Fantasy Hockey 2022: NHL Player Rankings, Draft Strategy and Sleepers You Must Add

The road to hockey season is ramping up. The NHL's 32 teams are holding training camps, preseason games are taking place and the regular season is set to begin Oct. 7. Before long, meaningful contests will be happening on ice around the league.

That means now is the ideal time to set up a fantasy hockey league. And if you've never played before, it could be fun to jump in and try it out for the 2022-23 season.

So, here's some info to help get fantasy hockey managers started. Let's take a look at player rankings, draft strategies and sleepers to target ahead of the upcoming season.

1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers

2. Leon Draisaitl, C/LW, Edmonton Oilers

3. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

4. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche

5. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche

6. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

7. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild

8. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

9. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Calgary Flames

10. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

11. Mikko Rantanen, C/RW, Colorado Avalanche

12. Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

13. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

14. Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers

15. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

16. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Florida Panthers

17. Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers

18. Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators

19. Steven Stamkos, C/LW, Tampa Bay Lightning

20. Mitchell Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs

21. J.T. Miller, C/LW, Vancouver Canucks

22. Adam Fox, D, New York Rangers

23. Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets

24. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins

25. Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes

Take an offensive player in the first round. That's a good rule to follow in most fantasy hockey drafts, and while there are a few exceptions, it's typically best to get a forward who can power your lineup with huge scoring numbers throughout the season.

Those aforementioned exceptions this year are Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. These are the best players at their respective positions, and they're such difference-makers that it will take a first-round pick to land either.

Makar and Vasilevskiy are great targets in the middle of the first round, after the top offensive stars (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Auston Matthews) are off the board. But if you take either, it will be important to stock up on some forwards in the second, third and likely fourth rounds.

If you have the No. 1 pick, you won't have to think hard. McDavid is the clear top player to target, and he'll pretty much always go with the first selection in every league.

Also, if you take a forward in the first round, that shouldn't stop you from taking more in the second and third. It could be wise to get a bunch of strong offensive talent, pick up a few solid defensemen and try to find a high-value goaltender in the middle of the draft.

But no draft goes the same, and it's important to see how things develop. Be ready to pivot in case your strategy goes off the rails, because there's always a chance that happens.

Jakub Vrana, LW, Detroit Red Wings

Vrana was limited to 26 games last season due to a shoulder injury, which may be why he's getting taken so late in fantasy drafts. But when the 26-year-old forward has been on the ice, he's played well since getting traded from Washington to Detroit in April 2021.

In 37 games with the Red Wings, Vrana has tallied 21 goals and nine assists. So if he can stay healthy throughout the 2022-23 campaign, he could be a solid offensive player to have on a fantasy roster.

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Mikhail Sergachev, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

While Victor Hedman is the top defenseman on the Lightning's roster, he'll get taken within the first few rounds of fantasy drafts. But Sergachev is a sleeper who could provide tremendous late-round value, as he could get even more playing time this season.

This offseason, Tampa Bay traded Ryan McDonagh to Nashville and gave Sergachev an eight-year, $68 million extension. The 24-year-old defenseman tallied 38 points in the 2021-22 campaign (the most since his 2017-18 rookie season), and he should continue to play well moving forward.

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Vitek Vanecek, G, New Jersey Devils

Vanecek flashed his potential over his first two NHL seasons with the Capitals. But he had to split time with Ilya Samsonov during the 2021-22 campaign, when Vanecek had a 2.67 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.

The Devils needed a boost in the net, and Vanecek should provide that. The 26-year-old likely hasn't reached his full potential yet, so he may have his best showing yet in the 2022-23 season. That makes him an intriguing netminder to consider targeting in fantasy drafts.