The draft is arguably the best part of any fantasy sport. You get to be a general manager, building the foundation of a team that you'll need to live with for an entire season. You want to be prepared, and that goes beyond just having a knowledge of the game.
Here's some pointers ahead of draft day for the 2020-21 fantasy campaign…
Understand your format
There are two main types of fantasy hockey leagues: head-to-head points and rotisserie. In head-to-head point formats, you face an opponent over the course of a week, and the highest point total receives a win. Rotisserie formats tabulate your team's stats across categories and rank them against your league competitors. At the end of the season, the more categories you're highly ranked in, the better you do.
Keep in mind the positional breakdown of forwards, as well. Yahoo! Leagues default to C, LW and RW, but some leagues use a generic forward (F) position, encompassing all three groups together. In leagues that distinguish between the three positions, many players carry two or even three eligible tags. For example, Hurricanes forward Andrew Svechnikov is LW/RW eligible. Players like this add versatility to your lineup, and they can be even more valuable given the challenges of a truncated, 56-game season.
Review the scoring system
Categories vary based on the league, so it's essential to review your league's settings. A default Yahoo! League rewards skaters for goals, assists, plus/minus, power-play points, shots on goal and blocked shots. Goalies
