Understand the basics of playing fantasy hockey to help you succeed in your leagues.
Are you a hockey fan excited to jump into fantasy hockey but not sure where to begin? This article is your ultimate guide to getting started. Learn what fantasy hockey is all about, discover its key elements and get step-by-step advice on drafting your dream team. Plus, pick up expert tips for beginners and get ready to win your first league with your favorite NHL players.
Understanding the basics of hockey will go a long way in preparing yourself for your fantasy hockey league. Knowing the ins and outs of the game will ensure success for your fantasy hockey team.
What is Fantasy Hockey?
Fantasy sports have taken the world by storm, and fantasy hockey is no different. Fantasy hockey allows you to draft players onto your fictional team to match up against your opponents and league mates. How your fantasy hockey players perform in real life will determine your team's success, with their stats translating into fantasy points.
Along with following your favorite hockey team, playing fantasy hockey allows you to have an interest in just about every game on any given night. Being a fantasy hockey GM is thrilling for even the most casual of hockey fans.
How to Play Fantasy Hockey: 4 Key Elements
Fantasy Hockey Scoring
There are different fantasy hockey scoring systems, so make sure you know which one your league runs. Whether it be a head-to-head variation, points, rotisserie, or a combination of them, knowing how your league scores will determine how you build your squad.
Head-to-head leagues have you face off against a single opponent per week, while rotisserie has you competing against the entire league. There are also category leagues and points leagues within the head-to-head formats.
Fantasy Hockey League Types
There are a few different types of fantasy hockey leagues. These include daily, weekly and season-long leagues.
Daily leagues allow you to set your lineup on any given night. This allows you to make changes depending on the slate of games that day.
Weekly leagues are a bit more strategic, as you can only set your lineup once for the entire week. You may want to play a lesser player who has four games rather than a star player who only plays twice in a given week.
Seasonal leagues are typically of the best ball format, where you draft the team and your best players every week are inserted into the lineup. This is the most hands-off fantasy hockey league type for obvious reasons, but that just adds more importance to the draft and preparation for the season.
Waiver Wire
The waiver wire is important in any fantasy sports league, and fantasy hockey is no different. Players who are dropped from a team enter the waiver pool before becoming free agents.
When a player is on waivers, all of the teams in the league have a chance to claim them in a given order. Usually, most leagues follow a waiver order that moves you to the back of the line when you successfully make a claim. Other leagues may have a waiver order that resets every week based on the reverse order of the league standings.
Make sure you know where you stand in the waiver order, and keep an eye on the players other managers are dropping. Scooping a stud up off the waiver wire can make the difference in a long season.
Draft and Auctions
The drafting process for fantasy hockey can go a few different ways.
The most basic and likely most popular drafting format is the standard snake draft. A linear draft – where the order is the same each round, with no reversal – is also an option, though. Knowing the difference can help you in your preparation, especially given your draft slot.
An auction draft is viewed by some as the fairest way to divvy up players. Managers are given a certain budget and every player goes to the highest bidder until rosters are full.
How to Draft in Fantasy Hockey
Your fantasy hockey draft strategy will vary depending on the scoring and league format. This is why it is crucial to know the ins and outs of your specific league ahead of draft day and throughout the season.
If you are drafting first in a snake draft, you only pick once per about 20 picks in a 10-team league. You’ll need to strategize for not just one but two picks at the same time. The same goes for the last pick at the wraparound.
In a typical league, it’s important to target skaters in the first round or two; however, there is a select group of goaltenders that should be considered as well.
While a goalie shouldn’t necessarily go in the first handful of picks, or even the first round or two for some, getting a stud goaltender can go a long way. There are only 32 NHL teams and less than half of them have a goalie that you can rely on.
The same goes for defensemen. There are going to be a handful of defensemen worth taking in the early rounds, but unlike with goalies, there is more depth on the blue line and you can get some late sleepers there.
Make sure you know if your league has the skaters split into just forwards and defensemen or left wing, right wing, centers and defensemen. There are usually big gaps in value between centers and wingers, but that goes away if your league simply uses forwards and defensemen as the two groups.
5 Fantasy Hockey Tips for Beginners
1. Practice by using mock drafts
Practice makes perfect, even when it comes to fantasy hockey drafts. You don’t want to go into your draft blind without knowing which players may be available in which rounds.
If you know your draft slot ahead of time, great! You can simply mock draft from there to try out different strategies.
If you won’t find out your draft order until the day of the draft, you can still mock draft from different slots. What will you do if you’re given the first pick, the last pick or somewhere in the middle? Preparing for your draft by going through mock drafts at different slots can give you an upper hand on your opposition.
2. Base your draft strategy on research
Research, research, research. Make sure you do as much research as you can leading up to your draft.
Read up on different strategies -- is it worth punting on defense or goalies until later in the draft? How would it look if you load up on goalies early? Knowing all of this can help you pivot on draft day.
Even if you end up over-prepared for the draft, all of that research will help you when trying to trade during the season or make those crucial roster decisions in the thick of it.
3. Pay attention to goalies
There are only 32 starting goalie spots in the NHL. Nowadays, at least one third of the league may even run a tandem in net. While that widens the pool a bit, there’s still a shallow group of bonafide goalies to target in fantasy hockey.
You don’t want to wait too long before grabbing at least a goalie or two. It may be advantageous to wait until the later rounds to take a flier on a sleeper, but you want to have a steady goalie one way or another. Make sure you keep an eye on when goalies are being drafted so you’ll know when to act.
4. Monitor player injuries
Injuries are always going to throw a wrench into things, but being ahead of the game can help you out.
Not only do injuries impact a player leaving the lineup, but more importantly it presents an opportunity for someone else to step up. If a top-six forward on a high-scoring team is injured, take a look at his replacement in the short term.
5. Balance your roster between star players and reliable veterans
You’re going to want to take some big swings. But you’re also going to want to have some guys you can rely on. So grab as many star players as you can early on, but later in the draft it may be worth it to grab a steady veteran that you know has a safe floor. This goes for both forwards and defensemen, and even goalies too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you pick in fantasy hockey?
While fantasy hockey roster sizes vary, most leagues have a roster of 22 players, including five bench slots. Other leagues have smaller rosters with more limited player pools.
How many goalies should I have in fantasy hockey?
You should have at least three goalies in fantasy hockey. Most leagues have two starting goalie spots so you’re able to rotate three or four goalies in. Plus, having an extra goalie allows you to play the matchups on any given day or week.
Do you set your lineup every day in fantasy hockey?
A fantasy hockey league may require daily, weekly or no lineup changes at all. It all comes down to a league’s settings.
Keep Up On All Hockey News With Sleeper
You should now have a better understanding of fantasy hockey. It’s important to prepare for your draft, mix up your strategies, grab a solid goalie or two and, most importantly, have fun!
Make sure you join Sleeper either by signing up on the website or downloading the app to stay updated with the latest NHL news and results, and to develop better strategies to win your fantasy leagues.
