In this fantasy hockey rankings, I list my opinion on the top 100 players according to ESPN’s standard scoring model. For skaters, this model assigns 2 points for a goal scored, 1 point for an assist, 0.5 points for a blocked shot, 0.5 points for a special-teams point, 0.1 points for a shot and 0.1 points for a hit. For goalies, this model assigns 4 points for a win, 3 points for a shutout, 1 point for an overtime loss, 0.2 points for a save, and -2 points for a goal against.
This list is intended to rank the players that are the most valuable to own on a fantasy hockey team going forward. Performance from this season is the salient factor, but other factors include career statistics, recent play, advanced statistics, injury considerations, and subjectivity.
Fantasy Hockey Players to Keep an Eye On
David Pastrnak, F, #7
Pastrnak has 23 points over the course of his current 10-game point streak, rewarding fantasy hockey owners for their patience after his pedestrian, by his standards, start to the season. Pastrnak was below a point per game before this streak, but his recent explosion has quickly silenced any concerns about a substantial drop in his play.
Mikko Rantanen, F, #11
At 11th, Rantanen’s ranking is essentially the same as it was before he got traded to Carolina. He has a strong enough pedigree in an Avalanche uniform for us to know how good of a player he is.
However, his slow start in Carolina thus far with two points in four games could be a worrying portent. Rantanen moved from a top-heavy team where he played over 22 minutes per night alongside MacKinnon to a more balanced team where he will likely play between 18-20 minutes per night on a line with considerably less star power. Rantanen is a good enough player that fantasy hockey owners should not be overly concerned yet, but it is something to keep an eye on.
J.T. Miller, F, #31
Miller had underperformed all year in a very public and embarrassing fashion, exacerbated by his inability to get along with fellow star Elias Petterson. Coming off a 37-goal, 103-point season the year before, Miller’s 9 goals and 35 points in 40 games for the Canucks at the midway point was a massive step down for fantasy hockey owners. Especially concerning was that his ice time had begun to drop as Canucks coach Rick Tocchet had expressed concerns over Miller’s work ethic and defensive awareness.
However, Miller has looked rejuvenated since arriving in New York, compiling 4 points in 2 games and seamlessly gelling on the Rangers’ number one power play unit. If Miller can get hot with the Rangers, his fantasy stock will continue to rise.
Linus Ullmark, G, #59
Ullmark was a difficult player to slot into these fantasy hockey rankings. He is about to return from a months long injury reprieve, and questions linger about how effective he will be coming off his back injury. At the same time, Ullmark had been extremely good for the Senators before getting injured, and the Senators have found their game over the last month and made a furious charge up the Atlantic Division Standings. If Ullmark can return to the level that he played at before getting hurt, and frankly the level that he has demonstrated himself capable of playing at his entire career, he instantly becomes a top-end fantasy asset.
Roope Hintz, F, #96
Hintz is a player who has always passed the eye test: he is big, fast, and skilled. After his first two seasons in the NHL, Hintz had seemingly catapulted his way to fantasy relevance, amassing 190 points in 194 games over his third, fourth and fifth NHL seasons.
Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Hintz took a big step back points wise last season and an even bigger one at the start of this one, seemingly getting lost in the Stars’ amalgamation of exciting young players like Wyatt Johnston with their existing core. His time on ice decreased, his shot totals decreased, and his power play production decreased.
In the last five games, however, Hintz has 3 goals, 4 assists, and a +4 rating. Still at just 28 years old, if Hintz can stay hot and regain his form as a point per game player, he will continue to shoot up these rankings.
Fantasy Hockey Player Rankings
- Nathan MacKinnon, F1
- Auston Matthews, F2
- Connor McDavid, F3
- Nikita Kucherov, F4
- Leon Draisaitl, F5
- Cale Makar, D1
- David Pastrnak, F6
- Connor Hellebuyck, G1
- Quinn Hughes, D2
- Jack Hughes, F7
- Mikko Rantanen, F8
- Sam Reinhart, F9
- Mitch Marner, F10
- William Nylander, F11
- Brayden Point, F12
- Kyle Connor, F13
- Jack Eichel, F14
- Zach Werenski, D3
- Brady Tkachuk, F15
- Roman Josi, D4
- Artemi Panarin, F16
- Filip Forsberg, F17
- Jake Guentzel, F18
- Jake Oettinger, G2
- Evan Bouchard, D5
- Matthew Tkachuk, F19
- Victor Hedman, D6
- Aleksander Barkov, F20
- Josh Morrisey, D7
- Moritz Seider, D8
- J.T. Miller, F21
- Sebastian Aho, F22
- Andrei Vasilevsky, G3
- Mark Scheifle, F23
- Rasmus Dahlin, D9
- Martin Necas, F24
- Lucas Raymond, F25
- Elias Petterson, F26
- Sidney Crosby, F27
- Jason Robertson, F28
- Igor Shesterkin, G4
- Tage Thompson, F29
- Tim Stutzle, F30
- Travis Konecny, F31
- Jesper Bratt, F32
- MacKenzie Weegar, D10
- Alex Ovechkin, F33
- Clayton Keller, F34
- Brandon Hagel, F35
- Dylan Larkin, F36
- Adrian Kempe, F37
- Mackenzie Blackwood, G5
- Mikhail Sergachev, D11
- Vincent Trochek, F38
- Adam Fox, D12
- Nick Suzuki, F39
- Mark Stone, F40
- Connor Bedard, F41
- Linus Ullmark, G6
- Seth Jones, D13
- Cole Caulfield, F42
- Matt Boldy, F43
- Wyatt Johnston, F44
- John Tavares, F45
- Zach Hyman, F46
- Seth Jarvis, F47
- Dougie Hamilton, D14
- Macklin Celebrini, F48
- Alex Tuch, F49
- Bryan Rust, F50
- Tomas Hertl, F51
- Jake Sanderson, D15
- Mikael Granlund, F52
- Carter Verhaeghe, F53
- Colton Parayko, D16
- Filip Gustavsson, G7
- Jordan Kyrou, F54
- Shea Theodore, D17
- Dylan Strome, F55
- Brad Marchand, F56
- Alex DeBrincat, F57
- Stuart Skinner, G8
- Logan Thompson, G9
- Nikolaj Ehlers, F58
- Andrej Svechnikov, F59
- Jonathan Marchessault, F60
- Charlie McAvoy, D18
- Timo Meier, F61
- Ilya Sorokin, G10
- Tom Wilson, F62
- Jakob Chychrun, D19
- Mats Zuccarello, F63
- Robert Thomas, F64
- Drake Batherson, F65
- Kevin Fiala, F66
- Roope Hintz, F67
- Matt Duchene, F68
- Steven Stamkos, F69
- John Carlson, D20
- Rasmus Andersson, D21
Notable Players Excluded due to Injury:
Kiril Kaprizov, F, Nico Hischier, F, Noah Dobson, D, Kiril Marchenko, F, Miro Heiskanen, D, Evgeni Malkin, F, Matthew Barzal, F, Josh Norris, F, Dylan Guenther, F, Logan Cooley, F, Jacob Markstrom, G
Thanks for reading my fantasy hockey rankings! For additional fantasy hockey content, check out this recent article on the fantasy hockey players who have been the most disappointing so far this year.