Fantasy hockey is a form of fantasy sport where players build a team that competes with other players who do the same, based on the statistics generated by professional hockey players or teams. The majority of fantasy hockey pools are based on the teams and players of the National Hockey League (NHL).
A typical fantasy hockey league or hockey pool has 8 – 12 teams but often have as many as 20. Other types of pools may have a greater number of teams, which may dilute the average talent making it more or less fun depending on the league, but also represents more closely the actual NHL, which currently has 30 teams. Other forms of fantasy hockey may allow an unlimited number of teams, whereby any number of owners may draft the same player(s). These typically have a restricted number of “trades” where one player may simply be exchanged for any other in the player pool, typically of the same position.
Most fantasy hockey pools aren’t won by your stars, but by the guys you pick in the middle to late rounds. Late picks who have a breakthrough year can help turn the tide in many fantasy hockey leagues. It’s important to look for hockey pool sleeper picks, guys that fly under the radar and have a good chance of producing big numbers.
Then there are the hard-core fantasy hockey owners who scour the internet for the latest news and statistics not only during the NHL season, but during the summer months, as well, seeking any edge in their more competitive leagues.
There are three basic types of fantasy hockey leaguesyou need to be aware of:
- Rotisserie League: The most commonly found league in fantasy hockey is rotisserie where points are awarded to teams in each statistical category based on what position each team is in relative to the other teams in the league. So, for example, if you are in a ten-team league and your players have accumulated the most assists, your team would have ten points in that category. But if your team has racked up the fewest penalty minutes, you would receive only one point in the PIM category. All point categories are added together and this creates the overall standings in your rotisserie league. The team with the most points at the end of the NHL season wins the fantasy rotisserie league.
- Points League: Similar to a rotisserie league, a points league rewards fantasy owners for their players’ performance in various statistical categories with accrued points. However the difference is that if Player A on your fantasy roster scores a goal and earns an assist one night in a points league, your team receives, for example, three points for the goal and two for the assist, so that there is more of a weighted system in how statistics are counted. The weighted value for each statistical category is determined at the start of the season, so make sure you are comfortable with the set-up before joining. The fantasy team with the most points at the end of the year wins the points league.
- Head-to-Head League: This type of fantasy league is unique in that it allows league members to face off against each other every week. Similar to the NHL schedule, this league has a weekly schedule of games between fantasy teams with statistics counted on a head-to-head basis.
