Fantasy hockey drafts have already started in preparation for the 2023-24 season, so below are some of my favorite players to take with some of my early-round picks in nearly every draft. Typically, the average draft position (ADP) for hockey is easy to take advantage of. If the people in your league are not invested, they might be losing out on significant value early on in their drafts.
(Please note that the scoring metrics being used are for the default ESPN league only for simplicity.)
Tim Stützle, Forward (ADP 22.0)
For some reason, a potential superstar in Tim Stützle is being selected in the third round of a majority of his leagues. Even if he wasn’t just 21 years of age with progression seeming likely, his finish as the 11th-best forward in fantasy last season should be enough evidence on its own that he is being taken far too low.
Over his three-season career, Stützle has done nothing but improve. Having only missed 10 games in that span, his health should not be a concern. After scoring 39 goals and 51 assists for 90 points in 2022-23, there should be reasonable hope that he can reach the 100-point threshold this season. If he can, you are getting one of the steals of the draft. He does have some room to be a better fantasy player beyond his point totals, as he only scored two more points on the power play last season as opposed to his 2021-22 campaign where he had 32 fewer points. Registering over a hit per game in his last two seasons and blocking over 100 shots in the same span, his play will continue to translate to the fantasy world.
Roman Josi, Defenseman (ADP 25.0)
Although he missed some time due to injury, there should be no reason why the defenseman who finished with the highest fantasy points per game should be going in the middle of the third round. Roman Josi is poised for another great fantasy campaign.
While the Nashville Predators underwent some reworking in their offense, he was left without Filip Forsberg for a large chunk of the season. Part of the reason why Nashville struggled last season was because of their injuries up front, which a defenseman like Josi relies on. Despite his 82-game point pace regressing from 98 points to just 72 last season, he still ranked as the third-best defenseman in fantasy and would have likely been the best if he did not miss 15 games. As a defender who has appeared in over 93 percent of possible games since his sophomore season in the NHL, durability is actually a strength of his. It should be hard to pass up on a commodity that finished so highly in his position around the time some are making their third selection in drafts.
Mika Zibanejad, Forward (ADP 31.8)
Finishing as the eighth-best forward last season in fantasy, Mika Zibanejad should not be falling to the fourth round in a majority of leagues if he can maintain this. Some regression on his 39 goals and 52 assists is probable, but he is only 30 years old scoring at an 85-point pace over the last five seasons while only missing 24 games during that span.
While it’s always more exciting to go for an unproven commodity that has breakout potential, last season Zibanejad showed that he can be one of the 10 best players in fantasy. Ending the regular season with points in eight of his last nine games, he is overlooked despite finishing as a top-end player.
Alex Pietrangelo, Defenseman (ADP 41.5)
Alex Pietrangelo has consistently been one of the best defensive fantasy options in spite of being a 33-year-old playing one of the most taxing positions in sports. Finishing as the eighth-best defensive player in fantasy, his durability is more of an issue than his actual play, having missed nine games last season.
In terms of fantasy points per game, Pietrangelo tied for fifth among regular NHL players. In terms of ADP, he is typically the eighth defender off the board. With substitutions being available on the waiver wire if he misses a few games, the two-time Stanley Cup champion should probably be going a bit higher.
Related: Golden Knights Who Changed Their Narrative in Stanley Cup Run
In fantasy, high-end defenders are few and far between. After finishing seventh in blocked shots and 15th in points for defensemen, Pietrangelo still has some great seasons ahead of him.
John Tavares, Forward (ADP 49.4)
For NHL fans not invested in the Toronto Maple Leafs, it may come as a surprise that John Tavares has sneakily been one of the most consistently productive players offensively, while also staying out of injury trouble very frequently. His rank as the 15th-best forward in fantasy in 2022-23 should be a reason to take a chance on him in the fifth and sixth rounds of your league.
Tavares has been stapled to the second line with winger William Nylander for quite some time, and it will continue to be that way for at least this season. With his linemate having one year left on his contract and looking for a pay raise, we will likely see the winger have a terrific season.
Tavares’ success will hold a strong correlation to that of Nylander, so if one has a career year, the other will come close to it as well. It is rare for a 32-year-old to have potential for more, but that is the veteran’s situation.
Roope Hintz, Forward (ADP 52.0)
The fantasy world has finally come around on Roope Hintz, now being drafted in the sixth round as opposed to the eighth or ninth like he was last season. This is still not nearly high enough for a player that finished two points behind first place in terms of playoff points and 21st-overall for forwards in fantasy points last season.
Hintz missed nine games last season, but was still productive with 37 goals and 38 assists for 75 points. In the postseason, he scored 24 points in 19 games, which is a significant increase in his overall production. With linemate Jason Robertson exploding for 109 points last season, there probably won’t be too much room for offensive growth. There is room for some, however, so there is no reason for him to be going as low as he is. He is being underrated for the second season in a row. Those who passed on him have the chance to redeem themselves.
As the NHL season approaches, the rankings of these players will probably go closer to where they should be, but they will still remain a bit too low with hindsight bias out of the way. If you are stuck on who to draft in the first few rounds, look to these players to get reliable production.
