Fantasy Hockey 2014: NHL Player Rankings and Sleepers You Must Add

The 2014 NHL regular season is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 8, and the buzz surrounding fantasy hockey has fans of the sport analyzing the latest player rankings and sleepers.

It is imperative to find the best players at each position. Whether you’re in a day-by-day league or have a week-by-week scoring system, picking the right players in the draft and finding the top sleepers could be the difference between winning and losing a championship.

Here are the top 50 rankings for fantasy hockey 2014 and the sleepers you can’t miss.

Rank	Player	Team
1	Sidney Crosby, C	Pittsburgh
2	Alex Ovechkin, RW	Washington
3	Steven Stamkos, C	Tampa Bay
4	Evgeni Malkin, C/RW	Pittsburgh
5	Corey Perry, RW	Anaheim
6	John Tavares, C	New York Islanders
7	Claude Giroux, C/RW	Philadelphia
8	Ryan Getzlaf, C	Anaheim
9	Henrik Lundqvist, G	New York Rangers
10	Patrick Kane, C/RW	Chicago
11	Tuukka Rask, G	Boston
12	Jonathan Quick, G	Los Angeles
13	Jonathan Toews, C	Chicago
14	Pavel Datsyuk, LW/C	Detroit
15	Erik Karlsson, D	Ottawa
16	Carey Price, G	Montreal
17	Nathan MacKinnon, C/RW	Colorado
18	Patrick Sharp, LW/C	Chicago
19	P.K. Subban, D	Montreal
20	Taylor Hall, LW/C	Edmonton
21	Jamie Benn, LW	Dallas
22	Tyler Seguin, C/RW	Dallas
23	Anze Kopitar, C	Los Angeles
24	Phil Kessel, RW	Toronto
25	Henrik Zetterberg, LW/C	Detroit
26	Shea Weber, D	Nashville
27	Duncan Keith, D	Chicago
28	Eric Staal, C	Carolina
29	Jason Spezza, C	Dallas
30	Martin St. Louis, RW	New York Rangers
31	Drew Doughty, D	Los Angeles
32	Thomas Vanek, LW/RW	Minnesota
33	Zdeno Chara, D	Boston
34	Rick Nash, LW/RW	New York Rangers
35	Joe Pavelski, LW/C	San Jose
36	Chris Kunitz, LW	Pittsburgh
37	Gabriel Landeskog, LW	Colorado
38	Matt Duchene, LW/C	Colorado
39	Wayne Simmonds, RW	Philadelphia
40	Marian Hossa, RW	Chicago
41	Sergei Bobrovsky, G	Columbus
42	Joe Thornton, C	San Jose
43	Daniel Sedin, LW	Vancouver
44	Pekka Rinne, G	Nashville
45	Keith Yandle, D	Arizona Coyotes
46	Patrice Bergeron, C	Boston
47	Marian Gaborik, RW	Los Angeles
48	Zach Parise, LW	Minnesota
49	Henrik Sedin, C	Vancouver
50	Nicklas Backstrom, C	Washington

Top Fantasy Hockey Sleepers

One of the hardest parts of fantasy hockey is finding the sleepers in the waning rounds who can be a valuable asset to your team throughout the year. There are plenty of names being thrown around, but make sure each of the following is on your roster to start the season.

The most prolific sleeper is new Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Patric Hornqvist. After being acquired by the Penguins for James Neal during the NHL draft, Hornqvist will be expected to play wing on one of the top two lines.

Regardless of which line he ends up playing the majority of his time on, he will be playing alongside top NHL stars and Pittsburgh centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. After racking up 22 goals and 31 assists in 76 games, Hornqvist should expect an increase in both statistical categories, including 30 goals and 50 assists.

Another player to consider on draft day is Colorado Avalanche left wing Alex Tanguay. After missing the majority of last season with several injuries, the 34-year-old veteran will be looking to contribute to the high-powered Colorado offense.

With a talented group of young players around him, 20 goals and 40 assists for Tanguay is an easily achievable stat line that should have fantasy owners jumping for joy.

The final sleeper is a long shot, but he could end up being the biggest sleeper of the season. The Minnesota Wild have made major upgrades this offseason, and one of the biggest beneficiaries will be center Mikael Granlund.

Before putting together an impressive second half to last year’s regular season, Granlund spent time with Teemu Selanne on Team Finland in the Olympics. With seven points in six games and a newfound confidence, he should be able to capitalize playing alongside top stars like Thomas Vanek and Zach Parise when given the chance.

Fantasy owners should expect 25 goals and 40 assists from Granlund this season.

If you are a fantasy hockey player and you are looking for the players off the radar you can snag in the later rounds, look no further than the aforementioned names. These players could be the difference between making the playoffs and winning a championship.

*Stats via NHL.com.

Follow @Donald_Wood