We held a mock draft on Tuesday September 4, with hockey writers from Rotoworld and ProHockeyTalk.
Listed below are the participants:
James O’Brien (ProHockeyTalk, Rotoworld and NBCSports.com)
Joe Yerdon (ProHockeyTalk and NBCSports.com)
Michael Finewax (Rotoworld)
Brian Rosenbaum (Rotoworld)
Corey Abbott (Rotoworld)
Ryan Dadoun (Rotoworld and ProHockeyTalk)
Kevin D. Brown (Rotoworld)
Jimmy Hascup (Rotoworld)
Steven Lampert (Rotoworld)
Gus Katsaros (McKeen’s Hockey and Rotoworld)
Mitch Goldenberg (Rotoworld)
It is a roto-style pool with the following categories: Goals, Assists, Power Play Points, Penalty Minutes, Plus/Minus and Shots on Goal for the skaters and Wins, Shutouts, Goals against Average and save percentage for the goalies. Each team starts two goalies, two right wingers, two left wingers and four defensemen with four bench players. There is a maximum game limit and it is a serpentine draft.
Gus ended up using the auto-draft as he kept getting disconnected from the site.
Don't forget to buy the Hockey Guide, available now!
Round One
1.01 (1) Steven Lampert , Steve Stamkos, Lightning, (C)
1.02 (2) Gus Katsaros, Evgeni Malkin, Penguins, (C,RW)
1.03 (3) Michael Finewax, Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers, (G)
1.04 (4) James O’Brien, Sidney Crosby, Penguins, (C)
1.05 (5) Mitch Goldenberg, Claude Giroux, Flyers, (C, RW)
1.06 (6) Joe Yerdon, Daniel Sedin, Canucks, (LW)
1.07 (7) Corey Abbott, Jonathan Quick, Kings, (G)
1.08 (8) Jimmy Hascup, Corey Perry, Ducks, (RW)
1.09 (9) Ryan Dadoun, Pekka Rinne, Predators, (G)
1.10 (10) Kevin D. Brown, Alex Ovechkin, Capitals, (LW)
1.11 (11) Brian Rosenbaum, Ilya Bryzgalov, Flyers (G)
Steve Stamkos, C: While Stamkos may not reach 60 goals again; there isn’t a reason to doubt another 50-goal, 90+ point season.
Evgeni Malkin- For the 2nd overall selection, Pittsburgh's 2nd best player isn't a bad choice, however, I likely would have picked a goalie at this spot instead -- value is good.
Henrik Lundqvist- With goaltending taking up 40 percent of the categories, it seemed like a no-brainer to select Lundqvist, the best fantasy goalie in the league.
Sidney Crosby - With my diabolical Henrik Lundqvist/goalie-hoarding plan already in flux, I decided to roll the dice big-time with arguably the highest-risk, highest-reward guy. Crosby occasionally flies off the handle - though not as much as his partner Geno - so PIMs are plausible and his recent goal-scoring emphasis makes him a great SOG guy too. If the elephant in the room stays asleep, that is.
Claude Giroux – Crafty, dominant, elite and still improving are some words that come to mind.
Daniel Sedin- Well, why wouldn't I take a consistent high-scoring forward?
Jonathan Quick - I knew I wouldn't get one of the elite scorers (i.e. Malkin, Stamkos, Crosby or Giroux) at No. 7, so I decided that a goalie was best here. Henirk Lundqvist was already off the board, so Quick was the next best option.
Corey Perry: An across-the-board asset, Perry historically may not have the best plus/minus numbers, but he’ll fill it up everywhere else that counts and still give me 40-goal upside.
Pekka Rinne – Given the lack of depth when it comes to top-tier, “safe” goaltenders, I felt like I had the grab one in the first round, regardless of my position in the draft.
Alex Ovechkin – I’m not necessarily buying into a full-blown Ovi revival, but getting him with the 10th lowers the expectations somewhat. The fact that he’s a winger also adds some value due to positional scarcity.
Ilya Bryzgalov-I may be the only one who thinks last season was a fluke. I had him ranked third amongst goalies behind Lundqvist and Quick who had already been selected. I'm looking for the "Flakey One" to have a big comeback campaign on a strong Philly team.
We held a mock draft on Tuesday September 4, with hockey writers from Rotoworld and ProHockeyTalk.
