The good news about the beginning of the offseason is that there is still plenty of fantasy relevant topics to go over. This week we have draft rankings, next week it's draft review and free agency opening, the couple of weeks after will be some more free agency review and roster projections before we get into the doldrums of August and September. At that point we're spending weeks with early projections and predictions before the pre-season games actual signal that we have things to talk about again. Enjoy this busier news time while it lasts.

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Congrats to this year's class of HHOF inductees:

I really can't believe that Alexander Mogilny finally made it. I had a bit of a shocked yell when I saw that the Hall finally got it right and inducted the pioneer human and all-star player. A well-deserved recognition a long time in the making.

The other three of the Men's inductees were fantasy staples at the top of drafts for years, and even valuable in the right spots as streamers later into their careers. I'm pretty sure Duncan Keith and Joe Thornton helped me to a few fantasy titles over the years. I'm not sure that I really rostered Zdeno Chara as much, but he was no less valuable as a player, with a sizeable presence on the ice that wasn't just because of his height.

Jennifer Botterill (who, like Mogilny, should have been inducted years ago) and Breanna Decker are excellent nominees on the women's side as well. Between the Canadian (Botterill) and the American (Decker) they have four Olympic gold medals, and an additional 16 gold and silver medals from the World Championships. Two of the most individually decorated and respected players out there.

Stick taps to all the players for some excellent careers.  

I don't know much about the builders Jack Parker and Daniele Sauvageau, so I won't take up more time on HHOF discourse.

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Around this time of year I like to drop my fantasy draft rankings for the new crop of draftees, with it being early enough now that my list changes slightly by the time our draft rolls around on July 15^th, but early enough that it is still relevant for most of your drafting, including those of you who are nuts enough to do it before the NHL draft, where values are due to shift, and we get a chance to see who the NHL teams cause to be risers and fallers. Here's the top-15 of my fantasy rankings this year, as that is the bulk of those who I see as fantasy relevant this year, and after that it looks like a multi-year wait just to see if the player is on track with their upside of being a middle-six player four years from then. In other words, I'm not against moving picks in the 20s this year for established prospects or a similar selection next year, and hoping the future crop is deeper (though it may look like it at this point, it's a little early to be able to tell).

I rank my list based on fantasy upside, and usually slotting Dmen further back than they would go on NHL lists and in the NHL drafts, because the upside is so much more limited, the timelines are longer, and the busts are worse. Aside from that, there's a mix or risk vs floor, and different styles of players, generally congealed from what I have read and learned from my preferred online sources.

Before we jump in, there's a relevant tidbit of new, with the New York Rangers moving this year's 12^th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins to complete the J.T. Miller deal (with the pick that then was moved to Pittsburgh later from Vancouver). With the Rangers looking to rebound next year, that tells you that they likely value the players in the 16-20 range next year more than they do the player they're likely to get at 12 this year. Make of that what you will.

My tiers for this year's draft would look something like: 1-2, 3-7, 8-9, 10-15, and then blowing things wide open from there.

Let's get to it:

1. Michael Misa (C)

The most recent exceptional status player from the CHL had a historic scoring season and looks to be the surest thing as a fantasy asset.

2. Matthew Schaefer (D)

The top defenceman in this draft by a mile, and a high upside for fantasy relevance. He isn't #1 for me though because I feel like there's a higher likelihood of Schaefer's prime being a 40-point defenceman versus Misa being anything less than a 60-point forward. They're generally interchangeable at the top of any list though based on personal preference.

3. James Hagens (C)

Whether it's stubbornness, or it's just that the scouts I trust more as picking him apart less than others, Hagens hasn't fallen down my board as much as he has for some. I do still think he has the second-highest upside as a forward in this draft, but the floor is as low as any of the next handful of names.

4. Anton Frondell (C)

I think some of the recent top European players such as William Eklund, Kaapo Kakko, and a few others having less than optimal development curves have made some people shy away from Frondell, but from what I have seen and read, the same red/yellow flags don't really apply here, and there's a lot to like from the top Swedish player, especially in formats that might favour goals to assists.

5. Victor Eklund (LW)

In a lot of the tracking data, Eklund stands out above Frondell. While the upside and the tools that Eklund has just don't express the same possible ceiling as they do for Frondell, it does mean that I feel like these two should be closer than many people are ranking them (which means some of those of you who are grumpy about taking whoever is left at 7^th, 8^th, or 9^th overall, well I think you might be very happy if you end up with the younger Eklund.

