The players discussed in this article should be draft targets in all Fantasy Hockey leagues. While the order may change, depending on the scoring format and multiple position eligibility in your league, these ten forwards should be strongly considered early in the draft. Here are the top ten forwards to own heading into the 2017-2018 Fantasy Hockey season.

10. Jamie Benn LW, Dallas Stars

December 29, 2015: Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14) brings the puck up ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Brent Clark/Alamy Live News

Jamie Benn had a very slight dip in production last season but still managed nearly a point per game in production. He has maintained this level of production for the past four seasons. In the offseason GM Jim Nill added some pieces that should help boost his production with an improved blue line and a talented right wing in Alexander Radulov.

Benn finished with 69 points in 77 games and if he can improve on that, he should prove valuable to fantasy owners. Benn has been going outside the top ten in early mock drafts so he might still be there in the second round.

9. Brad Marchand LW, Boston Bruins

2016-1-25 NHL PHI vs BOS
Left Wing Brad Marchand (#63)

The Bruins had a disappointing season last year and overall team production was down. Marchand on the other hand had a career year. While he may not top out at 85 points as he did last year, he has been steadily increasing production over the last four seasons.

At 29 years old he is firmly in the prime of his career and should be able to get near a point per game this season. Having only one position for scoring slightly hurt his value or he would have been higher on this list.

8. Nikita Kucherov RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

The bottom three players on this list could all swap places with each other but the one thing they all have in common is performing well last season on teams that did not. Tampa missed the playoffs but not for a lack of production from Kucherov. With 85 points in only 77 games played, he was better than a point per game.

He was an absolute beast all season long with numerous multi point games. If he has Stamkos back healthy for a whole season his already career high production may get even better. His average point total over the last three seasons is 71.7 and if he regresses back to the mean, that is still very good production.

7. Auston Matthews C, Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews Photo by Jack Lima

Last season the Leafs surprised a number of pundits by making the playoffs despite their youthful core. Then rookie Austin Matthews had an unbelievable start to the season, cooled off for a bit, and bounced back when the when he smelled playoff blood.

Young players can sometimes be inconsistent but Matthews is centering a talented line and even if he fails to get 40 goals this season, he should be able to eclipse his 69 point total by adding a few more assists. Mathews is projected to be at or near 80 points for the foreseeable future and the team around him improved in the offseason.

6. Tyler Seguin C RW, Dallas Stars

Tyler Seguin had a down year last year due in part to the Star’s overall declining last season. He dipped slightly below a point per game and finished 72 points in 82 games played. He has finished with greater than 70 points in each of his last four seasons. If you throw out his rookie season he has been averaging a point per game for the past six seasons.

In addition to being remarkably consistent, Seguin is only 25 years old so there is still room between him and his ceiling. With the revamped lineup and (see number 10) Radulov on his line, there should be no shortage of points to go around. This could be one of the most productive lines in the league if all three live up to expectations.

5. Alexander Ovechkin LW, Washinton Capitals

2016-4-18 NHL PHI vs WAS Game 3 – Playoffs
Right Wing Alex Ovechkin (#8)

Alexander Ovechkin has a career average of 1.1 points per game. His worst two seasons were 2012 and 2017 at .8 points per game. He has had 32 or more goals in every NHL he has played. He may not be a 100 point player any more but with goals at a premium, he is still a 30+ goal scorer and an elite one at that.

The Capitals may have had an early exit from the playoffs but they still have a back to back Presidents Trophy winning team. Most of the key pieces are returning and in fantasy the regular season is all that matters for points. They are regular season juggernauts. There are number of Capital players to target and two in the top ten. See below.

4. Nicklas Backstrom C, Washington Capitals

2016-3-30 NHL PHI vs WSH
Center Nicklas Backstrom (#19)

A number of the same points from Ovechkin apply here. Backstrom centers a potent line and has fifty or more assists in each of the last four seasons. His career average is a point per game and his worst seasons only dipped to .8 points per game.

Last season was his best in a while. He finished with 86 points, 23 goals, 63 assists, and was a plus 17. Almost half his goals were powerplay goals and he average 41 penalty minutes over the last four seasons. Sometime the secondary scoring categories make all the difference.

3. Patrick Kane RW, Chicago Blackhawks

Last season was a bit of a down year for him after his career high 106 point 2015-2016 season. He only managed to 1.1 points per game and 89 points overall. He only managed 34 goals, 12 fewer than the year before. If you haven’t figured out yet, this is sarcasm. If he is there when you pick, draft him. Period.

2. Sidney Crosby C, Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby skates with the Stanley Cup – Photo by Jack Lima

If you follow hockey on twitter you may have heard that Crosby may have a down year due to fatigue from the last two Cup runs. Twitter is stupid, don’t listen to twitter. Crosby is the best overall player in the league. His worst season he averaged 1.1 points per game and his best was 1.7 points per game. If McDavid is already off the board you’re taking Crosby.

1. Connor McDavid C, Edmonton Oilers

2016-3-3 NHL PHI vs EDM
Center Connor McDavid (#97)

If you don’t know why you should draft McDavid then you probably shouldn’t be in a fantasy hockey league. McDavid is nearly as good as Crosby but he is a decade younger. He had 100 points in his second season and will likely improve on those numbers. If the hockey God’s deliver him to your draft queue, take him. You don’t want to upset the hockey God’s do you?

Just Missed the List

Leon Dreisaitl, Vladimir Terasenko, Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Sheifele, John Tavares

Do you agree with the list? Let me know on twitter @apoptosian

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