Top 10 Centers & Wingers, Fantasy Hockey Mailbag | Feat. Nate Groot-Nibbelink (Apples & Ginos Podcast)
Episode 81 of the Fantasy Hockey Hacks Podcast! Nate Groot Nibbelink (Apples & Ginos Podcast), the originator of the Zero G Draft Strategy and writer for Yahoo Fantasy Hockey joins the Hacks as we reveal the top 10 centers and wingers heading into the 2022-2023 NHL season! We also decided to do a Fantasy Hockey Mailbag episode to answer all of our listener’s questions ahead of fantasy drafts and the pre-season! As we do each week, we’ll also check in on John’s list and “hack” our way through this week’s Headlines.
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Highlights:
- Enter to win a Hacks Holiday in Vegas!
- Top 10 Centers & Top 10 Wingers
- Where should you draft Ilya Sorokin?
- Thoughts on line-stacking as a draft strategy?
- How comfortable are you drafting Nikita Kucherov, particularly in a keeper league?
- What can we expect from Dougie Hamilton this season? Bounce-back candidate?
- What is Kevin Fiala’s upside in Los Angeles?
- Jason Robertson or Brady Tkachuck?
Stay In Touch
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This Episode Is Brought To You By: Pro Hockey Life
The Fantasy Hockey Hacks are a proud partner of Lucky Bastard Distillers!
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John’s List
If you have been listening to our podcast for a while, you’ve undoubtedly heard about “John’s List”; which is basically John’s $h!t list of players past and present. If you have any suggestions for players/subjects we should add to the list, let us know!
Player TBD – Player Details
Headlines W/ The Hacks | September 12 – 19, 2022
The 2021-2022 regular season has wrapped, but if you’re planning to defend your fantasy hockey championship next season be sure to get your draft kit from our partner, Left Wing Lock – Available NOW! We’re giving away a few of these draft kits, starting this week – so be sure to follow us on Twitter (@FHHacks) or Instagram (@FantasyHockeyHacks) to win!
News This Week
- Nathan MacKinnon got paid! He signed an 8 year $100.8 Million extension with the Colorado Avalanche. With an AAV of $12.6 million per season make him the highest paid player in the NHL.
- Jason Robertson will not be at the Dallas Stars training camp when it opens. Robertson, an RFA, is still waiting on a new contract.
- Word out of Philly is that Ryan Ellis will not play this season for the Flyers (sorry Mike)
- Gabriel Landeskog won’t skate anytime soon according to head coach Jared Bednar.
- Vincent Trocheck lined up next to Panarin at 2C, and found himself on the top power play unit. It’s obviously early in camp, but encouraging.
- The Florida Panthers went with Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart on the top line on day 1 of training camp – great for news for Sam Reinhart’s fantasy value, not so much for Matthew Tkachuk.
- Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon told the media today that Nolan Patrick, Shea Weber, and Robin Lehner will NOT play in 2022-2023.
- Mark Stone started camp in a non-contact jersey.
- Rick Bowness said the Winnipeg Jets defencemen will have a green light to play offensively this season. Great news for Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk’s fantasy value.
- Drew Doughty (wrist) is 100% healthy.
- Nick Suzuki will miss approximately two weeks with a lower-body injury.
- The Edmonton Oilers signed Ryan McLeod to a 1-year, $798,000.
- No surprise, Matt Murray and IIya Samsonov will platoon to begin the season for the Maple Leafs
- Looks like Alex Pietrangelo have been given PP1 duties early in the Golden Knights camp. Something to keep an eye on
- Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks will be out of action for 3 to 4 weeks after undergoing hand surgery on Monday.
Top 10 Centers & Wingers & Fantasy Mailbag
For this segment, we are going to evaluate the top 10 centers and top 10 wingers heading into the 2022-2023 season. We’ll be referencing Apples & Ginos rankings/projections, as well FHH rankings/projections.
Fantasy Mailbag
At The Draft
- Could you provide some insight to your draft strategy this season (i.e. round-by-round)? Who are you targeting early, mid, and late rounds?
