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Members of theScore staff conducted a 10-team fantasy hockey draft in preparation of the 2016-17 fantasy hockey season. It is best to leave drafts right up until the start of the new year in order to have a better understanding of player roles and in an attempt to avoid any preseason injuries.
The members of the draft were: Esten McLaren, James Bisson, Josh Wegman, Jason Wilson, Neil Parker, Michael Clifford, Chris Meaney, Andrew Reid, J.P. Balladier, and Topher Smith.
The scoring categories for skaters are: Goals, Assists, Points, Power-Play Points, Shots on Goal, Faceoff Wins
For goalies: Games Started, Wins, Goals Against Average, Saves, Save Percentage, Shutouts
Positions are: 2 C, 2 LW, 2 RW, 4 D, 2 G, 4 BENCH
Round 1
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sidney Crosby (C) | Clifford |
| 2 | Alex Ovechkin (LW) | Wilson |
| 3 | Patrick Kane (RW) | Balladier |
| 4 | Jamie Benn (LW) | Wegman |
| 5 | Connor McDavid (C) | Meaney |
| 6 | Vladimir Tarasenko (RW) | Reid |
| 7 | Johnny Gaudreau (LW) | Smith |
| 8 | Steven Stamkos (C) | Bisson |
| 9 | Tyler Seguin (C) | McLaren |
| 10 | Joe Pavelski (C/RW) | Parker |
Analysis: No surprises in the opening round. Stamkos remains a major risk due to issues with blood clots. The upside remains for him to pose the greatest threat to Ovechkin's Rocket Richard Trophy defense. Seguin ranked sixth in points per game and was on pace for 83 points before his season was cut short by injury. He and Benn remain the best duo in the league.
Round 2
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Erik Karlsson (D) | Parker |
| 12 | John Tavares (C) | McLaren |
| 13 | Braden Holtby (G) | Bisson |
| 14 | Brent Burns (D) | Smith |
| 15 | Claude Giroux (C) | Reid |
| 16 | Carey Price (G) | Meaney |
| 17 | Jonathan Quick (G) | Wegman |
| 18 | P.K. Subban (D) | Balladier |
| 19 | Anze Kopitar (C) | Wilson |
| 20 | Ben Bishop (G) | Clifford |
Analysis: Parker won the Karlsson sweepstakes. Not only did he secure the best offensive defenseman by a considerable margin, he landed a player in the second round with a legitimate shot to lead the league in assists, points and power-play points. Tavares has similar upside, but he'll have to adapt to a new batch of complimentary wingers once again.
Round 3
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Cory Schneider (G) | Clifford |
| 22 | Patrice Bergeron (C) | Wilson |
| 23 | Evgeny Kuznetsov (C) | Balladier |
| 24 | Corey Perry (RW) | Wegman |
| 25 | Artemi Panarin (LW) | Meaney |
| 26 | Logan Couture (C) | Reid |
| 27 | Evgeni Malkin (C) | Smith |
| 28 | Nicklas Backstrom (C) | Bisson |
| 29 | James Neal (RW) | McLaren |
| 30 | Dustin Byfuglien (D) | Parker |
Analysis: Schneider will provide excellent ratios in SV% and GAA, but he'll struggle to record wins in New Jersey. Malkin is an interesting pick, as he's likely be forced in the third-line center role for the Penguins. He'll still heavily feature on the power play. The battle between Kuznetsov and Backstrom will come down to who centers Ovechkin. Kuznetsov is the better goal-scorer.
Round 4
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Martin Jones (G) | Parker |
| 32 | Kris Letang (D) | McLaren |
| 33 | Nikita Kucherov (RW) | Bisson |
| 34 | Corey Crawford (G) | Smith |
| 35 | Pekka Rinne (G) | Reid |
| 36 | Blake Wheeler (RW) | Meaney |
| 37 | John Gibson (G) | Wegman |
| 38 | Taylor Hall (LW) | Balladier |
| 39 | Henrik Lundqvist (G) | Wilson |
| 40 | Filip Forsberg (LW) | Clifford |
Analysis: Some interesting goalie selections here. Crawford may not be guaranteed his lofty win totals of years as depth at both forward and defense is a concern for the Blackhawks. Rinne will need to bounce back from one of his worst seasons, but the Predators' skaters will provide plenty of goal support. Gibson will finally have a full workload, but can he handle it?
Round 5
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson (D) | Clifford |
| 42 | Nathan MacKinnon (C/RW) | Wilson |
| 43 | Jack Eichel (C) | Balladier |
| 44 | Wayne Simmonds (RW) | Wegman |
| 45 | Shayne Gostisbehere (D) | Meaney |
| 46 | Drew Doughty (D) | Reid |
| 47 | Phil Kessel (RW) | Smith |
| 48 | Jake Allen (G) | Bisson |
| 49 | Brad Marchand (LW) | McLaren |
| 50 | Mark Scheifele (C) | Parker |
Analysis: After scoring 24 goals and 63 points in his rookie season, MacKinnon has totaled just 90 points over 136 games in his past two campaigns. Expect a bounce-back with new Avalanche bench boss Jared Bednar. Marchand was the final player on the board with 40-goal potential. He lacks in assists but still tied for 35th in points last season.
