“Click Here” for the “Live Updated” NHL 2011 Draft Preview Guide – The Next Ones.
Made especially for fantasy hockey junkies, the following rankings are based on a prospect’s pure offensive potential.
Goalies get no love here. Apologies to vital guardians of the goal, but your potential is just too monumentally difficult to predict from a fantasy armchair GM’s point of view.
As THW’s Josh Deitell eloquently summed up comparing the actual NHL draft versus fantasy drafts:
Grit, work ethic, defensive-zone play, and personality: all intangibles that NHL teams consider when making their selections in the NHL Entry Draft that are not particularly relevant for fantasy hockey.
Yes, you do want to pick players who you think will make it to the NHL and contribute, so it’s important to consider bust potential and the fact that some European players take years to make their way across the pond and can easily make their way back, but first and foremost is offensive upside.
One will quickly notice some of the undersized forwards and blueliners creep up the rankings in comparison with my Final Top 210 Rankings. To reiterate, these rankings are focused on the pure offensive upside a prospect possesses. I tried to implement a healthy dose of realism as, by strict use of my own definition, some of these diminutive players would have ranked even higher. I also took into account on some occasions that because of prospects solid all-around ability, may get more ice time which may translate in offensive output.
How would you rank the 2011 draft crop from a fantasy outlook?
Alternative Perspective(s):
- A Fantasy-Focused Ranking of 2011 NHL Entry Draft Prospects (THW – Josh Deitell)
- Draft Based on Offensive Potential – WHL From Above (HFBoards.com)
Notes:
- The table is sortable – that is, if you click on any of the headings it will sort them.
- The table is also searchable (top right hand corner of table).
- Just under the title, you can click “Show” and change the quantity of players you show on one page or you can simply click on bottom right hand corner of table to scroll through the rankings.
- “Click Here” for the “Live Updated” NHL 2011 Draft Preview Guide – The Next Ones. (You’ll find detailed prospect profiles, interviews, mock drafts and other 2011 draft articles which will give the reader much perspective as to why many of the prospects are ranked {and chosen by NHL teams in the mock} where they are. Keep this page bookmarked and ready to lock and load for many of the updates and additions yet to come.)
- THW = My ranking from THW Final Rankings (Top 210)
- Off# = Ranking based on pure offensive fantasy potential
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*Myles Bell would be ranked much higher (30-40 range), but given his unfortunate off ice circumstances he rated 100 as more of a honourable mention.
Christopher Ralph is THW’s prospect and draft analyst