The NHL season is upon us, when means it’s time to put together the next championship team in your hockey pool. To get you set for draft day, check out our official list of the top 250 players in fantasy below.
These rankings are based on past production as well as calculated expectations for the upcoming season. The formula factors in goals, assists, plus/minus, power-play points, shots on goal and penalty minutes for skaters, and wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts for goalies.
A variety of factors such as utilization, contract status and potential are also taken into account while compiling the list.
Finally, these rankings are designed specifically for single-season, non-keeper leagues.
1. Connor McDavid, C, EDM
Highest fantasy ceiling; best player on the planet
2. Nikita Kucherov, RW, TBL
Reigning Hart Trophy winner; back-to-back 100-point seasons
3. Alex Ovechkin, LW, WSH
Arguably the best goal scorer of all time; consistent stat stuffer
4. Brad Marchand, LW, BOS
Under-the-radar gem; on the best line in the NHL
5. Nathan MacKinnon, C, COL
Back-to-back 95+ point seasons; dynamic combo with Rantanen
6. Sidney Crosby, C, PIT
One of the best ever; can do what he wants
7. Patrick Kane, RW, CHI
Second-best RW option
8. Auston Matthews, C, TOR
Young talent with plenty of untapped potential
9. John Tavares, C, TOR
Coming off career season; linemates with Marner
10. David Pastrnak, RW, BOS
Another piece of the “Perfection Line” (Marchand, Bergeron)
11. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TBL
Reigning Vezina Trophy winner
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12. Mikko Rantanen, RW, COL
Tremendous 1-2 combo with MacKinnon; Avalanche added depth
13. Tyler Seguin, C, DAL
As dynamic as it gets; Stars added much-needed offensive help
14. Brent Burns D, SJS
Top offensive defenceman on the planet right now
15. Taylor Hall, LW, NJD
Contract year; looking to respond after injury-plagued year
16. Mitch Marner, RW, TOR
Unbelievable blend of speed and skill; linemates with Tavares
17. Evgeni Malkin, C, PIT
Coming off ‘down season’; WATCH OUT
18. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY
Amazing chemistry with Monahan and Lindholm
19. Erik Karlsson, D, SJS
Health concerns; can tally points in his sleep
20. Leon Draisaitl, C/RW, EDM
Underrated; McDavid effect
21. Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA
Panthers improved; trending upwards in point production
22. Mark Scheifele, C, WPG
Phenomenal IQ; 40/90 isn’t out of the question
23. Steven Stamkos, C, TBL
One of the NHL’s top snipers; plenty to prove
24. Ben Bishop, G, DAL
Vezina finalist
25. Blake Wheeler, C/RW, WPG
One of the top playmakers in fantasy (P,PP)
26. Jack Eichel, C, BUF
Lots to prove; gelling with Skinner
27. Frederik Andersen, G, TOR
Strong team infront of him; shoe-in for at least 35 wins
28. Artemi Panarin, LW, NYR
New digs, same talented dude; wonder how he’ll mesh with Zibanejad
29. Victor Hedman, D, TBL
One of the best all-round fantasy defencemen; plays on great team
30. Claude Giroux, C/LW, PHI
Solid for point totals, not so much if you need goals
31. Patrik Laine, RW, WPG
Massive bounceback candidate; supremely talented
32. Nicklas Backstrom, C, WSH
Contract year; one of the top playmakers in the draft
33. Connor Hellebuyck, G, WPG
Bounceback candidate; on a very good team
34. Braden Holtby, G, WSH
Contract year; in line to get Bobrovsky-type deal; Caps still good, too
35. Sebastian Aho, C/LW, CAR
Hidden treasure of fantasy hockey
36. Mathew Barzal, C, NYI
Year 3 of ELC; strong season will put him in line for HUGE payday
37. Mark Stone, RW, VGK
Developing seamless chemistry with Pacioretty and Stastny
38. Phil Kessel, RW, ARI
Happy and out of toxic situation; reunited with Rick Tocchet
39. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, FLA
Buyer beware; must deal with pressure of new contract
40. Morgan Rielly, D, TOR
Coming off career season; will be interesting to see utilization with Barrie in fold
41. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, WSH
High-end playmaker; tons of exposure to Ovechkin
42. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, FLA
Plays a lot with Barkov; hidden gem
43. Filip Forsberg, LW, NSH
JOFA line; Duchene insulation
44. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL
Game-breaking ability
45. Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS
Uncanny chemistry with Marchand and Pastrnak
46. Brayden Point, C, TBL
Offence aplenty in Tampa; top-20 fantasy potential
47. Elias Pettersson, C, VAN
Reigning Calder Trophy winner; under the microscope in Vancouver
48. Carey Price, G, MTL
Arguably the best goalie on the planet
49. Jakub Voracek, RW, PHI
Second tier of RW options; Flyers can score
50. Jamie Benn, C/LW, DAL
Motivated after ‘down’ season
51. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW/RW, WPG
Bounceback candidate; too talented to struggle long-term
52. Joe Pavelski, C/RW, DAL
New team, better role; lots of exposure to supreme talent
53. P.K. Subban, D, NJD
Motivated; exposure to Hall and Hughes; undisputed #1 D in New Jersey
54. Mark Giordano, D, CGY
Reigning Norris Trophy winner; regression candidate
55. Martin Jones, G, SJS
Will be better after tough season
56. Tuukka Rask, G, BOS
Draft him if you can deal with first month struggles
57. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, VGK
Regression coming? He’s turning 35 in November
58. Jeff Skinner, LW, BUF
30/30 type player; don’t expect last year’s production
59. Sean Monahan, C, CGY
Underrated pivot option; great chemistry with Gaudreau
60. John Klingberg, D, DAL
Due for uptick in product; exposure to Seguin, Radulov and Pavelski
61. Dustin Byfuglien, D, WPG
Hungry after injury filled season
62. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, COL
Lineup placement crucial; might end up on second line
63. Anze Kopitar, C, LAK
Expect better numbers; L.A. likely a cellar dweller
64. Roman Josi, D, NSH
Contract year; looking for big-time coin
65. William Nylander, C/RW, TOR
Likely to get an extended look on Matthews line; draft steal potential
66. Mikael Granlund, C/LW/RW, NSH
Contract year; great value to be had here
67. Drew Doughty, D, LAK
Top bounceback defender; one of best all-around defenceman in NHL
68. Matthew Tkachuk, LW, CGY
Can he live up to the contract hype? Expect a bit of regression
69. Seth Jones, D, CBJ
Less talent in Columbus; Jackets now Jones’ team
70. Jordan Binnington, G, STL
Great rookie season but still plenty of questions
71. Jake Guentzel, LW, PIT
No Kessel means great things for Guentzel; value buy
72. Mike Hoffman, LW/RW, FLA
Contract year; this year’s Jeff Skinner
73. Max Pacioretty, LW, VGK
Caught fire in the playoffs; love the Pacioretty/Stastny/Stone trio
74. Ryan Getzlaf, C, ANA
Bounceback candidate; prideful guy
75. Ryan O’Reilly, C, STL
Great fit with the Blues
76. Clayton Keller, LW/RW, ARI
Numbers will increase with the arrival of Kessel and a healthy Schmaltz
77. Alexander Radulov, RW, DAL
Exposure to supreme talent; solid buy
78. Brock Boeser, RW, VAN
Pressures of new contract; Pettersson exposure
79. John Carlson, D, WSH
Tier two of offensive weaponry from the back-end
80. Rickard Rakell, LW/RW, ANA
Bounceback candidate; value buy
81. Logan Couture, C/LW, SJS
Huge vacancy with Pavelski gone; can Couture take over offensively?
82. Torey Krug, D, BOS
Contract year; massive contract in mind
83. Vincent Trocheck, C, FLA
Bounceback candidate; motivated after late-season return from serious injury
84. Jack Hughes, C, NJD
Real deal; exposure to Hall and Subban
85. Kaapo Kakko, LW/RW, NYR
Legitimate tools; think Laine rookie season
86. Matt Murray, G, PIT
Consistency and health both a concern; high-end goalie when dialed in
87. Tyson Barrie, D, TOR
Interested to see PP utilization; exposure to elite talent
88. Tomas Hertl, C/LW/RW, SJS
Multi-position eligibility is a bonus; can he help to fill Pavelski void?
89. Kris Letang, D, PIT
Stud point producer but health always a concern; be wary
90. Dougie Hamilton, D, CAR
Strong second half in season one with Canes
91. Rasmus Dahlin, D, BUF
Elite skater and puck mover; will take another step forward
92. Kyle Connor, LW, WPG
Proud member of the 30/30 club; will need to deal with pressures of new deal
93. Evander Kane, LW, SJS
25/25-type player; great penalty-minute option
94. Philipp Gruabuer, G, COL
Huge ceiling; great value to be had at this ranking; Avs have improved
95. Dylan Larkin, C, DET
Who’s ready to take the next step around Larkin?
