SHL Fantasy Draft Analysis
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fgh
Registered Somehow was a GM With the majority of the SHL Fantasy Leagues having completed their drafts, with only a few having to make late-round selections, SHL Fantasy Insider started analysis on who was picked where and has come up with the fan-based top fantasy team, based on average pick chosen ratings, and rankings of the best forwards, defenders, and goalies to take with your substitution pick in the S23 season! Let's go first to the rankings that hold half of any solid fantasy team. FORWARDS 10. Riko Muerto - Average Pick Selected: 24.933 Being traded to Hamilton did not stop fans from choosing Riko Muerto in big numbers, with 12 of the 15 groups not taking this talented Norwegian forward. While he did have some top-end competition and does not make the roster for the top fantasy team, Muerto was picked as high as 3rd overall by fans! For the 3 groups that have this forward as a free agent, take a look and see if you can nab him to replace any busting forwards you have now. 9. Niklas Stryker - Average Pick Selected: 23.333 The top Chiefs member selected by fans, Stryker makes the top 10 forwards drafted and did so in commanding fashion, being drafted in the first 2 rounds in 5 groups! While still being on the market in 3 groups, Stryker should give you some good point totals as one of the key scorers for a competing Minnesota team. If you need a goal scorer midway through the season and Stryker is available, take the shot. 8. Joe McKeil - Average Pick Selected: 19.400 The oldest of OGs, Joe McKeil is still a fan favorite and is promising to deliver some good fantasy value as a 2nd or 3rd forward. McKeil has made waves in the point column in recent years with a 60 point season to his name, but those that selected the Hamilton forward will also get more hitting numbers as well, completing the double threat. If you don't have him now, however, you'll ahve to wait for someone to drop him as every group in the Fantasy League took this surefire forward. 7. Magnus Jakobsen - Average Pick Selected: 14.400 The top-rated Steelhawk in the fantasy drafts, Jakobsen looks to prove he can still play after a season-long suspension and the fans are behind him! This is the first forward on our list that was chosen 1st overall in a group, but was also not selected in 2 other groups. What an odd range. If you want points, Jakobsen will be your man this season, and for the two groups that still have him available, take that potential #1 overall forward if you have any doubts about your 3 forwards. 6. Esa Anrikkanen - Average Pick Selected: 12.267 The first forward from the Western Conference comes from Calgary, as Esa Anrikkanen wasn't picked in the top 5 forwards but is looking in! Most fans will have chosen Anrikkanen for his superb checking ability but the top Dragons forward knows how to put the puck in the back of the net. Nogroup forgot Anrikkanen, so if you want this dominant two-way forward, you're gonna have to wait for someone to be careless and drop him. 5. Jordan Hall - Average Pick Selected: 11.667 Another Western Conference forward and the back end of the top 5 forwards is Jordan Hall, the crazy wild card of the fantasy leagues. Hall can rack up points and hits with the best of them and fans went with the safe bet here, with all but 1 group not taking the star of the Lone Star State's only SHL team. Hall can provide excitement on the ice and rack up points for a fantasy win, so for the 1 group with this player still floating around, nab a star and be the envy of your group. 4. Vidrik Onoprienko - Average Pick Selected: 7.667 The "6th Man" of the fantasy draft, Onoprienko comes in as the first one out of the top fantasy team with the highest average draft pick of the rest of the league. Playing for the surprise Jets may have something to do with why the Winnipeg forward was selected so high, but what really got people to choose the strong Finnish player was his hockey IQ. His knowledge of the game is why every group out there picked up this valuable player for their own team. DEFENDERS 10. Chuck Winnfield - Average Pick Selected: 32.800 The Riot have a more balanced team this year, but that doesn't mean that their star defender Chuck Winnfield won't produce for your fantasy team! Winnfield comes in as our 10th defender, with 5 teams not taking the chance on the balanced depth attack of Seattle keeping Winnfield's numbers down. But the star defender knows how to score and can do so no matter how much ice time he gets. If you need a defender and Winnfield's available, pick him up and run with him! 9. Steven Jalopski - Average Pick Selected: 29.467 Calgary is known for their physical play and grinding hockey, and Canadian defender Steven Jalopski displays the rough and tough game to the max. THis hitting machine is only still available in 3 groups, so nab Jalopski if you think he can recreate seasons past. Jalopski's hard hitting blue-line presence racks up hitting totals, his defensive awareness gives you shot blocks, but be wary. This defender has a tendency to take bad penalties and may not see the same ice time others might. 