How does Fantasy Hockey work? How to play and win like a pro

The 2023-24 NHL season is less than a month away which means for many hockey fans, it's time to draft their fantasy hockey team. Fantasy hockey has been around for decades and is something that can be for fun with your friends, to legit leagues for lots of money.

Some people are still wondering how fantasy hockey works. With drafts happening any day now, let's take a look at some important things you need to know if you playing fantasy hockey this year.

What is fantasy hockey?

Fantasy hockey is when a player builds a team using real NHL players to create their best possible roster.

Leagues are usually between 8-12 players and they would draft a team of six forwards, four defensemen, two goalies, and four bench spots. However, each league is different, and some may go for more or fewer players.

Common categories for fantasy hockey are goals, assists, points, power-play points, short-handed points, plus/minus, penalty minutes, hits, blocks, shots on goal, saves, wins, goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts to name. a few.

Your players score points from the above, and the more points you record the better for your team.

How does fantasy hockey work in 2023?

Fantasy hockey could work in many different ways as it all depends on your league setting. Some leagues may choose no bench and your team is your team. While others make you set your lineup every day.

The most common fantasy hockey is with a bench where you set your lineup and go against an opponent each week. Most leagues are weekly matchups that run Monday to Sunday and you have to score more points than your opponent does to win that week.

However, some leagues have no head-to-head matchup, and the top four by the end of the year would go into playoffs.

How can you play like a pro?

If you are just starting out, the free leagues are where you should be playing. But, if you think you have gotten good at fantasy hockey and have a good understanding, Yahoo Sports!, ESPN and other places offer paid leagues.

A key to winning these leagues is understanding who would be in for a breakout season to draft and which players to avoid.

If you are playing fantasy hockey this season, good luck!