| The single biggest factor in determining your chance of | | | | Summer Reading Assignments |
| winning it all comes down to the time and effort you | | | | Before you start putting any names on paper, do |
| put into preparing a draft list. If you do it right, you | | | | some background research. Read a magazine or two |
| should have very few decisions to make during the | | | | and pay special attention to the following: |
| draft. You should be able to hand your draft list over | | | | 1. Injuries / Surgeries - off-season surgeries typically |
| to a trained monkey, and your roster will come out | | | | lead to slow starts or down-right lousy seasons. (see |
| shining. | | | | Brind'amour in '08, watch for Lecavalier in '09). Play the |
| Ground Rules | | | | percentages and avoid this guys. |
| There are a few ground rules to understand before | | | | 2. Hold outs - It doesn't happen as often as it used to, |
| getting into the strategy of preparing a draft list. | | | | but if a player is holding out, knock him down at least 3 |
| 1. Study the Point System - Every league is different. If | | | | tiers in your list. |
| you're in 3 different leagues, with three different point | | | | 3. Relocation - Take a look at players in new places |
| systems, you should have 3 different draft lists. | | | | and try to gauge whether it's a good move or a bad |
| Landshark Hockey has fine-tuned a point system to | | | | move for that player's performance. For example, Petr |
| perfection, but the world hasn't caught up to it yet. So | | | | Sykora wakes up and finds himself playing in |
| make sure and craft your list according to your | | | | Pittsburgh beside Malkin = good thing. Ryan Malone |
| league's points. | | | | leaves the comfort of Malkin's side and lands in the |
| 2. Don't Wing It - Come prepared with a full list at | | | | worst run franchise in the league = bad thing. |
| every position. Do the math, chump. If your league | | | | 4. Comebacks - Opposite of #1. When you're looking |
| drafts 5 defensemen and you have ten teams, you | | | | at stats, make a special note of players who came |
| had better prepare a list with at least 50 defensemen | | | | back or who were injured the previous season and |
| on it. Some guys come prepared with their top 10 at | | | | only played a few games. No doubt, these guys will be |
| each position and they're left in the cold after 3 rounds. | | | | forgotten by half the managers in your league. Watch |
| Don't be that guy. That guy is dumb. | | | | for Zubov and Gonchar in '09. Zubov will be the |
| 3. Read your History - History did not begin last | | | | forgotten man. |
| season. Don't base your draft list on last year's stats | | | | Preparing the List |
| alone. The top 50 scorers vary considerably from | | | | It's finally time to assemble the list. We highly |
| season to season. Guys get injured, then come back | | | | recommend using the Draft Guru tools found at |
| strong. Guys have a bad year, then storm back again | | | | Landshark Hockey. However, if you're old-school and |
| (Marleau). Go back at least 3 seasons in your | | | | prefer to cuddle up on the couch with a pencil and |
| considerations. | | | | paper, here's the general approach: |
| Tier Strategy | | | | 1. First Draft - Obviously, you want a seperate list for |
| The first key to dominating draft day is to divide your | | | | each position. Start with goaltending. Write up your list, |
| draft list into tiers by position. Start with goaltending. As | | | | marking down tiers, as described above. |
| you make your list of your top 30 goalies, draw lines | | | | 2. Expert Input - Once your list is compiled, take a look |
| between the tiers as the talent level drops a notch. For | | | | at other "expert" opinions. Look for players you may |
| example... | | | | have over or under rated and adjust your list |
| For the most part, when it's time to draft a specific | | | | accordingly. Don't put complete faith in others' opinions. |
| position, your choice is easy. Take the next guy on | | | | Trust your gut. A couple years back I was looking at a |
| your list. The only decision needs to be which position | | | | magazine that had Michael Handzus listed in the top 10. |
| to pull from. Having your list broken down into tiers | | | | I put it back on the shelf without reading any further. |
| simplifies your decision. Say you're in the fourth round, | | | | Then again, if you typically finish last in your league, |
| and you already have 1 goalie, 1 forward, and 1 | | | | maybe you shouldn't trust your gut. Trust me instead. |
| defenseman. All the goalies in your top 2 tiers have | | | | 3. Sleeper Notes - This part takes some insight into |
| been taken. All the forwards in your top 2 tiers are | | | | your competition. Go through your list and try to |
| gone, too. But Mike Green is still sitting out there and | | | | determine how high the other GMs will rank the player. |
| he's a tier 1 D. You take the player from the highest | | | | Look for players on your list that you think will slide and |
| tier. Over the course of the draft, you need balance, | | | | mark them. When it comes down to that player at |
| but choosing the best player from the highest tier | | | | draft time, you may be willing to wait another round if |
| available is money. | | | | you think others will pass on him. |