Fantasy Hockey 2021: 4-Round NHL Mock Draft and Underrated Sleepers

The start of the 2021-22 NHL season is now less than two weeks away. The first puck will drop on Oct. 12, when the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning host the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Between now and then, there will be a lot of anticipation for the return of hockey. Not only that, but people will be trying to get their fantasy hockey leagues in order, which includes scheduling and holding the draft (if they haven't already done so at this point).

Like all fantasy sports, it's crucial to go into your draft with a plan. Otherwise, you may make some mistakes that cost you later in the season. So now is the time to be getting rankings and a list of sleeper targets put together.

Here's a four-round mock, followed by some underrated sleepers to consider in the later rounds.

4-Round 12-Team Mock Draft

Nick Didlick/Associated Press

First Round

1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers

2. Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers

3. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche

4. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

5. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

6. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

7. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

8. Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers

9. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado Avalanche

10. Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago Blackhawks

11. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins

12. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche

Second Round

13. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Florida Panthers

14. Brad Marchand, LW, Boston Bruins

15. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa Senators

16. Brayden Point, C/RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

17. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

18. Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

19. Darcy Kuemper, G, Colorado Avalanche

20. Mitchell Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs

21. Adam Fox, D, New York Rangers

22. Kirill Kaprizov, LW/RW, Minnesota Wild

23. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

24. Andrei Svechnikov, LW/RW, Carolina Hurricanes

Third Round

25. Robin Lehner, G, Vegas Golden Knights

26. Matthew Tkachuk, LW/RW, Calgary Flames

27. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets

28. Mika Zibanejad, C, New York Rangers

29. Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes

30. Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida Panthers

31. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks

32. Gabriel Landeskog, C/LW, Colorado Avalanche

33. John Carlson, D, Washington Capitals

34. Semyon Varlamov, G, New York Islanders

35. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Chicago Blackhawks

36. Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW, Chicago Blackhawks

Fourth Round

37. Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers

38. Mark Scheifele, C, Winnipeg Jets

39. Mark Stone, RW, Vegas Golden Knights

40. Cam Talbot, G, Minnesota Wild

41. Steven Stamkos, C/RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

42. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW/RW, Winnipeg Jets

43. Jake Guentzel, LW/RW, Pittsburgh Penguins

44. John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

45. Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets

46. Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks

47. Max Pacioretty, LW, Vegas Golden Knights

48. William Nylander, LW/RW, Toronto Maple Leafs

Conor Garland, RW, Vancouver Canucks

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Garland is only 25 and has been a solid player over his first three NHL seasons. However, now that he's been traded from Arizona to Vancouver, he could be on the cusp of a breakout year with his new team. That's why he may put up offensive numbers that far exceed early projections and expectations.

In each of the past two seasons, Garland has tallied 39 points—last year he had 12 goals and 27 assists in 49 games. Now that he's likely to be on one of the top lines for a Canucks team with some exciting young talent on offense, Garland could put up the best numbers of his career in 2021-22.

Garland's average draft position is at 169.5 (per FantasyPros), making him a great target around that spot, potentially even a little bit earlier. It may take a little time for things to click in Vancouver, but he should begin to produce a ton once that happens.

Zach Hyman, LW/RW, Edmonton Oilers

Peter Power/Associated Press

Here's another offensive player who switched teams this offseason and could greatly reap the benefits during the 2021-22 season. After spending his first six NHL seasons with the Maple Leafs, Hyman signed with the Oilers in free agency to begin a new chapter of his career.

He was a consistent scorer in Toronto, as he averaged at least one goal and two points per 60 minutes in each of the past three seasons. He was limited to 43 games because of injury last season, but he still had 15 goals and 18 assists.

Now, Hyman will likely be playing on the same line as either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, who were the top two points scorers in the NHL last season. That should take Hyman's offensive numbers to another level, making him a huge sleeper around his ADP of 141.3 (per FantasyPros), and he should probably be taken a round or two before that.

Vitek Vanecek, G, Washington Capitals

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Vanecek had an interesting offseason, as he was taken by the Kraken in their expansion draft then ended up going back to the Capitals in a trade seven days later. That shows how high Washington is on the 25-year-old goaltender, considering it gave up a 2023 second-round pick in order to reacquire him.

And for good reason. Vanecek impressed as a rookie last season, posting a .908 save percentage and 2.69 goals against average in 37 games. He's going to split time with Ilya Samsonov in the net, but that doesn't mean both can't be solid fantasy options in 2021-22.

Vanecek, who has an average ADP of 139 (per FantasyPros), is a great goaltender to target a bit later in the draft as a solid option to roster behind one of the top goalies. Depending on how things shake out in Washington, it wouldn't be surprising to see Vanecek end up with substantial playing time this season.