Draft Strategies

[Sneaky Priest]

Never really done fantasy hockey before, at least not seriously. I was wondering what kind of strategies people use when drafting? When do people usually draft goaltenders, when do people usually draft defenseman. I know in fantasy football there are common strategies and people you should wait to draft.

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[McHortton]

Never really done fantasy hockey before, at least not seriously. I was wondering what kind of strategies people use when drafting? When do people usually draft goaltenders, when do people usually draft defenseman. I know in fantasy football there are common strategies and people you should wait to draft.

Here's the strategy I'm going to use for my simple 1 year draft: Pick 2 top end goalies right off the bat (Round 1+2) so probably 2 out of Lunqvist/rask/Anderson/Quick/Niemi. After that I'm going to go for FW pick up some top end guys that are still out there like Getzlaf/Spezza (for some reason these guys are underrated this year). Then i'll just go down my list until I'm pretty much set for FW and for D (just cuz in my draft D aren't as important really). You can really pick some good sleepers late such as Voynov/OEL/Burns. And then for my bench I'll pick up a 3rd goalie near the end that will be a starter (Hopefully Nabakov). The reason I pick up 3 goalies is so that somewhere down the line I trade one of my top goalies to someone whos in desperate need of goaltending (since goalies can get you a ton of points) so they extremely overpay and then you still have 2 goalies left. Hope this helps.

 

[Mind of Milbury]

Actually, to answer your question requires more information. What kind of league is it, and how is it scored? Head to Head, Roto, Points-based....this is all important to know before making a stratgy. Ive played in some leagues where taking a goalie, even the best goalie, is simply wrong. Some leagues reward Defensemen for their goals and assists by giving them more weight. The point is it all depends on how the league is scored. Figure how points/wins are accumulated/earned, and then plan accordingly.

 

[Phrazer]

Never pass on a top 5 forward, if you can get one of the guys that is a guarantee to be a cut above the rest you take it. Take your goalies real early, depending on who is on the table I will always have both my goalies by round 5, usually round 3 or 4. Don't be afraid to take a slightly lesser player if he is on a better team. Depending on your league don't overlook taking players who produce points while putting up large amount of hits and PIMS. Don't draft defense too early, but if there is a guy who is still available that stands out from the crowd early on don't hesitate to take him, I generally take my defense just over halfway though the draft because that is around the point where there isn't a huge difference in a large amount of forwards, and I know I am going to be able to get a very similar forward at the end of the draft. But this is just my general outline, at any point where there is a player i really want I go for it. And for your own personal sake, I try to avoid taking players that i absolutely hate, it just makes my life too conflicted.