8. Friedrich Müller - Average Pick Selected: 28.600 While not many Edmonton Blizzard players were selected very high, this offensive German defender was the odd one of the bunch. His offense-first style of play from the blue line and special teams opportunities was something only 3 groups missed out on during the draft. The trade away from Hamilton and their star-studded team gives Müller a chance to take the Blizzard up the ranks by himself, so let him take your team to the top of your group as well, if you can. 7. Brandon Cant - Average Pick Selected: 25.733 Back to the East we go to find #7 on our defensive board, where veteran Brandon Cant, a journeyman star blue-line player, lies. Only 2 groups had the nerve to leave one of New England's big 4 defenders available on the open market, with the ageless defender coming in as high as 16th Overall. While not the star he once was, Cant is still a solid contributor to a winning New England team, and if available, should be taken for his hitting and shot blocking capabilities. 6. Valterri Bottas - Average Pick Selected: 23.600 We continue the Western dominance on the defensive zone with a little West Coast twang to the Canadian sport in Valterri Bottas. The Finnish offensive defender was instrumental in Los Angeles's runner-up performance in the Challenge Cup Finals, and every group wants to see what he does with the Panthers this year. Keep Bottas if you can, because his point totals on the 1st line should be higher than most. 5. Shawn Velevra - Average Pick Selected: 18.733 Back to the Western Conference for a little bit to address the draft stock of Shawn Velevra, one of the core players in the Texas Renegades locker room. Being drafted as high as 6th overall in the 14 of 15 groups that took the defender, Velevra deserves his title amongst the top 5 defenders. His physical play, scoring capability, and Texas's physical gameplan make for a Shawn Velevra that, if you're able to pick him up, will help you hoist a fantasy league championship. 4. Willie Weber - Average Pick Selected: 17.267 We already talked about one part of the tandem on the blue line for the Wolfpack, so let's go back to Boston for New England's Willie Weber. A defensive stalwart, no group could chance the thought of an opposing team having this dynamo in their pair for the year, with Weber going as high as 4th Overall in some groups and never dropping below 40th. With the Wolfpack looking at a Cup run this season, watch for Weber to be a top defender in fantasy groups. 3. Chuck Goody - Average Pick Selected: 16.733 Hoisting the Challenge Cup does wonders for your fantasy draft stock, and no one is as good of a marker for this phenomenon than defender Chuck Goody. This isn't to say that he isn't a great player, but that with the defending Challenge Cup champions around him, Goody is expected to lay the wood and bruise every team in the East. That's what every group is betting on too, with Goody going no farther than 47th and as high as 7th in 3 separate groups! GOALTENDERS 5. Dustin Rose - Average Pick Selected: 30.733 As is the fantasy draft, everyone needs a goalie. Most groups waited but eventually, Rose was picked up as someone's man between the pipes. The retiring goalie is looking to end his career with a Challenge Cup and only 2 teams didn't believe him when he proclaimed that he would be the best goalie out there his final season. If you can nab him for as a free agent and not have to take him at 5th Overall, you have yourself a steal of a goaltender this fantasy season. 4. Jakub Aittokallio - Average Pick Selected: 28.600 You can never go wrong with legendary players and only 1 group took that advice. The other 14 chose Jakub Aittokallio as their goaltender and there's precedent and records to back up the selection. The recent piece on goaltenders throughout history showed that Aittokallio has the ability to hit some major landmarks this season and that's why teams selected the Blizzard netminder as high as 15th overall, making him a valuable pickup if you can have him. 3. Jackson Weekes - Average Pick Selected: 26.467 Most goaltenders go around the same time in fantasy groups, usually all of them going in the same round or so. Still, Weekes was picked on average 3rd in that lineup and that says volumes. He can stop pucks on a consistent basis, has a top 3 defense in front of him that isn't going away anytime soon, and Weekes has shown his endurance and playoff success in LA. Those that picked him up 12th overall will be very happy with his numbers at the end of the season, guaranteed. 