Kylington. Don’t let him drop in your eyes. This kid has excellent skating skills and has puck handling abilities. The offensive upside is going to be fun to watch too.
The only goalie in my top 30 is Ilya Samsonov. Craig Button has this kid ranked as his 14th best prospect heading into the draft and he is not the only one raving about this kid. Keep in mind, it’s rumored that he’s signed a three-year deal with Metallurg in the KHL. and like most goalies coming out of a draft, he is a few years away at best. Don’t let this scare you off. Much like those who took the gamble on Andrei Vasilevskiy a few seasons ago, I think he will be worth the wait.
If there’s one kid who really interests me it’s Jeremy Bracco. It’s become obvious that in today’s NHL, skill can overcome this size issue. Guys like Johnny Gaudreau and Tyler Johnson have proven this. This could very well be the case with Bracco. He may only be 5’9” but his work ethic is what wins me over and has me looking to steal this guy out from under other GMs noses. He’s easily one of the fastest skaters and best playmakers in this year’s draft class.
I enjoy creating ranking lists prior to the draft because it makes me look up guys I may not have ever seen play or even heard of for that matter. The successful GMs in fantasy hockey are the prepared GMs. Do your homework; take the time to read as much as you can for each prospect. Your league settings will determine what prospects fits your league best. You don’t have to agree with my rankings but it sure is fun to sometimes see things in a different light.
Good luck and happy drafting!
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