6. Jake O'Brien (C)

Noted as one of the best passers in this class, the growth timeline for O'Brien makes me think that he might be a bit of a later riser here, which could put him on a steeper trajectory the next few years. There are some questions about his skating, but that's more likely to be something that can improve than the vision and smarts which he possesses in spades.

7. Porter Martone (RW)

I know this is lower than most have him, but I have a tendency to prefer the skilled centres over the bigger wingers, and it has generally served me well over the years. Martone though isn't your typical big winger, and like O'Brien, is also lauded for being one of the best playmakers of the draft. The margin between three and seven is razor-thin, and by the time my draft rolls around in three weeks, I expect the order I have them in to have changed a few times.

8. Roger McQueen (C)

The back issue is the big storyline with McQueen, but the other big storyline with him is the amount of skill he has for a player of his size. At six-foot-five you wonder about a slightly shorter career due to injuries even if there isn't anything pre-existing. As it is now, the injury drops a top-five talent down the board a bit. If he can get the back healthy and strong, then he would be a steal even at eight. This is about where I start becoming okay with taking the risk on him, though I would be much happier if I had the 12^th pick and could wait for him to fall to me there (though he might not).

9. Caleb Desnoyers (C)

Desnoyers isn't someone that I'm certain will be a top-line centre, and if he isn't, then he could turn into a Philip Danault type, as the defensively responsible second-line centre who never really scores more than 55 points in a season. If I own a top-10 pick in any given fantasy league, I would really want more than that, hoping instead for someone in the mold of a Bo Horvat. As high as Desnoyers' floor is, I just can't kick the feeling that the most likely version of him is that second-line player, and I think someone else is going to take him earlier in fantasy drafts than I will.

10. Carter Bear (C)

Bear is also dealing with an injury shortened-season, though his was much later into the campaign, meaning the book was mostly filled-out for him before he had his time cut short. Bear does seem to have one of the highest upside/certainty combos of the rest of the group after the top-nine, and apparently has some dynamic qualities to his game as well.

11. Justin Carbonneau (RW)

I tend to drop players from the QMJHL down my list a bit, but there just aren't many names that excite me enough to bump them up ahead of Carbonneau. As one of a few power forward players in this range, it will be interesting to see which of them the NHL teams are reaching for or letting slip.

12. Brady Martin (C)

As it happens when someone wins the Stanley Cup on the back of a few players of a certain style, we immediately see those same types of players have their draft stock soar, which is what we've seen in Martin's case of late. He might be a middle-six player overall, with a handful of seasons where he tops 50 points, but he's likely never the difference between you winning and losing your fantasy league (though he should get a bump in bangers leagues). It's in actual NHL games, and specifically in the playoffs where he will be most valuable, and that means he will go higher in the NHL draft than he should in Fantasy circles.

13. Ben Kindel (RW)

One of the best rated in terms of Mason Black's PNHLe numbers (that means a player's eventual upside based on the current NHL equivalency of their draft year scoring numbers), Kindel has a few flags around him to match the upside. If you're looking for more of a boom/bust pick in this range, then he's your guy, buy you're more than welcome to play it safe with a number of the names that NHL teams will call in this range, while they let Kindel fall into the 20s or 30s.

14. Lynden Lakovic (LW)

Lakovic, aside from having a great hockey name, seems to have a great hockey profile as well, with size, skill, and a few highlight reel shots from the past season, there could be a team that falls in love with him on draft day. I have seen quite a variety in his draft rankings, which usually means that the development path is a wide one. For fantasy owners, players in the OHL seem like they are more likely to hold their value post draft, so he's someone I wouldn't hesitate to take a swing on, as his value should hold for a while even if you have to trade him away in a year or two. 

15. Radim Mrtka (D)

In other years I would have more defencmen than this, but it's just a shallow year at the top of the board for Dmen. Mrtka's possible upside is just so high though, potentially turning into what everyone was hoping Tyler Myers could be after hi fantastic rookie season. At worst he has a career similar to Myers, which is still fantasy relevant for many seasons – a certainty that I'm not sure we'll find anywhere else among the defencemen. His 35 points in 43 WHL games after crossing the pond certainly help his outlook as well.

Outside the top 15 picks, there are some swings on smaller forwards, less skilled defencemen, bigger players with IQ questions, and a mix of players with less upside or other more glaring flaws. At this point my list starts to mix in players available from previous draft classes (there aren't many that get leftover, like Aiden Fink, Calle Clang, and Bryce Montgomery for example), who might present a better and more immediate option than the new draftees available.

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See you next Wednesday, and if you have any fantasy hockey questions or comments you can find me on BlueSky @alexdmaclean, as that's now my primary platform.