96. Pekka Rinne, G, NSH
Now 36, is Rinne subject to ‘load management’?; Saros is lurking
97. Keith Yandle, D, FLA
Sneaky production to be had here
98. Jonathan Toews, C, CHI
Lots of miles/kilometres; regression from last season expected
99. Sean Couturier, C, PHI
Vigneault hire good news for everyone in Philadelphia
100. Timo Meier, LW, SJS
Can he take that next step following a strong contract year?
101. Jonathan Marchessault, C/LW, VGK
Unofficially officially on Vegas’s second line with Karlsson and Smith
102. Alex Galchenyuk, C/LW, PIT
Contract year; ready to go off on Malkin’s wing; VALUE
103. Carter Hart, G, PHI
Limit expectations; he’s very young
104. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, NSH
Hidden gem of fantasy puck
105. Shea Weber, D, MTL
Consistent stat stuffer from the back-end
106. Matt Duchene, C, NSH
Perfect fit in the uptempo offence; PP boost too
107. Evgenii Dadonov, LW/RW, FLA
Contract year; hungry for new contract
108. Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR
30/30 expectation; Panarin exposure
109. Brayden Schenn, C, STL
Top-six role; will fill a depth role up the middle for you
110. Teuvo Teravainen, LW/RW, CAR
Sleeper; very solid fantasy piece
111. Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW, CHI
Unreal chemistry with best bud Strome; value pick
112. James van Riemsdyk, LW, PHI
Easy 30-goal scorer, if healthy
113. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C/LW, CBJ
Regression candidate with turnover on Columbus roster
114. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, PHI
Trade whispers may ignite player; dynamic puck mover & PP QB
115. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, ARI
Consistent tertiary option; Kessel exposure
116. Nico Hischier, C, NJD
Contract year; Hall and Subban exposure
117. Cam Atkinson, RW, CBJ
Very underrated but numbers will dip due to roster turnover in Columbus
118. John Gibson, G, ANA
Amazing goalie; can he stay healthy?
119. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, EDM
Where will Tippett use him? Could end up as third-line centre
120. Corey Crawford, G, CHI
Contract year; draft value takes a hit with Lehner signing
121. Chris Kreider, LW, NYR
Contract year; will he be traded?
122. Ryan Johansen, C, NSH
High-end playmaker; consistency issues
123. Carter Hutton, G, BUF
Will the Sabres improve defensively under Krueger?
124. Semyon Varlamov, G, NYI
Health concerns; expect steadiness with Korn in the fold
125. Eric Staal, C, MIN
How much does he have left?
126. Cale Makar, D, COL
Temper expectations; supremely talented but very young; lots of solid exposure
127. Thomas Chabot, D, OTT
Worst team in NHL; who can Chabot feed?
128. Alex Pietrangelo, D, STL
Contract year; expect a jump in offence
129. Jonathan Quick, G, LAK
Bounceback candidate; tremendous pedigree; will be much improved
130. Nazem Kadri, C, COL
Motivated and hungry with new team; new second-line centre in Denver
131. Elias Linhdolm, C/RW, CGY
Continued exposure to Gaudreau and Monahan
132. Henrik Lundqvist, G, NYR
Much-improved team in front of him; subject to ‘load management’?
133. Anthony Mantha, LW/RW, DET
Can he take that next step? Great shot but consistency issues
134. Max Domi, C/LW, MTL
Contract year; expect a bit of a dip in production
135. Robin Lehner, G, CHI
Time share with Crawford?
136. Sam Reinhart, C/RW, BUF
Can Reinhart stick with Eichel and Skinner?
137. Jonathan Drouin, C/LW, MTL
So much potential, but yet to put it all together consistently
138. Bo Horvat, C, VAN
Might take a back seat offensively to emerging stars
139. Jacob Trouba, D, NYR
#1 D in NYC; can he live up to monster money?
140. Zach Werenski, D, CBJ
Tons of ice expected
141. Antti Raanta, G, ARI
Can he return to form? Can he fend off Kuemper for the number-one job?
