The 2010-11 DobberHockey Pool Guide has been updated as of September 4th, and it will continue to be updated into October. Kovalchuk signing, Torres signing, MacArthur signing, Kennedy signing, we got it all! The beauty of our guide is the ability to update as trades/signings occur throughout the off-season.

Wanting to retain your crown in 2010-11? The will make you a (much) better fantasy hockey player. Guaranteed. Sleeper picks, goalies to watch for, RFA’s, UFA’s, veterans, breakout candidates, it is all jam-packed into 94 pages of information. No fancy pictures, no full-page advertisments. Simply fantasy hockey gold on each and every page.

The DobberHockey crew of writers brings you unique insights that you won’t find anywhere else on the net. Our resident goalie superexpert (he is way more than just an expert), Justin Goldman, was ON FIRE last year. Check out some of his “Goalies to Watch” from last summer:

Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles

He is poised to be L.A.’s starting goalie as training camp approaches. As you will learn from the School of Block over the next few months, the Olympics will have a direct impact on a goalie’s play. And since Quick is vying for a spot on Team USA, he will be playing April hockey in November. That sets him on the breakout path.

Jaroslav Halak, Montreal

Again, the Olympics will be nothing but a boost for the Slovak goalie. Although he has little competition from Budaj, Halak will have plenty to prove from the moment the puck drops. He has much more poise and consistency than the wobbly Carey Price, so all he needs is a string of starts to set the league on fire.

Craig Anderson, Colorado

Anderson was able to steal a lot of playing time from Tomas Vokoun last year and did an amazing job in games
where he faced 35-plus shots. Peter Budaj single-handedly lost a lot of one-goal games last year, so if the Avs had Anderson last year, he would have been very close to 30 wins. What makes you think he can’t win close to 30 this year? Of all the goalies moved during the free agent frenzy, Anderson is the one to watch the closest.

Tuukka Rask, Boston

Similar to Pavelec, Rask’s breakout potential depends on a lucky break: i.e. Timmy’s health. As Tim Thomas’ backup, Rask is just one serious injury away from taking over the Bruins crease.

Here are some numbers with regards to Dobber’s projections from last years’ guide:

Number of players predicted: 638 (removing any players who either finished with ZERO, or I had predicted to get ZERO).

Average points off with the predictions: 11.1 points (that’s a new best for me – worst was 15.1 back in 2005/06…but that was after the NHL took a year off)

Percent within 5 points of prediction: 35.7% (that’s a new best for me – worst was 27.0% back in 2003/04)

Percent within 10 points of prediction: 58.8% (that’s a new best for me – worst was 48.1% back in 2006-07)

Percent within 20 points of prediction: 83.4% (best was 86.1% in 2005-06 – also had 85.4% in 2002/03)

Percent EXACT: 3.0% (best was 5.6% in 2007-08)

The Guide is what enables us to supply you with oodles of interesting, relevant, and most importantly, free content each and every day. The great part about the DobberHockey Pool Guide is that we update it daily/weekly right into October. The print magazines have strict deadlines and have already been written, but we are able to change numbers and projections if a big trade or signing happens (Kovalchuk, Kaberle, that sort of thing). How accurate would it be to project New Jersey’s players without Kovalchuk, only to have him sign? He’ll impact essentially every single player in that lineup.

A few snippets from the 2010-11 Guide:

From Goldman:

Kari Lehtonen, Dallas

When discussing the fantasy value of an oft-injured goalie, one must look for signs that those injury concerns have been
suppressed. Look no further than Stars goalie coach Mike Valley. He's known for his ability to refine bigger goalies and maximize their durability and mental toughness (see Brent Krahn). Therefore I feel that Lehtonen is primed to finally prove he's an elite fantasy talent. It's a huge risk, I know, but you cannot discredit the fact that when healthy, he's one of the NHL's finest puck stoppers.

From Dobber:

1 Jordan Eberle C/RW Edmonton Has already flourished playing against men

2 Taylor Hall LW Edmonton The top 18-year-old in the world on a team that will play him in the top six immediately

3 P.K. Subban D Montreal Montreal’s best skater in the playoffs in April/May

4 Tyler Ennis C Buffalo Coach Ruff leaned on him more and more when they needed postseason goals

5 Jamie McBain D Carolina Not only were his brief NHL numbers big, but he had 29 pts in final 29 AHL games

6 John Carlson D Washington He’ll be Washington’s best all-around defenseman as early as this year. Clutch.

7 Tyler Seguin C Boston The other elite 18-year-old would be No.2 on this list were he not buried in Boston

8 Logan Couture C San Jose The Sharks will lean on him more and more for secondary offense.

9 Oliver Ekman-Larson D Phoenix If anyone has a shot at becoming the next Lidstrom, it’s him.

10 Eric Tangradi W Pittsburgh A red carpet has been rolled to Crosby’s wing. Only injuries/poor camp can stop

him.

11 Cam Fowler D Anaheim If he makes the team, he could be the No.2 power-play QB for the Ducks.

And finally, from myself:

Angus Prime Cut: Carl Gunnarsson

Grade: Porterhouse

Already blessed with an absolutely awesome hockey name, Gunnarsson showed last season that he is a solid defenseman as well. He was arguably the biggest (positive) surprise for Toronto and was logging top four minutes on a consistent basis by the end of the season. Fifteen points in 43 games on a poor club as a rookie defenseman is a very respectable number. Look for him to hit 30-plus points and play a regular power play shift.

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