Fantasy Hockey 2021: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Best Team Names

The start of the 2021-22 NHL regular season is set for Oct. 12, meaning fantasy hockey draft season is in full swing.

The league will return to a traditional 82-game schedule this season after the previous two campaigns were shortened because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning fantasy managers will get even more bang for their buck.

The NHL is stacked with elite talent at every position, so fantasy managers have no shortage of options at their disposal in their drafts.

With the commencement of the 2021-22 season on the horizon, here is a full first-round fantasy hockey mock draft, complete with explanations, along with a list of names to consider for your fantasy team.

1st-Round Mock Draft

1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers

As deep as the first round of your fantasy draft figures to be in terms of top-end players, having the No. 1 overall pick remains a cheat code.

Connor McDavid is far and away the best player in the NHL, and he proved it again last season by leading the NHL in assists (72) and points (105) over the course of just 56 games.

The 24-year-old superstar is a three-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL's leading scorer and a two-time Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP. He will be the MVP of your fantasy team in 2021-22 as well.

2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche

Once McDavid comes off the board, there is an argument to be made for several players at No. 2 overall. Nathan MacKinnon's consistency separates him from the pack, however.

Ever since his breakout season in 2017-18, when he recorded 97 points, MacKinnon has been well above a point-per-game player. That included 65 points in 48 games last season on the heels of three consecutive 90-point campaigns.

MacKinnon has finished second or third in Hart Trophy voting in three of the past four seasons, and with a stacked Colorado Avalanche lineup supporting him, he should have another massively productive year in 2021-22.

3. Leon Draisaitl, C/LW, Edmonton Oilers

As dominant as McDavid has been throughout his career, he has a teammate who has been nearly as good over the past three seasons.

In fact, Leon Draisaitl was the NHL's best player in 2019-20, when he won the Art Ross Trophy with 110 points and was also named league MVP. That marked his second consecutive 100-point season.

Last season, Draisaitl finished with 31 goals and 53 assists for 84 points in 56 games, and he had a career-best plus-29 rating to boot. All of those factors make him an easy choice in the top three.

4. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

The first potential risk comes at No. 4 in the form of Nikita Kucherov, who did not play a single regular-season game in 2020-21 because of a hip injury.

That would normally be a major cause for concern, but the 2018-19 Hart Trophy winner returned for the playoffs and was a driving force behind the Tampa Bay Lightning winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup, posting an NHL-high 32 points in 23 playoff games.

When Kucherov last played during the regular season, he had 85 points in 68 games. As long as he stays healthy, there is no reason why he shouldn't clear 100 points in 2021-22.

5. Brad Marchand, LW, Boston Bruins

McDavid, MacKinnon, Draisaitl and Kucherov are all flashier players, but Brad Marchand may be the most complete player in the NHL for fantasy purposes.

Marchand entered last season with three straight campaigns of at least 85 points, including a career-high 100 in 2018-19. He likely would have reached 100 again last season with a full slate of games, as he finished with 69 in 53 contests.

On top of that, Marchand was a plus-26, had 46 penalty minutes and 66 hits. He contributes in every category, and selecting him in the first round of your draft will give you a solid foundation.

6. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

Playoff success has eluded the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past several seasons, but Auston Matthews has been an elite scorer during the regular season.

The 24-year-old American netted more than 40 goals for the third time in his five-year NHL career last season, and he won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer (41) in the process.

Matthews also led the NHL in shots on goal and game-winning goals last season, and with a career average of 39.8 goals per season, Matthews is the guy to target in the first round if you want to build around an elite scorer.

7. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

Even with all the contributions of Tampa Bay's many high-end skaters, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP last season.

Vasilevskiy led all goalies with a .937 save percentage and five shutouts during the playoffs on the heels of leading the NHL with 31 wins during the regular season and also posting a .925 save percentage, 2.21 goals-against average and five shutouts.

While it is normally advisable to wait on goalies in fantasy, Vasilevskiy is the exception, as he has led the NHL in wins in each of the past four seasons and finished third or better in Vezina Trophy voting in each of those seasons as well.

8. Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers

Artemi Panarin has been a stud ever since making the leap to the NHL in 2015-16 with the Chicago Blackhawks, and he enjoyed the most productive season of his career on a per-game basis with the New York Rangers last season.

Appearing in 42 games, Panarin racked up 17 goals and 41 assists for 58 points. Panarin may have set a career high in points had the season not been shortened because of the pandemic and had he not missed some time because of injury and a personal leave of absence.

All signs point toward Panarin being healthy and ready to go in 2021-22, and if that turns out to be the case, there is no reason why he can't top the career highs of 32 goals, 63 assists and 95 points that he set during his first season in NYC in 2019-20.

9. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado Avalanche

MacKinnon may be the go-to guy in Colorado, but a team as good as the Avalanche tends to produce multiple top fantasy players, and Mikko Rantanen is among them.

With MacKinnon missing some time last season, Rantanen led the Avs in points with 66 in 52 games. He also reached the 30-goal mark for the second time in his career and led the NHL with a plus-30 rating.

Rantanen's career high in points is 87, set in 2018-19. And based on last season's pace and the amount of talent he has around him, a 100-point season in 2021-22 isn't out of the question for the 24-year-old Finn.

10. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche

Like goalies, it is usually best to wait on defensemen in fantasy hockey drafts, but Cale Makar is the one blueliner worth a look at this year in the late-first or early-second round.

Makar is essentially a forward who plays defenseman, which has been apparent early in his NHL career. He finished with 50 points in 57 games in 2019-20 and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. Makar followed that up with 44 points in 44 games last season and finished second in the Norris Trophy voting to determine the league's best defenseman.

If Makar can stay healthy for the 2021-22 season, he has the potential to record a point per game, which would give him a huge advantage over every other rearguard in the NHL.

Fantasy Team Name Suggestions

1. Dude, Where's Makar?

Hopefully on your fantasy team—that's where! How the 2000 cinematic classic Dude, Where's My Car?, starring Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott never won an Oscar is beyond the comprehension of many, but if you have Makar on your fantasy team, you will be winning a lot of weekly matchups.

2. Happy Kuemper

Anyone with Philipp Grubauer on their fantasy team last season was one happy camper, as the stacked Avalanche team in front of him helped him finish second in the NHL in goalie wins and goals-against average. His replacement, Darcy Kuemper, should make fantasy managers similarly happy this season.

3. The Connors

The Conners is the highly popular and successful spin-off of sitcom Roseanne. The Connors could be the name of your fantasy team if you draft Connor McDavid or Kyle Connor. Either way, you should be similarly successful.

4. Knight in Shining Marner

Have you specifically selected Florida Panthers goalie Spencer Knight and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner for your fantasy team? Then, boy, is this the team name for you!

5. Point of No Return

Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Victor Hedman tend to receive a lot of the credit for the Lightning's success, but Brayden Point is perhaps just as important as all of them. And if he is on your fantasy team, then your opponent has reached the Point of No Return.