This year’s Fantasy Hockey season is here, and as always, we’re here to help you understand the most important stats so you can dominate your fantasy league.
One of the biggest changes this year is the lack of parity in the NHL. The top five or six teams in each conference will battle it out for the Stanley Cup, and only one or two of those teams will make it to the finals. With the current parity, we might see a team that isn’t even considered a contender win the Cup.
Another big change this year is the introduction of new stats and a new way of calculating traditional stats. Since there are so many new things to learn this year, we’ve broken down the nine-point checklist for you to follow so you can start dominating your fantasy hockey league.
Table of Contents
Know The Current Standings
You’ll need to have the current standings of your fantasy league handy at all times this year. Luckily for you, we’ve got that covered. We’ll keep you abreast of the latest standings and which teams are fighting for what.
Make sure to follow all the action in your league, as there are tons of exciting races going on. You can track all the relevant stats for each team on fantasypros.com.
Be Up-To-Date On Set-Up Men
If you’ve been playing fantasy hockey for a while, you’ll know that the positions of the top scorers vary from year to year. Last year was no different, but heading into this year, the way teams are set up has changed a little bit. If you’re not familiar, each team is allowed to have only eight skaters and two goalies on their roster, and those players can’t be older than 23 years old. This season, the defense has also been upgraded. The D-Men have to be at least six feet tall, and they can’t weigh more than 214 pounds.
The positions of the top scorers change from year to year, so you’ll need to stay ahead of the game and be sure to have all the right names in your head. Luckily for you, we’re here to help, and we’ve got a little cheat sheet with the top 25 point producers from last year, as well as their current positions.
If you were to guess, you’d probably say that Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are the leaders of the NHL right now. Both players are in their primes, and it’s going to be hard to find an open spot on the ice for them to battle it out for the cup this year. However, heading into this year, there’s a new name you should know; Connor McDavid, the 20-year-old captain of the Erie Otters and the third overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
McDavid is a game-changer. The Otters’ captain led the team in points last year with 68, and he’s only getting started. McDavid also won the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL’s rookie of the year, after putting up 67 points in his first full season. He also became the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals and register 100 points in a single season. Needless to say, there’s a lot to learn from the 2015-16 season. McDavid is going to change the way we look at point production in the NHL, and it’s only the beginning.
Learn The Roles Of The Important Players
If you’ve been playing fantasy hockey for a while, you might know the importance of having a few big stars around you. You wouldn’t want to be without them, but sometimes, it’s good to have a few middle-of-the-road players too.
The roles of the top players in your fantasy league vary from year to year, but it’s usually the same general idea: to dominate on the scoresheet and be the driving force behind your team’s success.
However, things are changing. Last year was a big year for two-way players. There were lots of them, and for the first time in a long time, they scored more goals than defensemen. The tables have turned, and it’s going to be a lot more difficult to have just one or two superstars on your team. The competition for the best players is going to be fierce.
One of the biggest changes this year is that there aren’t going to be any easy games for your favorite player. If you’re unfamiliar, the new format for the NHL is a lot more restrictive. Before the season, you won’t know if your team is going to be good or bad. There’s a lot of parity in the NHL right now, and while teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning are perennial powerhouses, the season is still a crapshoot. Teams are going to win some games and lose some games, but as a general rule, it isn’t going to be favorable odds for the home team.
Understand Goal Differential & Coefficient
Goals are essential in hockey. Without them, there would be no reason to have the puck, and no reason to keep playing the game. However, there’s more to the story. The way the NHL works is through a combination of goals and goal differentials. If you aren’t familiar, the differentials are a way of measuring how a team is performing compared to their opponents. Through a combination of goals for and against, the NHL determines each team’s winning percentage – or how many goals they score compared to how many they give away.
The coefficient is a way of measuring how effective a team is at scoring goals. The coefficient ranges from 0-15, with 15 being the best. Through a combination of goals for and against, multiplied by a team’s coefficient, we can determine how many goals they’re likely to score.
The coefficient and goal differential are also used to determine whether or not a team is over or undervalued in a given week. The coefficient and goal differential for each team is posted after every game.
If you want to get fancy, you can also determine what percentage of each team’s total value comes from their goals and differentials. For example, the Nashville Predators net three goals and allow two, resulting in a +1 differential and a coefficient of 7. The percentage for this team, including all their value, is 7/10ths (70%). This number can then be compared to another team’s % goal value (e.g., Tampa Bay Lighting with 3%), to determine the true value of each team.
These stats, along with your understanding of current standings, will help you dominate your fantasy league.
Take Advantage Of Every Opportunity
There are several opportunities to score points in a fantasy hockey game. One of the simplest and most effective ways to score points is to make sure you’re on the ice for every single one of your team’s goals. It’s a good idea to keep track of how many goals you’re on the ice for and how many you’re responsible for. The difference is crucial and can make the difference between a win and a loss in your fantasy league. Another good opportunity to score points is to be the first player to touch the puck after a goal is scored.
If you’re playing in a park, make sure to keep an eye on the corners and lookouts surrounding the ice to see if there are any loose pucks. Once the puck is put in play, you can rush the puck up the ice, looking for an open teammate or a soft spot in the goalkeeper’s defense to put it in.
Track The Biggest Games
If you’ve been playing fantasy hockey for a while, you’ll know that the odds of having a big game are in your favor. If you’re up for the challenge, you can track all the relevant stats for each team in the NHL, including wins, losses, and the amount of time that each game has lasted in minutes. This data is easily accessible through online tools like Hockeydb.com.
As for the amount of time that each game has gone, it can range from just a few minutes to a three-hour marathon. The longer the game, the more likely it is to end in a goal. The amount of time can also be a good indicator of how evenly matched the game is going to be. If you’re looking for an easy way to predict the outcome of a given game, simply track how long it has taken for the game to go, multiplied by the score at the time it ended. For example, if the game has gone for 50 minutes and the score is 3-1, then you know that the game is almost certainly going to end in a tie.