Round 6
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Ryan Johansen (C) | Parker |
| 52 | John Klingberg (D) | McLaren |
| 53 | Max Pacioretty (LW) | Bisson |
| 54 | John Carlson (D) | Smith |
| 55 | Tuukka Rask (G) | Reid |
| 56 | Sean Monahan (C) | Meaney |
| 57 | Aleksander Barkov (C) | Wegman |
| 58 | Shea Weber (D) | Balladier |
| 59 | Roberto Luongo (G) | Wilson |
| 60 | Jordan Eberle (RW) | Clifford |
Analysis: Having the opportunity to pair Klingberg with Letang was too good to pass up. My back end is coming together well with the players who ranked fifth and third, respectively, in defenseman scoring last season. Reid made his second gamble in net, pairing Rask with Rinne. The upside is incredibly high, but both are coming off disappointing seasons.
Round 7
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | Mark Giordano (D) | Clifford |
| 62 | Gabriel Landeskog (LW) | Wilson |
| 63 | Roman Josi (D) | Balladier |
| 64 | Ryan Getzlaf (C) | Wegman |
| 65 | Devan Dubnyk (G) | Meaney |
| 66 | Zach Parise (LW) | Reid |
| 67 | Jason Spezza (C) | Smith |
| 68 | Victor Hedman (D) | Bisson |
| 69 | Torey Krug (D) | McLaren |
| 70 | Marc-Andre Fleury (G) | Parker |
Analysis: Josi was an absolute steal. He ranked fourth in defenseman scoring last season while paired with Weber. He'll now skate with Subban at both 5v5 and on the power play, and was bargain going five rounds after his partner. Krug still tied for 19th in defenseman scoring in 2015-16, despite converting just 1.6 percent of his shots. He will score double-digit goals this season.
Round 8
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | Jonathan Huberdeau (LW) | Parker |
| 72 | Petr Mrazek (G) | McLaren |
| 73 | Keith Yandle (D) | Bisson |
| 74 | Joe Thornton (C) | Smith |
| 75 | Daniel Sedin (LW) | Reid |
| 76 | Rasmus Ristolainen (D) | Meaney |
| 77 | Duncan Keith (D) | Wegman |
| 78 | Aaron Ekblad (D) | Balladier |
| 79 | Justin Faulk (D) | Wilson |
| 80 | Tyson Barrie (D) | Clifford |
Analysis: I waited far too long on goaltending and am left hoping the Red Wings follow the trend of last season and give Mrazek the majority of starts over G Jimmy Howard. This was a dangerous strategy with games started as a weekly category in a head-to-head league. Faulk was a power-play monster last season, scoring 12 of his 16 goals at 5v4. It'll be difficult to repeat.
Round 9
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 81 | Ryan O'Reilly (C/LW) | Clifford |
| 82 | Jakub Voracek (LW/RW) | Wilson |
| 83 | Brandon Saad (LW/RW) | Balladier |
| 84 | Alexander Steen (LW) | Wegman |
| 85 | Tyler Toffoli (C/RW) | Meaney |
| 86 | Jonathan Toews (C) | Reid |
| 87 | Brian Elliott (G) | Smith |
| 88 | Milan Lucic (LW) | Bisson |
| 89 | Alex Galchenyuk (C) | McLaren |
| 90 | Patrik Laine (RW) | Parker |
Analysis: With Yahoo! cutting back on positional eligibility this season, it's surprising to see O'Reilly still listed as a left wing. It's Clifford's gain, as he'll be able to plug the third-ranked player in FOW from last season as a third center. Elliott moves from a stout defensive system in St. Louis to a Flames team which had the worst overall goalie statistics in the league last season.
Round 10
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | Rick Nash (LW) | Parker |
| 92 | Craig Anderson (G) | McLaren |
| 93 | Ryan Suter (D) | Bisson |
| 94 | Kevin Shattenkirk (D) | Smith |
| 95 | David Krejci (C) | Reid |
| 96 | Matt Duchene (C) | Meaney |
| 97 | Jake Muzzin (D) | Wegman |
| 98 | Dylan Larkin (C/RW) | Balladier |
| 99 | Max Domi (LW) | Wilson |
| 100 | James van Riemsdyk (LW) | Clifford |
Analysis: Nash's tenure with the Rangers has been lackluster, but he is just two years removed from 69 points in the only season in which he played at least 70 games. Anderson started 60 games last season and managed to win 31 games. His .916 save percentage was right on his career average. He's a stable, but mediocre option.