Listed below are the participants:
James O’Brien (ProHockeyTalk, Rotoworld and NBCSports.com)
Joe Yerdon (ProHockeyTalk and NBCSports.com)
Michael Finewax (Rotoworld)
Brian Rosenbaum (Rotoworld)
Corey Abbott (Rotoworld)
Ryan Dadoun (Rotoworld and ProHockeyTalk)
Kevin D. Brown (Rotoworld)
Jimmy Hascup (Rotoworld)
Steven Lampert (Rotoworld)
Gus Katsaros (McKeen’s Hockey and Rotoworld)
Mitch Goldenberg (Rotoworld)
It is a roto-style pool with the following categories: Goals, Assists, Power Play Points, Penalty Minutes, Plus/Minus and Shots on Goal for the skaters and Wins, Shutouts, Goals against Average and save percentage for the goalies. Each team starts two goalies, two right wingers, two left wingers and four defensemen with four bench players. There is a maximum game limit and it is a serpentine draft.
Gus ended up using the auto-draft as he kept getting disconnected from the site.
Don't forget to buy the Hockey Guide, available now!
Round One
1.01 (1) Steven Lampert , Steve Stamkos, Lightning, (C)
1.02 (2) Gus Katsaros, Evgeni Malkin, Penguins, (C,RW)
1.03 (3) Michael Finewax, Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers, (G)
1.04 (4) James O’Brien, Sidney Crosby, Penguins, (C)
1.05 (5) Mitch Goldenberg, Claude Giroux, Flyers, (C, RW)
1.06 (6) Joe Yerdon, Daniel Sedin, Canucks, (LW)
1.07 (7) Corey Abbott, Jonathan Quick, Kings, (G)
1.08 (8) Jimmy Hascup, Corey Perry, Ducks, (RW)
1.09 (9) Ryan Dadoun, Pekka Rinne, Predators, (G)
1.10 (10) Kevin D. Brown, Alex Ovechkin, Capitals, (LW)
1.11 (11) Brian Rosenbaum, Ilya Bryzgalov, Flyers (G)
Steve Stamkos, C: While Stamkos may not reach 60 goals again; there isn’t a reason to doubt another 50-goal, 90+ point season.
Evgeni Malkin- For the 2nd overall selection, Pittsburgh's 2nd best player isn't a bad choice, however, I likely would have picked a goalie at this spot instead -- value is good.
Henrik Lundqvist- With goaltending taking up 40 percent of the categories, it seemed like a no-brainer to select Lundqvist, the best fantasy goalie in the league.
Sidney Crosby - With my diabolical Henrik Lundqvist/goalie-hoarding plan already in flux, I decided to roll the dice big-time with arguably the highest-risk, highest-reward guy. Crosby occasionally flies off the handle - though not as much as his partner Geno - so PIMs are plausible and his recent goal-scoring emphasis makes him a great SOG guy too. If the elephant in the room stays asleep, that is.
Claude Giroux – Crafty, dominant, elite and still improving are some words that come to mind.
Daniel Sedin- Well, why wouldn't I take a consistent high-scoring forward?
Jonathan Quick - I knew I wouldn't get one of the elite scorers (i.e. Malkin, Stamkos, Crosby or Giroux) at No. 7, so I decided that a goalie was best here. Henirk Lundqvist was already off the board, so Quick was the next best option.
Corey Perry: An across-the-board asset, Perry historically may not have the best plus/minus numbers, but he’ll fill it up everywhere else that counts and still give me 40-goal upside.
Pekka Rinne – Given the lack of depth when it comes to top-tier, “safe” goaltenders, I felt like I had the grab one in the first round, regardless of my position in the draft.
Alex Ovechkin – I’m not necessarily buying into a full-blown Ovi revival, but getting him with the 10th lowers the expectations somewhat. The fact that he’s a winger also adds some value due to positional scarcity.
Ilya Bryzgalov-I may be the only one who thinks last season was a fluke. I had him ranked third amongst goalies behind Lundqvist and Quick who had already been selected. I'm looking for the "Flakey One" to have a big comeback campaign on a strong Philly team.
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Round Two
2.01 (12) Patrick Kane, Blackhawks, (C, RW)
2.02 (13) Scott Hartnell, Flyers, (LW)
2.03 (14) James Neal, Penguins, (RW, LW)
2.04 (15) John Tavares, Islanders, (C)
2.05 (16) Zdeno Chara, Bruins, (D)
2.06 (17) Henrik Sedin, Canucks, (C)
2.07 (18) Erik Karlsson, Senators, (D)
2.08 (19) Ilya Kovalchuk, Devils, (LW)
2.09 (20) Zach Parise, Wild, (LW)
2.10 (21) Phil Kessel, Maple Leafs, (RW)
2.11 (22) Rick Nash, Rangers, (LW)
Patrick Kane-One of these seasons he's going to get over the hump and be the superstar everyone thinks he can be. I'm hoping it's this season. Also love his dual position eligibility.