2. Jordin FourFour - Average Pick Selected: 19.467 The Renegades have won 2 Challenge Cups, Sweden has been dominant, and any team with FourFour in net has had some success, which is why every group in the fantasy league drafted this phenom. Texas has a solid defensive core that not only is storng but is deep, so FourFour will be out there making saves on only the best of shots. This was true before too, and people that picked FourFour as high as 9th Overall know he stops them all. TOP FANTASY TEAM 3. Brian Morley, F - Average Pick Selected: 3.800 This is where we get to the top team and you have to have Brian Morley in your top 3 forwards in the SHL. Morley never was drafted outside the 1st round, as our 3 forwards all were, and that's because when you lead the league in points scored the season before, you have a solid precedent for your scoring future. He scores goals, hits people, and plays for a top contender. That all leads to Morley taking the 3rd forward spot in SHL Fantasy's top fantasy team. 2. Carter O'Callahan, F - Average Pick Selected: 2.667 Selected no later than 7th Overall, taken with the 1st pick in 4 leagues, and one of the greatest to play the game in New England, Carter O'Callahan ranks #2 in our top fantasy team. O'Callahan has been featured on SHL game covers for a while now and his dominating scoring ability, paired with his rough physical play, makes for an excellent fantasy chip. Keep O'Callahan no matter what. History says he'll do just fine for you. 1. Daniel Merica, F - Average Pick Selected: 1.867 He wins a championship. He comes in 2nd in the points race. He then gets snubbed during the awards show? You bet Daniel Merica's gonna be lighting it up this season. Only 1 group risked taking this offensive and defensive phenom outside the top 3 at number 4, and for good reason. Merica stays on the ice, hits, doesn't take penalties, and scores points for his team. Keep Merica, never let go, and keep your hands and feet in the car at all times during the ride. 2. Chris Partlow, D - Average Pick Selected: 7.800 The 2nd most picked defender has to come from a former championship squad in Chris Partlow. Partlow has a big following only a Texas team could have, and it's fitting that the Texas fans chose him over almost every other defender. Partlow can assist to guys like Jordan Hall, he can let 'em rip from the blue line, and he can be a dominant physica force at the point of entry to the defensive zone. He can do it all. 1. Roy Razin, D - Average Pick Selected: 4.467 Another of the Manhattan Cup champions, the Russian Razin makes it to the top of our defensive pairing in the fantasy leagues. Never falling out of the first round, Razin has the fortune of being paired up with the dynamo that is Daniel Merica. One without the other isn't nearly what they are together, and with them both looking to repeat as Challenge Cup champs, keep Razin and see his point totals soar. 1. Lauris Prikulis, G - Average Pick Selected: 17.800 To backstop this fantastic crew, we have the anchor behind the most surprising team in hockey last season. Yes, this means we're talking about the Gold Medal winning Latvian Lauris Prikulis and if you're like the fans that play fantasy, you'll agree that Prikulis is a man of consistent training, expertise, and results. Carrying a team from the net is hard to do, and Prikulis gets help from Rookie of the Year Patrik Šatan and candidate this year Drew Myers, so expect his numbers to be high as ever. That should be everything! Top 10 forwards, top 10 defenders, and top 5 goalies that lead up to the top picked fantasy team of S23! Here's the math and spreadsheet compiling the draft numbers
fgh
Registered Somehow was a GM Banned Most Hated
Boomcheck
Registered S10 Challenge Cup Champion Quote:Originally posted by gorlab@Apr 25 2015, 05:25 PM fml
Andy
Registered S28, S39 Challenge Cup Champion Quote:Originally posted by gorlab@Apr 25 2015, 08:25 PM )
Nike
SHL GM S22, S28, S40, S42 Challenge Cup Champion & Merica Lover
Lunaro
Registered S28 Challenge Cup Champion
Prik isn't even top 5 in goalies this season
Sigs by Kit, Maxy, Mook, LazyEye, Wasty, Ragnar, Bushito, Frank, 701, Pandar Player Page | Update Thread
ORIGINSZ
Registered S25 Challenge Cup Champion Quote:Originally posted by Lunaro@Apr 25 2015, 08:48 PM Don't be shocked when he bounces back lol lots of new faces L4E is a lines god so with some tweeking I expect to see him among the best again. However right now ya he's not
West Kendall
JackCross
Registered S11, S19, S25 Challenge Cup Champion
Merica
Registered Respected Curse Killer
Good article.
Only issue is not having CJ as the #1 goalie. 9 wins, 5 Shutouts. S2, S5, S18, S22 Challenge Cup Champion
Hall Of Famers: (S7) Alex Reay | (S28) Daniel Merica Thanks to Ragnar, Wasty and myself for the sigs.
Underoath10
Registered S23 Challenge Cup Champion Quote:While not the star he once was, Cant is still a solid contributor to a winning New England team, and if available, should be taken for his hitting and shot blocking capabilities.I was a star once?! :"> Nice write up. Beat David to it this season. Quote:Originally posted by Merica@Apr 25 2015, 09:12 PMJust the math and average picks that took place.
fgh
Registered Somehow was a GM
Thanks for all the positive feedback! This took a while to compile all the draft information and present it to be honest.
Might follow up on this with numbers surrounding the "dream team" here and comparing that to the best fantasy team available. We shall see. Also gotta look at who picked up which available players as steals haha |
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