- For our listeners that are not aware, please provide an overview of your Zero G Draft strategy. Could you tell us what you find based on last year’s results? I know you dedicated an episode on your podcast to the subject. I’ve included a link in our show notes.
- Assuming you’re not following Zero G, where would you draft Ilya Sorokin? In FHFH mock drafts he is going at an ADP of 71. In Yahoo, he’s surprisingly going at an ADP of 30.2, making him the 3rd goalie off the board! 😧
- What are your thoughts on line-stacking as a draft strategy? Do you cap it at 3 players?
- What is your draft strategy in a keeper league? 12 keepers (already set)and 8 round draft.
- How comfortable would you be keeping Nikita Kucherov, given his injury history? Victor Hedman is the other option.
- There seem to be fewer dual-eligible players (on Yahoo at least) than in years past, especially at the top of the draft. How strongly do you consider roster flexibility when drafting? Do players like Steven Stamkos, J.T. Miller, Timo Meier, Kevin Fiala, etc. get a bump on your draft boards? Thanks!
- Is Rasmus Sandin going to get any ice time this year?
- 5th round, Points League (6pt G, 4pt A). Aiming for Jake Guentzel, Jason Robertson, maybe Nikolaj Ehlers. If Johnny Gaudreau slips, do you think he’s worth the risk to take, moving to a new team/line?
- Dougie Hamilton is someone that’s being ranked differently among different projections. His PP1 time is a question mark on his production & value as a fantasy D. Nate’s thoughts on him? Is he at a fair ADP?
- Nate is bullish on Kevin Fiala, does playing in LA give him a boost next year? Usually players going to new teams are a risk to repeat same production rates. Can you talk about his projection with LA vs Minny.
General
- Would you consider keeping Moritz Seider over Aaron Ekblad?
- Who do you like more for the upcoming season: Jason Robertson or Brady Tkachuk?
- Will Dougie Hamilton rebound this season?
- Is Anze Kopitar capable of producing 75+ points now playing with Fiala, despite his age?
- Trade Completed: Evander Kane for Jonathan Huberdeau. H2H Keep 5 League. Goals – 6 Pts, Assists – 4 Pts, PPP – 2 Pts, Hits – 0.5 Pts, BLKs – 0.5 Pts, and SOG – 0.9 Pts. Thoughts?
- Potential Trade: Mo Seider, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and a 3rd RD pick in exchange for Dylan Larkin, Kris Letang, and a 2nd RD pick?
Top 10 Centers
Top 10 Fantasy Targets (Apples & Ginos)
1. 🎯 Connor McDavid, C | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 1.1 | PTS. PREDICTION: 47 Goals, 133 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #3
- FHH Projection: 48 Goals, 132 Points
- Last Season: 123 Pts, 44 G in 80 GP
- 3-Yr Avg: 134 Pts, 46 G
2. 🎯 Leon Draisaitl, C/LW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 2.3 | PTS. PREDICTION: 56 Goals, 122 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #1
- FHH Projection: 53 Goals, 116 Points
- Last Season: 110 Pts, 55 G in 80 GP
- 3-Yr Avg: 120 Pts, 51 G
3. 🎯 Nathan MacKinnon, C | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 4.5 | PTS. PREDICTION: 41 Goals, 117 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #4
- FHH Projection: 39 Goals, 108 Points
- Last Season: 88 Pts, 32 G in 65 GP
- 3-Yr Avg: 111 Pts, 39 G
4. 🎯 Auston Matthews, C | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 3.1 | PTS. PREDICTION: 65 Goals, 116 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #2
- FHH Projection: 65 Goals, 110 Points
- Last Season: 106 Pts, 60 G in 73 GP (119-point Pace)
- 4.8 SOG/GM career-high
- 67 Hits, 29 PPP, 73.1% PP Share, 56.2% FOW all career-highs
- 3-Yr Avg: 106 Pts, 62 G
5. 🎯 Aleksander Barkov, C | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 13.6 | PTS. PREDICTION: 44 Goals, 104 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #7
- FHH Projection: 42 Goals, 102 Points
- Last Season: 88 Pts, 39 G in 67 GP (108-point Pace)
- 18.2 iSH% career-high, 15.1% 3-yr average
- 57% FOW career-high
- On-pace for career-high 48 goals
- 3-Yr Avg: 93 Pts, 38 G
6. 🎯 Sidney Crosby, C | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 18.7 | PTS. PREDICTION: 36 Goals, 95 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #12
- FHH Projection: 35 Goals, 95 Points
- Last Season: 84 Pts, 31 G in 69 GP (100-point Pace)
- 3-Yr Avg: 96 Pts, 35 G
7. 🎯 Jack Hughes, C | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 94.8 | PTS. PREDICTION: 39 Goals, 90 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #90
- FHH Projection: 38 Goals, 86 Points
- Last Season: 56 Pts, 26 G in 49 GP (94-point Pace)
- 1.14 Pts/GM, 19:34 TOI career-highs
- 15.8 iSH%, 3.4 SOG/GM career-highs, 10.2 iSH% career avg.
