While the NHL season is still a few months away, the fantasy hockey season has already begun! The first wave of hockey season is here, which means it’s time to start thinking about fantasy hockey drafts. If you’re new to the world of fantasy hockey, we’re going to walk you through the entire process from start to finish in a manner that’s not only informative, but also as straightforward as possible. So let’s get started.
Table of Contents
The Basics
Before we begin, it’s important to note a few things about fantasy hockey drafts. Firstly, they are done on Yahoo fantasy leagues, but the concepts are the same in other places as well. Secondly, it’s important to realize that there are two types of fantasy hockey drafts: active and passive. In an active draft, you have to send out a call for players, while in a passive draft you can just sort of sit back and wait for players to come to you. Lastly, it’s important to know that there are generally two types of pools: standard and expanded. The standard pool usually consists of just your standard team of nine players, while the expanded pool adds an extra three players on each team. If you’re new to the game, it’s recommended you play in an expanded pool.
Step One: Determine How You’re Going To Order The Pools
The first step in drafting any sports league is to determine how you’re going to order the pools. You’ve probably seen teams put their drafts on social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook where they’ll list out their picks in the order that they’re going to select players. While this is one option, you can also do an entire draft via email where you’ll send out the pools in the correct order to everyone. Another option is to create a draft board and make your picks on that. Whatever method you choose, make sure that you maintain consistency throughout the process so that everyone knows what is going on.
Step Two: Generate Your Draft Board
Once you’ve determined how you’re going to order the pools, it’s time to generate your draft board. A draft board is simply a list of players with their relevant stats and information. Sometimes you’ll also see tiers or levels on a draft board to further categorize players. For example, you might have a list of tier one players, tier two players, and tier three players. You can also create a master spreadsheet where you can add in all the relevant information about the players including their stats, fantasy prices, and even projected stats. Using this information, you can sort the players by whatever metrics you choose. If you have a large following on social media, you could use their stats to determine how popular they are among your followers. If you want to get fancy, you can use your intuition to decide who you think is the best player available at each spot in the draft. Using Google Sheets, you can then sort the players by your own preference.
Step Three: Set Your Starting Lineup
Once you’ve created your draft board, it’s time to set your starting lineup. Your starting lineup is simply your first nine players, with no more than four forward spots and four defenseman spots. You don’t have to have a designated number of forwards and defensemen, but it’s usually better if you do. Regardless of which system you use, make sure that you adhere to the three-on-three, one-on-one, and two-on-two rules when lining up your lineup. Once you’ve set your starting lineup, it’s time to save it and get ready to draft!
That’s it! Now that you’re equipped with the basics, it’s time to begin drafting!