Scott Hartnell – It’s foolish to think he can repeat his career year, but I also don’t expect the Flyers to mess with a winning formula. I expect him to continue playing alongside Claude Giroux so 55 points, 120 PIM and 20 PPP are reasonable expectations. That’s first-round value.
James Neal – I think his 2011-12 breakout was indicative of his true potential and I expect similar numbers out of him this season.
John Tavares: An elite playmaker who has seen his goal (and shots on goal), assist and point totals (81 last year) increase in each of his first three seasons, Tavares is already one of the best players in the game and he’s only 22. (WILL TURN 22 SEPT. 20).
Zdeno Chara- John Tavares was going to be my selection because I have high hopes for him this year, but he went the pick before me. I decided to take the top all-around defenseman in my book here and that is Zdeno Chara, as he should be a force in several categories.
Henrik Sedin- Especially when I can snag his equally high-scoring twin brother in the next round. Goaltending be damned!
Erik Karlsson –Notched the best offensive season by a defenseman in seven years… he was only 21. Oh the potential.
Ilya Kovalchuk- Fantasy owners rejoiced the rejuvenation of a SOG, PPP, goal-scoring machine. The fact that he's a winger makes him a must-have.
Zach Parise- Left wingers are in short supply and with five already taken, Parise seemed like the best choice at this time. I had Kovachuk queued up but lost him the pick before.
Phil Kessel - Again, it's not likely I would have picked the leafs sniper, but he doesn't represent bad value at this spot. I always put a premium on goal scorers and looking back through the round's selections, most players selected were known for their goal scoring prowess over playmaking ability.
Rick Nash, LW: Nash should be reinvigorated in New York, and will likely benefit playing alongside Brad Richards.
Round Three
3.01 (23) Jimmy Howard, Red Wings, (G)
3.02 (24) Jason Spezza, Senators, (C)
3.03 (25) Milan Lucic, Bruins, (LW)
3.04 (26) Anze Kopitar, Kings, (C)
3.05 (27) Eric Staal, Hurricanes, (C)
3.06 (28) Tuukka Rask, Bruins, (G)
3.07 (29) Kris Letang, Penguins, (D)
3.08 (30) Tyler Seguin, Bruins, (C, RW)
3.09 (31) Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks, (C, RW)
3.10 (32) Jaroslav Halak, Blues, (G)
3.11 (33) Niklas Kronwall, Red Wings, (D)
Jimmy Howard, G: Howard is a reliable number one goaltender, who should hover around 35 wins and a sub-2.50 G.A.A.
Jason Spezza - This is not a pick I would have made in this spot. Spezza likely wouldn't have lasted into Round 4, but that's fine, I wouldn't have minded. With two forwards already chosen, a goaltender would have been a priority here, especially with this pick being only 3 removed from Round 2.
Milan Lucic – Lucic is the best combination of penalty minutes and points in the NHL, and when you throw in an excellent plus/minus, it’s an excellent value pick at this point.
Anze Kopitar- The team around him should be better from a full-season standpoint, so I expect bigger numbers all around.
Eric Staal – He’s a lock for 70-points, but I’m expecting a lot more now with Semin and kid brother Jordan on his line.
Tuukka Rask- Here's to hoping he can prove that his breakout season three years ago wasn't a fluke and he makes Tim Thomas
a distant memory.
Kris Letang- In keeping with a defensive theme, I went with Kris Letang in this spot to solidify my team from the goal crease out. Granted I'm not used to starting out drafts like this, but I don't think any of these guys are out of place.
Tyler Seguin: I’ve now locked down my center position with two players with tremendous upside; Seguin was also plus-34 last year and his 29-goal, 38-assist campaign hints at his tremendous upside.
Patrick Sharp – He’s had three straight 60-plus point seasons and back-to-back campaigns with more than 30 goals despite missing some playing time. His dual C/RW eligibility was a big selling point because I like my forwards to have some flexibility in terms of how I use them.
Jaroslav Halak – He won’t play as many games as many other top options due to presence of Brian Elliot, but I’ll take 55-60 games in Ken Hitchcock’s defensive system.
Niklas Kronwall- The Wings' power play is his to run with the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom. I'm looking at his 51-point 2008-09 season as his production level this year. I did want Kris Letang but he was selected four spots earlier.
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