Fantasy hockey is a sport that rewards those with an eye for detail. Fantasy leagues offer hockey fans a chance to put their talents to the test and run a squad of budding superstars. Follow our guide to fantasy hockey and get ahead of the pack, with the tips, tricks and tactics you need to run your very own ’85 Oilers. Your league won’t know what’s hit them.
How Does Fantasy Hockey Work?
Fantasy hockey is a straightforward endeavor at first. You step into the shoes of the general manager and join a league before the start of the NHL season. With your salary budget, you go through the draft against the players you’re competing with and try and build your dream team.
Over the course of the ice hockey season, you go head-to-head with your competitors, accumulating points from the players in your line-up. As the season closes, one fantasy squad emerges victorious. Winning requires constant tinkering, clever moves, and just a little bit of luck. Once you know the right steps, you’ll be the Doug Armstrong of your fantasy league, keeping everyone on strings.
Fantasy Hockey Strategy
When it comes to winning fantasy hockey, there is one thing every player needs to remember to create a sound fantasy hockey strategy before the draft. Study your league’s fantasy hockey rankings before the draft and know who the best players are on every team, not just your favorite team. There is more to a successful fantasy hockey strategy than just that, of course.
In the following steps, we will talk about different aspects of the fantasy hockey game and how they can help you develop a winning strategy.
Fantasy Hockey Mock Drafts
Mock drafts are a great way to hone your skills and tactics before the real thing. Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey offers a top-notch draft simulator for you to run through a few times, helping you adapt to the twists and turns your real fantasy hockey draft is likely to take. Try out a few practice runs and find out who you’ll be prioritizing, and who’d be a good last-minute backup should your number one pick be snatched away.
Fantasy Hockey Draft
Once fantasy hockey draft day starts, the real work begins. Nailing your squad from day one will stand you in the best stead to go the distance, so do your research in advance. Make sure you’ve gone through a few mock drafts so you can think on your feet.
Fantasy hockey drafts usually work along the Snake format, like most other fantasy sports drafts. Say you have 10 teams and 30 picks: in the Snake format, each team gets one pick, all the way to the 10th draft, before the order of drafting is reversed, and the team who got the last first-round pick gets the first second-round pick.
Understanding Goaltending
The goaltender position is one of the most important in your roster and one that you should be willing to spend a large portion of your salary cap on. A reliable goaltender will accumulate more game time than a player in any other position. Checking a goalie’s appearances per season and save percentage is key to ensuring you have a net-minder who’ll earn fantasy points consistently.