Fantasy hockey draft strategy: first four rounds

NHL.com provides fantasy hockey draft strategy for the first four rounds at each spot in a standard, non-keeper league for the 2023-24 season.

MORE COVERAGE: Top 250

Listen: NHL Fantasy on Ice podcast

Fantasy draft cheat sheet

NOTES: Players are listed in order of latest NHL.com top 250 rank, but some may be worth reaching for earlier based on position scarcity, ceiling/floor or other trends. Players who fall to a later pick or round in any situation should be prioritized ahead of the three options listed for any particular pick. These suggestions are for standard snake drafts.

---

ROUND 1

1. Connor McDavid
2. Leon Draisaitl
3. Nathan MacKinnon
4. Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, Jack Hughes
5. Kucherov, Pastrnak or J. Hughes
6. Kucherov, Pastrnak or J. Hughes
7. Matthew Tkachuk or Jason Robertson
8. M. Tkachuk or J. Robertson
9. Mikko Rantanen or Auston Matthews
10. Rantanen or Matthews
11. Kirill Kaprizov or Sidney Crosby
12. Kaprizov or Crosby

---

ROUND 2

13. Brady Tkachuk, Tage Thompson or Alex Ovechkin
14. B. Tkachuk, Thompson or Ovechkin
15. B. Tkachuk, Thompson or Ovechkin
16. Cale Makar, Igor Shesterkin or Ilya Sorokin
17. Makar, Shesterkin or Sorokin
18. Makar, Shesterkin or Sorokin
19. Mitchell Marner or Elias Pettersson
20. Marner or Pettersson
21. Adam Fox or Jake Oettinger
22. Fox or Oettinger
23. Brayden Point or Roope Hintz
24. Point or Hintz

---

ROUND 3

25. Mika Zibanejad or Jack Eichel
26. Zibanejad or Eichel
27. Artemi Panarin or William Nylander
28. Panarin or W. Nylander
29. Steven Stamkos or Tim Stützle
30. Stamkos or Stützle
31. Rasmus Dahlin or Erik Karlsson
32. Dahlin or E. Karlsson
33. Brad Marchand or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
34. Marchand or RNH
35. Roman Josi, Alexandar Georgiev or Connor Bedard
36. Josi, Georgiev or Bedard

---

ROUND 4

37. Josi, Georgiev or Bedard
38. Linus Ullmark or Dougie Hamilton
39. Ullmark or Hamilton
40. Sebastian Aho or John Tavares
41. Aho or Tavares
42. Miro Heiskanen, Evan Bouchard or Quinn Hughes
43. Heiskanen, Bouchard or Q. Hughes
44. Heiskanen, Bouchard or Q. Hughes
45. Kyle Connor or Zach Hyman
46. Connor or Hyman
47. Matt Boldy, Connor Hellebuyck or Andrei Svechnikov
48. Boldy, Hellebuyck or A. Svechnikov

---

Others to consider in first 4 rounds: Nico Hischier, Clayton Keller, Charlie McAvoy, Josh Morrissey, Aleksander Barkov, Alex Tuch

Key injury: Andrei Vasilevskiy

---

1st draft spot: 1, 24, 25, 48, etc.
2nd draft spot: 2 23, 26, 47, etc.
3rd draft spot: 3, 22, 27, 46, etc.
4th draft spot: 4, 21, 28, 45, etc.
5th draft spot: 5, 20, 29, 44, etc.
6th draft spot: 6, 19, 30, 43, etc.
7th draft spot: 7, 18, 31, 42, etc.
8th draft spot: 8, 17, 32, 41, etc.
9th draft spot: 9, 16, 33, 40, etc.
10th draft spot: 10, 15, 34, 39, etc.
11th draft spot: 11, 14, 35, 38, etc.
12th draft spot: 12, 13, 36, 37, etc.