- 9.7 tEVSH% career-high
- 77.8 IPP career-high
- 3-Yr Avg: 54 Pts, 22 G
8. 🎯 J.T. Miller, C | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 21.9 | PTS. PREDICTION: 30 Goals, 88 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #10
- FHH Projection: 30 Goals, 92 Points
- Last Season: 99 Pts, 32 G in 80 GP
- 3-Yr Avg: 88 Pts, 30 G
9. 🎯 Sebastian Aho, C/LW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 30.1 | PTS. PREDICTION: 39 Goals, 88 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #25
- FHH Projection: 40 Goals, 85 Points
- Last Season: 81 Pts, 37 G in 79 GP (84-point Pace)
- 28 PPP, 38 PIMs career-highs
- 18:57 ATOI lowest since 2017-218
- 3-Yr Avg: 82 Pts, 40 G
10. 🎯 Evgeni Malkin, C | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 61.9 | PTS. PREDICTION: 32 Goals, 86 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #20
- FHH Projection: 36 Goals, 88 Points
- Last Season: 42 Pts, 20 G in 41 GP (84-point Pace)
- 2020-2021 appears to have been an outliner, producing at a rate of 0.85 Pts/GM – a career-low.
- 3-Yr Avg: 92 Pts, 34 G
Top 10 Wingers
Top 10 Fantasy Targets (Apples & Ginos)
1. 🎯 Nikita Kucherov, RW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 9.3 | PTS. PREDICTION: 42 Goals, 120 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #15
- FHH Projection: 42 Goals, 110 Points
- Last Season: 69 Pts, 25 G in 47 GP (120-point Pace)
- ⚠️12.9 tEVSH% career-high
- 3-Yr Avg: 109 Pts, 41 G
2. 🎯 Mitch Marner, RW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 18.1 | PTS. PREDICTION: 39 Goals, 111 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #30
- FHH Projection: 33 Goals, 100 Points
- Last Season: 97 Pts, 35 G in 72 GP (110-point Pace)
- 3.1 SOG/GM career-high
- 15.6 iSH% career-high (12.1% career, 13.3% 3-yr avg)
- 75 Hits, 70.9% PP share career-highs
- 3-Yr Avg: 102 Pts, 31 G
3. 🎯 Mikko Rantanen, C/RW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 8.0 | PTS. PREDICTION: 42 Goals, 109 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #5
- FHH Projection: 42 Goals, 100 Points
- Last Season: 92 Pts, 36 G in 75 GP
- 📉57.9 IPP down from ~70 IPP avg the past 4 seasons.
- 3-Yr Avg: 96 Pts, 41 G
4. 🎯 Kirill Kaprizov, LW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 7.0 | PTS. PREDICTION: 47 Goals, 102 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #13
- FHH Projection: 47 Goals, 102 Points
- Last Season: 108 Pts, 47 G in 81 GP
- 📈11.8 tEVSH% well above league average (8.5 tEVSH%)
- ⚠️Averaging 16.6 iSH% in first two years in the NHL – will that continue?