142. Anders Lee, LW, NYI
Depth option; 25/25 expectation
143. Mats Zuccarello, RW, MIN
Tough to see where he fits in with Wild
144. Andrei Svechnikov, RW, CAR
Breakout candidate
145. Yanni Gourde, C/RW, TBL
Value buy
146. Ivan Provorov, D, PHI
Breakout candidate; AV will love him
147. Quinn Hughes, D, VAN
Elite skater and puck mover; unlimited exposure to Boeser and Pettersson
148. T.J. Oshie, RW, WSH
Coming off serious injury; flier buy
149. Charlie McAvoy, D, BOS
Impeded by Krug in Boston
150. Matt Dumba, D, MIN
Coming off serious injury; value to be had
151. Mikhail Sergachev, D, TBL
Forever impeded by Hedman; full-time promotion likely to top four
152. Jake Gardiner, D, CAR
Health concerns; strong puck mover with PP QB abilities
153. Devan Dubnyk, G, MIN
Will be tough for Wild to make playoffs in Central; beware
154. Ryan Suter, D, MIN
38–45 point contributor
155. Brendan Gallagher, RW, MTL
Multi-category coverage; gritty
156. Juuse Saros, G, NSH
Ready to steal starts from Rinne? I think so
157. Aaron Ekblad, D, FLA
Game doesn’t translate well to fantasy
158. William Karlsson, C/LW, VGK
Second liner; steer clear
159. Nino Niederreiter, LW/RW, CAR
Legitimate top-six option; draft steal
160. Erik Gustafsson, D, CHI
Unlikely to replicate last season’s output; be wary
161. Miro Heiskainen, D, DAL
Continued development; don’t expect too much offensively with Klingberg healthy
162. Casey Mittelstadt, C, BUF
Breakout candidate; new coach may mean good things
163. Anton Khudobin, G, DAL
Solid insulation for Bishop
164. Jason Zucker, LW/RW, MIN
Trade talk motivation?
165. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, BUF
Can he regain offensive form? Takes tons of penalties
166. Cory Schneider, G, NJD
Improved team; sneaky value
167. Josh Bailey, LW/RW, NYI
Depth provider, nothing more
168. James Neal, LW/RW, EDM
Bounceback candidate: MCDAVID EFFECT
169. Ryan Donato, C/LW/RW, MIN
Untapped potential; room to grow in top six with Wild
170. Nikita Gusev, LW, NJD
KHL star; high risk, high reward
171. J.T. Miller, C/RW, VAN
Sneaky value; LW with Boeser and Pettersson?
172. Dylan Strome, C, CHI
Strome/DeBrincat are unreal together
173. Cam Talbot, G, CGY
Flames’ #1 job there for the taking
174. Kevin Hayes, C, PHI
Regression candidate; no way he lives up to that contract, at least in first year
175. Thomas Greiss, G, NYI
#2 with Varlamov in fold?
176. David Rittich, G, CGY
Flames #1 job there for the taking; is he for real?
177. Corey Perry, RW, CGY
Value buy; 15-20 goals? Don’t reach with this pick
178. Tyler Toffoli, RW, LAK
Contract year; big year incoming; value pick
179. Zach Parise, LW, MIN
Consistent depth piece
180. Jaden Schwartz, LW, STL
Top-100 potential with right players
181. Ryan Ellis, D, NSH
Expect an uptick in production with better PP in Nashville
182. Reilly Smith, LW/RW, VGK
Second liner; steer clear
183. Kyle Palmieri, RW, NJD
Hughes/Hischier exposure; underrated sniper
184. Nick Schmaltz, C/LW, ARI
Top-100 potential, especially if he lands on a line with Kessel and Keller
185. Derek Stepan, C, ARI
Line utilization dependant; will he play with Kessel and/or Keller?
186. Petr Mrazek, G, CAR
Regression expected
187. Paul Stastny, C, VGK
Value buy; anchoring solid top line in Vegas
188. Travis Konecny, LW/RW, PHI
Will likely fall into third-line role under Vigneault
189. Jacob Markstorm, G, VAN
Contract year; value buy
190. Shea Theodore, D, VGK
Breakout candidate
191. David Krejci, C, BOS
45–55 point player; don’t expect last season’s output
192. Brady Tkachuk, LW, OTT
Be careful; lack of starpower around him
193. Wayne Simmonds, RW, NJD
Worth a flier, but that’s it
194. Mackenzie Blackwood, G, NJD
Improved team; can Blackwood steal starts from Schneider?
195. Roope Hintz, C/LW, DAL
Top-100 talent; line-utilization dependant
196. Darcy Kuemper, G, ARI
Can he force Tocchet’s hand in goal?
