Each year, NHL draft results vary from prospect drafts in dynasty fantasy hockey leagues because of the emphasis by fantasy owners on offensive and peripheral stat based production. Here are some guys you should slide up your draft list.

Nico Hischier – Center

The debate continues to rage as to whether the Devils will select Nolan Patrick or Hischier first overall. However, in fantasy leagues it seems to be a bit more set. Although Patrick is extremely valuable as an all-around player, it’s Hischier who will likely be selected first in most prospect drafts due to his incredibly high offensive ceiling.  At their absolute ceilings, Patrick could be a little more Ryan Getzlaf or Jonathan Toews, whereas Hischier is more in the mold of a Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg.

The Swiss center has a motor that never stops, and is quite underrated defensively as well. He has drawn comparisons to a few two-way dynamos, having the ability to both shut down the opposition and drive offense. He should be a mainstay on the power play and will chip in special teams points. If your league counts faceoffs, Hischier should be solid in the circle as well.

Casey Mittelstadt – Center

There is no denying the talent that Mittelstadt has. Certainly there are question marks about level of competition he has played against and how dominant he will be against college-level players next season, but his ceiling offensively is among the highest in this draft.

When playing with Green Bay of the USHL, Mittelstadt led all players with a 1.25 points-per-game rate with 30 points in just 24 games. When he was playing high school hockey in Minnesota for Eden Prarie, his numbers were much more video game like with 64 points posted in 25 games. The center will be one a dominant power-play producer where his elite-level playmaking skills will shine. Don’t be scared away by Mittelstadt if he doesn’t go in the top-five in the NHL draft, he’s certainly worthy of that high of a selection in your fantasy league.

Cale Makar – Defenseman

Makar has jumped onto everyone’s radar after a dominant draft year in the AJHL with the Brooks Bandits. In some ways, he is the blueline version of Mittelstadt, where he was a man against boy in terms of skill level against his competition this season.

Committed to UMass-Amherst, Makar will likely show us where he is in his development this season when takes a considerable step in competition. He is among the best skaters in the draft, and will be a terrific power play quarterback eventually at the NHL level. More power play ice time means more points, which should raise Makar’s profile among fantasy owners.

Elias Pettersson – Center/Wing

Although he is not physically there yet, Pettersson’s on-ice talent is undeniable. He checks many of the boxes of a high-level player, as he is among the top stickhandlers and skaters in this draft. He wasn’t great in the World Juniors, but should take a step forward for next year’s team as he will be a year older and one of Sweden’s leaders.

Pettersson put up nearly a point-per-game in Sweden Allsvenskan in his draft year with 19 goals and 22 assists. He will make the jump to the SHL next season – Sweden’s top division – so we should be able to see where he stacks up against others who have played in the league at 19. Overall, Pettersson’s hockey IQ and individual skill level trend him towards a player who will be a top-six type talent when he does reach the NHL level.

Kailer Yamamoto – Wing

Yamamoto could be this season’s undersized prospect with huge offensive upside that falls down NHL draft boards. However, that doesn’t mean he should fall down your fantasy draft board. The Spokane Chief is a high-risk due to his diminutive size, but could bring a high reward with his offensive potential. I’m sure those who drafted Alex DeBrincat last season aren’t kicking themselves now.

The winger gets by with an extremely high skill level, and great agility that allows him to slip checks and get to the high-danger parts of the Ice with relative ease. He was a point shy of 100 for the season in his draft year in the WHL, which led all CHL scorers in terms of points. He may be small, but undersized players are seeing more increased success now in the NHL than any other time in its existence with the overall skill level of the league being so high.
 

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