Round 11
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | Jeff Carter (C) | Clifford |
| 102 | Kyle Okposo (RW) | Wilson |
| 103 | Jonathan Drouin (LW) | Balladier |
| 104 | Dougie Hamilton (D) | Wegman |
| 105 | Brayden Schenn (C/LW) | Meaney |
| 106 | Brent Seabrook (D) | Reid |
| 107 | Patrick Sharp (LW/RW) | Smith |
| 108 | Jaromir Jagr (RW) | Bisson |
| 109 | Mark Stone (RW) | McLaren |
| 110 | Mike Hoffman (LW) | Parker |
Analysis: Drouin has potential, as always, but he's a risk. He'll need to carry last season's playoff success through a full 82-game schedule. He's back in better favor in Tampa Bay and should have a spot on the left side of Stamkos. A pair of Senators' first-line wingers wrapped up the round. Stone is likely the safer option, but Hoffman has more upside.
Round 12
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 111 | Auston Matthews (C) | Parker |
| 112 | Tyler Johnson (C) | McLaren |
| 113 | Loui Eriksson (LW) | Bisson |
| 114 | Andrew Ladd (LW) | Smith |
| 115 | Alexander Radulov (RW) | Reid |
| 116 | Boone Jenner (C/LW) | Meaney |
| 117 | Sami Vatanen (D) | Wegman |
| 118 | Jaroslav Halak (G) | Balladier |
| 119 | Vincent Trocheck (C) | Wilson |
| 120 | T.J. Oshie (RW) | Clifford |
Analysis: Matthews has plenty of talent, but the 2016 No. 1 pick is likely being drafted too high. He isn't the same caliber as McDavid, and he won't have as good of a supporting cast. He has 60-point potential, but Johnson has already had a 72-point season. Radulov is another big risk budding with potential. He had 26 goals and 58 point in his last full season in the NHL back in 2007-08.
Round 13
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 121 | Frederik Andersen (G) | Clifford |
| 122 | Robin Lehner (G) | Wilson |
| 123 | Sergei Bobrovsky (G) | Balladier |
| 124 | Matt Murray (G) | Wegman |
| 125 | Brendan Gallagher (RW) | Meaney |
| 126 | Adam Henrique (C) | Reid |
| 127 | Seth Jones (D) | Smith |
| 128 | Marc-Edouard Vlasic (D) | Bisson |
| 129 | Henrik Zetterberg (C/LW) | McLaren |
| 130 | Nikolaj Ehlers (LW/RW) | Parker |
Analysis: Andersen, Lehner and Bobrovsky have more talent than their teams will likely allow them to display. Murray plays for the defending Stanley Cup champions, but he'll miss the start of the season and will need to fight for playing time with Fleury. Ehlers totaled 38 points in a 72-game rookie season; he'll start the year on the Jets' top line with Schiefele and Wheeler.
Round 14
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 131 | Cam Talbot (G) | Parker |
| 132 | Connor Hellebuyck (G) | McLaren |
| 133 | Thomas Greiss (G) | Bisson |
| 134 | Jeff Skinner (LW) | Smith |
| 135 | Semyon Varlamov (G) | Reid |
| 136 | Morgan Rielly (D) | TOR |
| 137 | Ryan Kesler (C) | Wegman |
| 138 | Colton Parayko (D) | Balladier |
| 139 | Alex Pietrangelo (D) | Wilson |
| 140 | Ryan McDonagh (D) | Clifford |
Analysis: Talbot has a firm grasp on the starting job in Edmonton, but he'll still struggle behind a still porous defense. Hellebuyck has the inside track at the Jets' starting job, but it isn't yet guaranteed. He is the superior talent to Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson.
Round 15
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 141 | T.J. Brodie (D) | Clifford |
| 142 | Matt Niskanen (D) | Wilson |
| 143 | Tomas Hertl (C) | Balladier |
| 144 | Kyle Palmieri (RW) | Wegman |
| 145 | Patric Hornqvist (RW) | Meaney |
| 146 | Alec Martinez (D) | Reid |
| 147 | Anton Stralman (D) | Smith |
| 148 | Hampus Lindholm (D) | Bisson |
| 149 | Gustav Nyquist (LW/RW) | McLaren |
| 150 | Alex Goligoski (D) | Parker |
Analysis: Hertl had a career year in 2015-16, totaling 46 points with 21 goals. He'll center the Sharks' third line this season, between rookie Timo Meier and RW Joel Ward. After campaigns of 28 and 27 goals, Nyquist regressed all the way down to 17 last season. He has still shot over 13 percent for his career, and he should have more opportunities within the Red Wings' top six.
Round 16
| Pick | Player | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 151 | Adam Larsson (D) | Parker |
| 152 | Dion Phaneuf (D) | McLaren |
| 153 | Derick Brassard (C) | Bisson |
| 154 | David Pastrnak (RW) | Smith |
| 155 | Cam Fowler (D) | Reid |
| 156 | Matt Dumba (D) | Meaney |
| 157 | Jaden Schwartz (LW) | Wegman |
| 158 | Sam Reinhart (C/RW) | Balladier |
| 159 | Nick Leddy (D) | Wilson |
| 160 | Cam Atkinson (RW) | Clifford |
Analysis: As team's rounded out their defense corps or their bench, safe plays were made at defense. Larsson will have to prove himself in Edmonton, but he'll log big minutes with the best forward corps he has ever had. Phaneuf is expected to be paired with Karlsson on the power play, after failing to tally a power-play goal last season.
