I always get excited for the release of the Dobber guide (this year’s version will be released on Wednesday, August 1). To me, this is the official start of the next hockey season.

 * * * Pick up the 13th annual DobberHockey Fantasy Hockey Guide here ***

However, one of my hockey leagues likes to get a bit of a head start. The World Hockey League (WHL) is made up of 24 GMs from the Dobber forums and we had our five-round prospect draft in July.

As many dynasty leagues will be having their drafts in the next month or so, I figured this would be a good opportunity to get an idea of how the top 10 could shakedown in your league.

Ours is a head-to-head league, but points are assigned in each category. The team with the most points at the end of the week takes the matchup. Goals and assists are one point; a power play point is 0.5 points; plus/minus is 0.25 points; blocked shots, hits, penalty minutes and shots are 0.05 points; and faceoffs won are worth 0.01 (but only centres slotted in the centre position are eligible for these points). Lineup changes are made daily and we start three each of centre, left wing, right wing and forward, plus six defensemen.

I won’t go into the goalie positions since none were chosen during the top 10. (You can see more information on the league, and some of the reasoning behind later picks, forum here).  

Myself and metaldude (aka Steve Laidlaw, the Managing Editor of DobberHockey) were the only two general managers to have more than one pick in the top 10.

Instead of ranking the picks, I’ve posted them in order for clarity. I’ve asked each general manager to quickly give their reasoning behind drafting the player so you can see a glimpse into their minds. 

1. Andrei Svechnikov (Dryden Eagles, metaldude26)

This was the first of four top-10 picks for Laidlaw. It should be no surprise that he took Svechnikov with the first overall pick. He’s talked about it in ramblings during the season before we even knew the draft order. He argues that it is easier for wingers, rather than defensemen, to make an impact early on in their careers. Besides the above link, here’s another rambling where Laidlaw lays it out. Laidlaw is not alone. Svechnikov is getting plenty of love as the first overall pick in many fantasy drafts so be prepared if you have the second overall pick and you think it is a slam dunk you are drafting the newest Hurricane. 

2. Rasmus Dahlin (Saanichton Cougars, inforapenny)

Inforapenny says there was never any doubt to select Dahlin as there’s a certainty and upside when it comes to the NHL’s first overall pick. Inforapenny also believes Dahlin will outscore Filip Zadina with our league setup. Dahlin will be given every opportunity in the NHL to succeed and should be the Sabres top defenseman almost immediately.

3. Filip Zadina (Glasgow Kiss, Magicstew)

For now, I imagine almost every prospect draft is going to play out the same way for the top three picks, and it’s after this pick where things start to get thrown in the blender. Zadina had 44 goals in 57 games in the QMJHL, and Detroit won’t be bringing him along slowly like they have done with prospects for 20 years as they’re already stated they are willing to go young if the players can prove they are ready. Magicstew also liked Zadina’s post-draft comments, where he wants to prove Montreal and Ottawa wrong for selecting other players over him.

4. Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Dryden Eagles, metaldude26)

Laidlaw wanted to continue choosing forwards instead of defenders as they can make a fantasy impact quicker than defensemen. Kotkaniemi looks to be the next player in line to be the Habs top centre, and there’s early talk he could even make the Habs squad this season. He played mostly wing this past season, but was in a league against men and posted 29 points in 57 games.

5. Oliver Wahlstrom (Dryden Eagles, metaldude26)

Again, Laidlaw went with a forward, and to be honest, this pick killed me because I was really banking on selecting Wahlstrom at seventh. This pick also screwed up my draft as I figured there would have been more defensemen selected by now. Wahlstrom is projected to be a goal scorer after posting 48 goals and 94 points in 62 games with the U18 USNTDP.

6. Brady Tkachuk (Fort Frances Muskies, Burgundy)

Sometimes a decision is made easier based on the players you already have in your system. Burgundy already has a good set of young defensemen, so he wanted to focus on forwards for this selection. Tkachuk was the best of what was left. Even though he may not have the offensive potential as other draft picks (depending on who you listen to), Burgundy hopes Tkachuk’s peripherals could lead him to outpoint many others in our setup.

7. Adam Boqvist (Montreal Canadiens, newfcollins)

The next two picks were mine, and although I wanted a forward, I decided to go with a defenseman instead because I didn’t like the remaining forward options. I figured Boqvist has a good opportunity to be a number one defenseman in a short amount of time as the Hawks have an ageing defensive corps and no one in the system to take over. Plus, Dobber Prospects managing editor Peter Harling had Boqvist as the second highest offensive potential among defensemen in the Dobber prospects report released earlier this year.

8. Evan Bouchard (Montreal Canadiens, newfcollins)

Much like Boqvist, I figured Bouchard has a good opportunity to be a team’s top power-play quarterback within a short amount of time. The only challenger in Edmonton is Oscar Klefbom, who had a horrific year and hasn’t cemented the top role yet. Bouchard had an amazing 87 points in 67 games last year with the Golden Knights and there is talk he could make the Oilers this fall. That may not happen, but he could be in line to take over the top power play spot sooner than any other blueliner from the 2018 draft outside of Dahlin.

9. Quinn Hughes (Dryden Eagles, metaldude26)

Laidlaw finally chose a defenseman. As Laidlaw said to me after the draft: “The strength of the draft was on D, so outside of the top few forwards, the way to go was on D because of the upside and certainty, which most of the forwards outside of the top five weren’t offering.” Hughes immediately jumped to the top of the Canucks'  defensemen rankings over at Dobber Prospects. 

10. Vitali Kravtsov (Edmonton Road Runners, Lemmy)

Lemmy likes Kravtsov’s skating and the fact he was playing in the KHL against men as a 17- and 18-year-old. That age difference would explain his four goals and seven points in 35 games, but he found another gear in the playoffs, finishing with six goals and 11 points in 16 games. I always find it tough to measure young players in other leagues as they are not always given as much ice time/quality linemates as those in the CHL, but Lemmy believes Kravtsov has a huge ceiling.