Fantasy Hockey 2019: 4-Round NHL Mock Draft and Underrated Sleepers

Preparation is key when it comes to fantasy sports, and fantasy hockey is no different, which is why mapping out how the opening rounds of your draft might go could give you a big advantage over the competition.

While it's impossible to predict precisely how the opposition will operate, doing mock drafts from different spots can go a long way toward helping you formulate a plan and knowing when runs on certain positions are likely to occur.

Here is a four-round mock draft to give you an idea of what to expect on draft day, along with a look at a few sleepers you should consider landing in the latter portion of your draft.

Fantasy Hockey 4-Round Mock Draft

Round 1

1. Team 1: Nikita Kucherov, RW, TB

2. Team 2: Connor McDavid, C, EDM

3. Team 3: Brad Marchand, LW, BOS

4. Team 4: Nathan MacKinnon, C, COL

5. Team 5: Patrick Kane, RW, CHI

6. Team 6: Sidney Crosby, C, PIT

7. Team 7: David Pastrnak, RW, BOS

8. Team 8: Alex Ovechkin, LW, WAS

9. Team 9: Brayden Point, C, TB

10. Team 10: Brent Burns, D, SJ

Round 2

11. Team 10: Auston Matthews, C, TOR

12. Team 9: Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY

13. Team 8: Steven Stamkos, C, TB

14. Team 7: Tyler Seguin, C, DAL

15. Team 6: Leon Draisaitl, C, EDM

16. Team 5: John Tavares, C, TOR

17. Team 4: Matthew Tkachuk, LW, CGY

18. Team 3: Jack Eichel, C, BUF

19. Team 2: Mikko Rantanen, RW, COL

20. Team 1: Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA

Round 3

21. Team 1: Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB

22. Team 2: Sebastian Aho, LW, CAR

23. Team 3: Mitch Marner, C, TOR

24. Team 4: John Carlson, D, WAS

25. Team 5: Taylor Hall, LW, NJ

26. Team 6: Artemi Panarin, LW, NYR

27. Team 7: Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, FLA

28. Team 8: Blake Wheeler, RW, WPG

29. Team 9: Dylan Larkin, C, DET

30. Team 10: Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS

Round 4

31. Team 10: Gabriel Landeskog, LW, COL

32. Team 9: Mark Giordano, D, CGY

33. Team 8: Ben Bishop, G, DAL

34. Team 7: Evgeni Malkin, C, PIT

35. Team 6: Alex DeBrincat, RW, CHI

36. Team 5: Victor Hedman, D, TB

37. Team 4: Mark Stone, RW, VGK

38. Team 3: Erik Karlsson, D, SJ

39. Team 2: Elias Pettersson, C, VAN

40. Team 1: Jake Guentzel, LW, PIT

Team Breakdowns

Team 1

Nikita Kucherov, RW, TB

Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB

Jake Guentzel, LW, PIT

Team 2

Connor McDavid, C, EDM

Mikko Rantanen, RW, COL

Sebastian Aho, LW, CAR

Elias Pettersson, C, VAN

Team 3

Brad Marchand, LW, BOS

Jack Eichel, C, BUF

Mitch Marner, C, TOR

Erik Karlsson, D, SJ

Team 4

Nathan MacKinnon, C, COL

Matthew Tkachuk, LW, CGY

John Carlson, D, WAS

Mark Stone, RW, VGK

Team 5

Patrick Kane, RW, CHI

John Tavares, C, TOR

Taylor Hall, LW, NJ

Victor Hedman, D, TB

Team 6

Sidney Crosby, C, PIT

Leon Draisaitl, C, EDM

Artemi Panarin, LW, NYR

Alex DeBrincat, RW, CHI

Team 7

David Pastrnak, RW, BOS

Tyler Seguin, C, DAL

Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, FLA

Evgeni Malkin, C, PIT

Team 8

Alex Ovechkin, LW, WAS

Steven Stamkos, C, TB

Blake Wheeler, RW, WPG

Ben Bishop, G, DAL

Team 9

Brayden Point, C, TB

Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY

Dylan Larkin, C, DET

Mark Giordano, D, CGY

Team 10

Brent Burns, D, SJ

Auston Matthews, C, TOR

Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS

Gabriel Landeskog, LW, COL

Sleepers to Target

Alex Galchenyuk, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

Ever since the Montreal Canadiens selected Alex Galchenyuk with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft, fans and fantasy hockey owners have been waiting for him to live up to his potential.