197. Tom Wilson, RW, WSH
Line utilization dependant; wait to draft
198. Mattias Ekholm, D, NSH
Depth defender; too many options in Nashville
199. Patric Hornqvist, RW, PIT
Good in a ‘bangers’ league — that’s all
200. Nolan Patrick, C, PHI
Contract year; must prove himself under new administration
201. Justin Faulk, D, CAR
Contract year; chasing the money
202. Kevin Fiala, LW/RW, MIN
Has yet to live up to potential
203. Gustav Nyquist, LW/RW, CBJ
Likely to take Panarin’s spot on top line with Dubois and Atkinson; value buy
204. Josh Anderson, RW, CBJ
Top-100 potential; heavy game
205. Andreas Athanasiou, C/LW/RW, DET
All the tools; still looking for the tool box to put the tools in
206. David Perron, LW/RW, STL
Waiver option extraordinaire
207. Tyler Bertuzzi, LW/RW, DET
Top-150 potential
208. Jakob Silfverberg, LW/RW, ANA
Streamer scoring potential
209. Oscar Klefbom, D, EDM
Waiver look
210. Jordan Eberle, C/RW, NYI
Stream when hot; own if with Barzal
211. Kevin Lebanc, LW/RW, SJS
Value play; could end up in full-time top-six role
212. Colton Parayko, D, STL
Monster shot; tons of untapped potential
213. Jakub Vrana, LW/RW, WSH
Top-six mainstay?
214. Mikko Koskinen, G, EDM
Value buy because Dave Tippett is a defensive guru
215. Josh Morrissey, D, WPG
Exposure to supreme talent littered across the Jets’ roster
216. Tomas Tatar, LW/RW, MTL
Expect a bit of a dip from last season
217. Marcus Johansson, LW, BUF
Could ignite Mittelstadt; solid fallback option if someone falter on top line
218. Micheal Ferland, LW/RW, VAN
Health issues; lineup-placement dependant; good for hits & PIMs
219. Jake Muzzin, D, TOR
Contract year; Rielly and Barrie much better offensive options
220. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, MTL
Breakout candidate; immensely talented
221. Jake DeBrusk, LW/RW, BOS
Strong streamer option
222. Adam Henrique, C, ANA
#2 centre in Anaheim; very consistent
223. Will Butcher, D, NJD
Subban exposure means secondary points
224. Filip Zadina, LW, DET
Can he become a full-time NHLer? Calder sleeper?
225. Alex Tuch, RW, VGK
No fit for him in top six, sadly
226. Anthony Beauvillier, C/LW, NYI
Streamer scoring potential
227. Cam Fowler, D, ANA
Value buy if Ducks improve offensively; PP QB
228. Robert Thomas, C/RW, STL
Can he take the next step? Showed flashes last year
229. Vince Dunn, D, STL
Great speed and puck-moving abilities; bright future
230. Jimmy Howard, G, DET
Streamer goalie; Detroit will be a bottom-five team
231. Andreas Johnsson, LW/RW, TOR
Value buy contingent on linemates
232. Ondrej Kase, RW, ANA
Deep sleeper; returning from serious injury
233. Alexander Kerfoot, C/LW, TOR
Third liner; PP exposure
234. Ilya Kovalchuk, LW/RW, LAK
Will get another shot on L.A.’s first line with Kopitar
235. Erik Johnson, D, COL
Good insulation for Makar
236. Nick Leddy, D, NYI
Trade candidate?
237. Eeli Tolvanen, RW, NSH
Can he finally stick in the NHL? Tons of potential
238. Samuel Girard, D, COL
Surreal 1-2 combo now with Makar
239. Travis Sanheim, D, PHI
Stuck behind Gostisbehere and Provorov; don’t expect much offensively
240. Dustin Brown, RW, LAK
Decent stream for ‘bangers’ league
241. Colin White, C, OTT
Can he elevate into #1 centre role?
242. Devon Toews, D, NYI
Underrated; hidden gem; tons of talent; deep sleeper
243. Sam Steel, C, ANA
Tons of potential
244. Jesper Bratt, LW/RW, NJD
Deep sleeper
245. Jared Spurgeon, D, MIN
Contract year; looking to get paid! Think Gardiner
246. Darnell Nurse, D, EDM
Coming into his own offensively
247. Jeff Carter, C, LAK
Bounceback candidate; take a flier considering the pedigree of the player
248. Kasperi Kapanen, RW, TOR
Regression likely; destined for third-line non-PP duties
249. Ryan Pulock, D, NYI
Huge shot; breakout candidate
250. Drake Batherson, C/RW, OTT
Darkhorse Calder pick; great release
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