- 📈3.6 SOG/GM last season a significant boost from the year prior (2.9 SOG/GM)
- 3-Yr Avg: 96 Pts, 45 G
5. 🎯 Artemi Panarin, LW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 23.7 | PTS. PREDICTION: 27 Goals, 99 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #35
- FHH Projection: 30 Goals, 100 Points
- Last Season: 96 Pts, 22 G in 75 GP (105-point Pace)
- 37 PPP, 72.6% PP Share career-highs
- 12.4 iSH% lowest since 2017-2018
- 3-Yr Avg: 109 Pts, 31 G
6. 🎯 Brad Marchand, LW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 117.0 | PTS. PREDICTION: 36 Goals, 99 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #44
- FHH Projection: 27 Goals, 68 Points
- Last Season: 80 Pts, 32 G in 70 GP (94-point Pace)
- 3.5 SOG/GM career-high
- 13.2 iSH% 2nd-lowest of career
- 3-Yr Avg: 100 Pts, 38 G
7. 🎯 Steven Stamkos, C/LW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 20.5 | PTS. PREDICTION: 40 Goals, 98 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #6
- FHH Projection: 40 Goals, 97 Points
- Last Season: 106 Pts, 42 G in 81 GP (107-point Pace)
- ⚠️12.4 tEVSH% 2nd-highest of career
- 3-Yr Avg: 96 Pts, 41 G
8. 🎯 David Pastrnak, RW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 24.9 | PTS. PREDICTION: 42 Goals, 97 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #8
- FHH Projection: 50 Goals, 95 Points
- Last Season: 77 Pts, 40 G in 72 GP (88-point Pace)
- 4.3 SOG/GM career-high
- 75.4% PP Share career-high
- 69.4 IPP career-low
- 3-Yr Avg: 95 Pts, 47 G
9. 🎯 Jonathan Huberdeau, LW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 12.0 | PTS. PREDICTION: 29 Goals, 95 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #17
- FHH Projection: 30 Goals, 94 Points
- Last Season: 115 Pts, 30 G (career-high)
- 3-Yr Avg: 102 Pts, 29 G
10. 🎯 Johnny Gaudreau, LW | 2022 Yahoo ADP: 20.0 | PTS. PREDICTION: 36 Goals, 93 Points
- FHH Top 200 Rank: #99
- FHH Projection: 36 Goals, 88 Points
- Last Season: 115 Pts, 40 G in 82 GP (115-point Pace)
- 115 Pts (1.40 Pts/GM), +64, 264 SOG (3.2 SOG/GM), career-highs
- 13.3 tEVSH% career-high. 3-yr avg (9.12%)
- 15.3 iSH% above 3-yr (13.2%) and career avg (12.9%)
- 3-Yr Avg: 87 Pts, 30 G
Contest Announcement | Hacks Holiday!
Help the Hacks celebrate 100 episodes of fantasy fun! We truly appreciate all the support we’ve received from listeners, partners, and guests, making this first 100 episodes a genuinely enjoyable experience. All of us on the podcast enjoy creating fantasy hockey content, and will do so for as long as people will listen. To show our appreciation, we are sending one listener and a guest on a “Hacks Holiday” to Las Vegas next February! Thank you to our partners – Lucky Bastard Distillers & Left Wing Lock – for their support in making this contest possible. Winner will receive:
- 2 tickets to a Vegas Golden Knights home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning – Saturday, February 18, 2023
- 2 round-trip tickets to Las Vegas
- 3-night accommodations at a hotel near T-Mobile Arena
- 1 year FREE subscription to the Left Wing Lock iPhone app!
Go to the contest page – FantasyHockeyHacks.com/HacksHoliday – and follow the directions to enter the contest.
“HACK THE CODE” Number For Episode 81: 14
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