2007 Fantasy Hockey Draft Tips

Tips:

Be sure of ALL scoring categories in your league. Everyone loves goal scoring, but depending on your fantasy league a great plus/minus guy with a handful of assists may yield you more points.

Pay particular attention to GOALIE POINTS system. If your goalies are given four scoring categories, such as goals against average, save percentage, wins, and shutouts, then a choosing a goalie in the first or second round is crucial. A strong goalie can register quality points in four categories each night while a top scorer may not have the assists or plus/minus points you had hoped for. Many leagues only award fantasy points for the goalies' wins, saves, and bonus for shutouts. The goalies in these fantasy leagues (most leagues with the exception of rotisoourie leagues) can still capture many fantasy points for you, but the number quality goalies who are homeruns is limited. Take a goalie like Brodeur early if you can, otherwise keep your eye on streaky net minders and teams who are winning regardless if the teams' goalies are household names.

Know how deep your league is! If your fantasy hockey league is less than 10 teams you aren't going to be looking for many sleepers or rising stars. Twelve or more teams in a fantasy league will require a bit more research. 42 guys scored 30 goals or more last year compared to 120 guys scoring 20 goals or more. Obviously, a larger league will require you to investigate the young guys who had 20 with the potential for a breakout year.

MOST IMPORTANT!! Don't choose players because you like them or their team and don't pass on players because you don't like them or their team! People who are thinking about players they like and dislike during fantasy sports drafts win as often as people who bet on their favorite teams!