Two months may seem like a long time, but that isn’t much of a break in the fantasy hockey world.

We had the NHL draft about two weeks ago, and training camps will open in about six weeks. In those eight months, fantasy general managers will be gearing up for their drafts and trying to determine which prospects will be the next superstars.

This year may be the trickiest season ever when it comes to evaluating the 2021 NHL draft. Too many prospects played too few games for anyone to get a real sense of who could turn into an offensive dynamo.

The prospect draft in one of my leagues wrapped up this weekend, and there were plenty of interesting takeaways.

The 24-team league consists of Dobber forum members, and each roster has three centres, three left wingers, three right wingers, three forwards, six defensemen and a goalie. We have six reserve spots and 15 minor league spots. By the time our pro draft is done and the season is underway, that’s 960 players already on teams. We also have four injured reserve spots, so it can be difficult to find anyone on the waiver wire once the season begins. Rebuilding can take years.

The league is head-to-head, with points assigned in each category. For example, goals and assists are each worth one point, with a power-play point worth an extra 0.5 points. There are also points for plus/minus, blocked shots, shots, hits, PIM, and faceoffs, plus goalie categories.

Our league generally leans heavily toward drafting forwards near the top of the draft, and you'll see that to be the case for this year as well. Maybe in a bit of a surprise, one player dropped significantly from where their NHL draft position.

I won't be getting too much into the prospects, as the gang at Dobber Prospects are great at that aspect, plus there's also the Fantasy Hockey Prospects Report that was recently released. This column will focus more on the reasons why the GMs chose the players that they did.

No.1: William Eklund, selected by Windsor Spitfires

Pengwin made a trade on draft day to move up to No.1 overall, giving up third and 16th overall. It turned out to be a shrewd move, as many of the other GMs I spoke to were hoping Eklund would drop the same as he did in the NHL draft, when he was selected ninth overall by San Jose. Eklund is projected by many to be the best player in this draft. Pengwin said this was an easy choice for first overall. "Of every draft list I read, only Eklund was highly praised as a ‘dynamic’ forward in this draft," he wrote. "Being a winger, and No.9 pick, hopefully, keeps his salary reasonable long-term."

No.2: Jesper Wallstedt, selected by the James Bay Cougars

InForAPenny has to wait a few years before his team becomes competitive, so he doesn't mind waiting for a goalie to develop. "I like my D prospects and with Wallstedt and the next two drafts (along with Marco Rossi), I should be able to have a pretty good core in the future," he said. "With Wallstedt playing against men in the SHL, I figure it was easier to get a read on him than some of the skaters this year. His upside was worth it to me as it’s hard to get a star goalie later."

No.3: Dylan Guenther, selected by the Amsterdam Red Lights

Trading down to No.3 was a bit of a gamble for rataylor22, as he had a top two of Eklund and Guenther. While his personal ranking system has Guenther a bit higher, rataylor22 was sure Eklund would be drafted first. Also holding the No.8 pick, rataylor22 tried to trade up to grab both, but no one would bite on a deal. "Once Guenther went to Arizona, I was pretty confident I could get him lower, and I started to become confident Eklund/Wallstedt were 1/2, which is how the trade came about," he said. "I think Guenther and Eklund are the two most likely skaters to come out of this draft as stars and my confidence level was a little higher on Guenther."

No.4: Matthew Beniers, selected by the Fort Francis Muskies

I never heard from Burgundy as to why he selected Beniers, but it's not difficult to guess. The No.2 overall pick in the NHL and the first-ever draft pick of the Seattle Kraken oozes potential. Many people believe Beniers was the top player available in the NHL draft, and he was the top-ranked player in the 2021 draft in Dobber's Prospect Report. He's also considered one the most NHL-ready players from the 2021 draft.

No.5: Mason McTavish, selected by the Montreal Canadiens

I was surprised that Owen Power was available to me at this pick and I debated it for a few minutes. But with a young core defensive group already consisting of Adam Boqvist, Evan Bouchard, Bowen Byram and Mikhail Sergachev, I needed to focus on offense. I am also concerned that Power will be much better in real life than fantasy. I felt McTavish was the top forward left and could be the best goal-scorer from this draft. It helps that I also have Trevor Zegras in this pool, so the two could be linemates for a decade.

No.6: Brandt Clarke, selected by the Kootenay Ice

A newbie to this league, Hawkdog was part of a dispersal draft earlier this summer, and was surprised to find no defensemen had been drafted yet. With his choice of the 2021 drafted defensemen, there were a few reasons behind his choice. "I decided on Clarke mostly due to his landing spot with the rebuilding Kings with the Kings having one of the best prospect pools in the NHL," said Hawkdog. As for Power, "I avoid Buffalo prospects as much as I can, and well, the Dobber prospect guide compares Power to Tyler Myers…"

No.7: Owen Power, selected by the Hershey Bears

This was the first of Butch's two top-10 picks, and he quickly had to pivot away from his strategy. Like almost everyone else, he hoped Eklund would drop, but he never imagined Power would fall to seventh. "I realize there are some things working against Power (namely Buffalo) but I think he’s going to be part of the solution over time," said Butch.

No.8: Cole Sillinger, selected by the Amsterdam Red Lights

With the number three pick of Guenther already drafted, rataylor22 had a few options here he liked. Since he's already flush with prospect defensemen and goaltenders, the WHL GM decided to go with Sillinger. "Based on the same rankings that had Guenther as the top player in the draft, Sillinger was pretty clearly the best player available here again," he said. This still wasn't a slam dunk, and he said later that he probably should have chosen Kent Johnson.

No.9: Sebastian Cossa, selected by the Hershey Bears

Two netminders going in the top-10 picks, a rare feat in fantasy dynasty leagues. But with COVID-19 shuttering leagues and making it difficult to gauge prospects, it makes sense this would be the season it happens. "In Cossa, I address another team need (goaltending depth), so I’m satisfied with picking him versus some of the forwards that were still highly regarded," he said, adding "There are more diamonds-in-the-rough forwards to take chances on, but way fewer goalies, so I hope the odds pay off."

No.10: Luke Hughes, selected by the Victoria DH

This worked out almost perfectly for Loch, who was hoping one of the top three defensemen in the NHL draft would drop to him at this spot. "I need blueliners going forward and they all project pretty well," he said. Hughes will get to play with his brother in a few years, but there has to be some concern after his foot injury put an end to his NCAA season. There's no doubt Hughes is extremely talented, but he has to usurp Dougie Hamilton and Ty Smith to become a great fantasy asset.  

Here is how the rest of the first round shaped out:

No.11: Kent Johnson

No.12: Chaz Lucius

No.13: Logan Stankoven

No.14: Matthew Coronato

No.15: Fabian Lysell

No.16: Aatu Raty

No.17: Zachary L'Heureux

No.18: Isak Rosen

No.19: Simon Edvinsson

No.20: Sasha Pastujov

No.21: Brennan Othmann

No.22: Oskar Olausson

No.23: Fyodor Svechkov

No.24: Nikita Chibrikov