The 25-year-old was traded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Phil Kessel deal earlier in the summer, and he finally has a chance to meet the lofty expectations placed on him.

Galchenyuk is four years removed from his best NHL season, which saw him set career highs with 30 goals and 56 points for the Habs. Last season, he registered 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 72 games with Arizona.

The expectation is that he will play on a line centered by Evgeni Malkin, which should help him gain multi-position eligibility.

Galchenyuk also figures to receive ample power-play time on a team that includes Malkin, Sidney Crosby and 2018-19 40-goal scorer Jake Guentzel.

As long as Galchenyuk stays healthy, he should hit the 60-point mark almost by accident based on how much talent he has around him.

Kessel had at least 70 points in each of his final three seasons with the Pens, and since Galchenyuk is essentially his replacement, he has a chance to reach that level as well.

Mikhail Sergachev, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

Most figured Mikhail Sergachev was poised for a breakout campaign last season, but he took a step back from a production standpoint and was one of the most disappointing players in fantasy hockey.

After posting nine goals and 31 assists for 40 points with a plus-11 rating and 16 power-play points in 2017-18, the Russian finished with six goals and 26 assists for 32 points with a plus-12 rating and just six power-play points last season.

The biggest issue for Sergachev last season was the fact that he missed seven games because of injury and didn't receive much power-play time when he was healthy.

The 21-year-old was eighth on the team overall in power-play minutes per game at 1:30, but he did rank second on the team in that category among defensemen behind only Victor Hedman. He primarily played with the second unit alongside players such as Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde and Alex Killorn rather than the top unit with Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point.

The same problems could persist in 2019-20, but it is important to remember Sergachev is still young and continuing to develop.

Some natural progression is more likely than not, plus he has a high floor in terms of plus-minus because of the team he plays on, which means you can afford to wait out some growing pains.

Based on the sheer amount of talent around him and the fact that he is two years removed from a 40-point campaign, Sergachev is definitely worth taking a flier on late.

Mackenzie Blackwood, G, New Jersey Devils

After a strong offseason that saw them add rookies Jack Hughes and Nikita Gusev, as well as defenseman P.K. Subban and veteran forward Wayne Simmonds to a core that already includes Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier, the Devils are a trendy pick to return to the playoffs in 2019-20.

If that is going to happen, it will require some semblance of strong goalie play, and Mackenzie Blackwood seems like the top candidate to provide it.

A second-round pick in the 2015 NHL draft, the 22-year-old saw his first NHL action last season. In 23 games, including 21 starts, he went 10-10 with a 2.61 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and two shutouts.

That was by far the best production of any New Jersey goaltender on the season. Veteran Cory Schneider went 6-13-4 with a 3.06 GAA and .903 save percentage, while Keith Kinkaid went 15-18-6 with a 3.36 GAA and .891 save percentage.

With Kinkaid no longer in the picture, the crease belongs to Blackwood and Schneider. Some may think the latter has a leg up entering the season since he is a 33-year-old with plenty of starting experience, but he has struggled mightily over the past few seasons.

Since posting a GAA of 2.26 or better and a save percentage of .921 or better every year from 2010-11 through 2015-16, Schneider has fallen off considerably.

He hasn't done better than a 2.82 GAA or .908 save percentage in any of the past three campaigns, and he is coming off his worst season to date, as he went 6-13-4 with a 3.06 GAA, .903 save percentage and just one shutout.

Schneider will still get some starts based on his overall body of work, and it's possible the Devils will use a timeshare to start the season, but Blackwood is clearly a player on the rise. He should take the full-time gig at some point during the season.