The start of NHL training camps is still a month away but getting an early look at where the top players rank is always a good idea. The best of the best likely won't have their positions altered much, though there could be some movement in the rankings ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Starting with the forwards, Connor McDavid remains the cream of the crop. He has comfortably surpassed the 100-point plateau in four straight seasons while racking up shots and hitting more frequently. McDavid has led the league in scoring in three of the past four campaigns. Nathan MacKinnon finally got back to playing a full year in 2023-24, and he exploded offensively with 51 goals and 140 points. Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, Auston Matthews, and David Pastrnak remain excellent building blocks for any Fantasy roster.

For defensemen, Cale Makar has some company at the top of the Fantasy hockey food chain. Roman Josi, Evan Bouchard, and Quinn Hughes are all coming off extraordinary performances last season. Makar and Hughes cracked the 90-point mark in 2023-24 while flirting with 40 power-play points. Meanwhile, Josi and Bouchard were point-per-game producers, and they were integral in other categories as well. Any one of them would be a great way to start a Fantasy defense corps.

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Goaltending has become increasingly difficult to manage and predict in the Fantasy landscape, leading several managers to wait until the later rounds to address the position on draft day. Still, investing in the most reliable options on the strongest teams is a great way to construct a lineup and win a championship. Connor Hellebuyck is a workhorse, starting at least 60 games in three consecutive campaigns, and has proven to be more than capable of stealing games. The 2023-24 Vezina Trophy winner is a good bet to be the first netminder off the board in Fantasy drafts. Igor Shesterkin had a bit of a down year by his standards but still managed to record valuable statistics last season, making him a solid option between the pipes. Fantasy managers looking for other strong options will likely look in the direction of Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Juuse Saros going into the 2024-25 campaign.

  1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
  2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
  3. Leon Draisaitl, C/LW, Edmonton Oilers - - Moving up to this spot may surprise some after he finished seventh in scoring last season. However, Draisaitl should be able to improve upon his numbers in 2024-25 while benefiting from the additions of wingers Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson.
  4. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
  5. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
  6. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins
  7. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado Avalanche
  8. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
  9. Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers
  10. Matthew Tkachuk, LW/RW, Florida Panthers - - A return to the 100-point mark should be in the cards for the 26-year-old shift disturber. His 9.3 shooting percentage will improve, especially after he scored 21 of his 26 goals in his final 44 outings.
  11. Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils
  12. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild
  13. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa Senators
  14. Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators - - Still can pile up goals and shots with the best of them while chipping in plenty of blocks. The 34-year-old will also get a boost from Nashville's offensive upgrades in the summer.
  15. J.T. Miller, C/RW, Vancouver Canucks
  16. Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers
  17. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets
  18. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks - - In terms of pure point production, Hughes is one of the better blueliners in the league. However, he doesn't do as much in other categories as the defenders ranked higher than him.
  19. Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks
  20. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres
  21. Filip Forsberg, LW, Nashville Predators
  22. William Nylander, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
  23. Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
  24. Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers
  25. Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
  26. Jason Robertson, LW, Dallas Stars
  27. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
  28. Jake Guentzel, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
  29. Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes
  30. Jeremy Swayman, G, Boston Bruins
  31. Connor Bedard, C, Chicago Blackhawks - - Fantasy managers will likely reach for Bedard in drafts this year, so he could potentially go higher than this. The 19-year-old phenom has the potential to erupt offensively in 2024-25 following an impressive 22-goal, 61-point display in his rookie campaign. 
  32. Sam Reinhart, RW, Florida Panthers
  33. Zach Hyman, LW, Edmonton Oilers
  34. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
  35. Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars
  36. Adam Fox, D, New York Rangers
  37. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers
  38. Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets
  39. Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers
  40. Noah Dobson, D, New York Islanders
  41. Juuse Saros, G, Nashville Predators
  42. Tage Thompson, C/RW, Buffalo Sabres - - There's still hope he can be the offensive terror he was in 2022-23 when he registered 47 goals and 94 points in 78 contests.
  43. Clayton Keller, LW/RW, Utah Hockey Club
  44. Steven Stamkos, C/LW, Nashville Predators
  45. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning
  46. Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights
  47. Tim Stutzle, C, Ottawa Senators - - Possesses the upside to blow past this ranking if he returns to the 90-point mark in 2024-25 while increasing his shot and hit totals.
  48. Jesper Bratt, LW/RW, New Jersey Devils
  49. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Carolina Hurricanes - - Has all the tools to be a multi-category fantasy monster but hasn't played a full 82-game schedule since his rookie year.
  50. Wyatt Johnston, C/RW, Dallas Stars - - Expected to take another step forward after scoring 32 goals and 65 points in 82 games last season. He also added 10 tallies and 16 points in 19 playoff outings.
  51. Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks
  52. Adrian Kempe, C/RW, Los Angeles Kings
  53. Chris Kreider, LW, New York Rangers
  54. Timo Meier, LW/RW, New Jersey Devils - - Wrapped up a tumultuous 2023-24 with 18 goals and 30 points in 26 outings, making him an intriguing rebound candidate. He's expected to be ready for camp after having shoulder surgery in the offseason.
  55. Vincent Trocheck, C, New York Rangers
  56. Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg Jets
  57. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals
  58. Mika Zibanejad, C, New York Rangers
  59. Seth Jarvis, RW, Carolina Hurricanes
  60. Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings
  61. Carter Verhaeghe, C/LW, Florida Panthers 
  62. Jacob Markstrom, G, New Jersey Devils - - Makes for an intriguing gamble in fantasy after being acquired from Calgary. New Jersey's offense and improved defense could help the 34-year-old netminder bounce back in a big way.
  63. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Minnesota Wild
  64. Kevin Fiala, LW, Los Angeles Kings
  65. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars
  66. Mathew Barzal, C/RW, New York Islanders
  67. Robert Thomas, C, St. Louis Blues
  68. Lucas Raymond, LW/RW, Detroit Red Wings
  69. Matt Boldy, LW/RW, Minnesota Wild
  70. Brad Marchand, LW, Boston Bruins
  71. Stuart Skinner, G. Edmonton Oilers
  72. Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils - - After being limited to 20 contests last season, he has tremendous bounce-back appeal if he can stay healthy. The 31-year-old could be among the highest-scoring blueliners by the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
  73. Travis Konecny, LW/RW, Philadelphia Flyers
  74. Alexandar Georgiev, G. Colorado Avalanche
  75. Jeff Skinner, LW, Edmonton Oilers - - Getting to play alongside Draisaitl or McDavid should do wonders for his fantasy value.
  76. Jordan Kyrou, C/RW, St. Louis Blues
  77. Mark Scheifele, C, Winnipeg Jets
  78. Nick Suzuki, C, Montreal Canadiens
  79. Bo Horvat, C, New York Islanders
  80. Nazem Kadri, C, Calgary Flames
  81. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings
  82. Brock Boeser, RW, Vancouver Canucks
  83. Cole Caufield, RW, Montreal Canadiens
  84. Brock Nelson, C, New York Islanders
  85. Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
  86. Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders
  87. Alexis Lafreniere, LW/RW, New York Rangers - - Accounted for 28 goals and 57 points in 82 regular-season outings before adding eight tallies and 14 points in 16 playoff appearances. He could level up again in 2024-25.
  88. John Carlson, D, Washington Capitals
  89. Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW, Detroit Red Wings
  90. Quinton Byfield, C/LW, Los Angeles Kings
  91. Drake Batherson, LW/RW, Ottawa Senators
  92. Pavel Buchnevich, C/LW, St. Louis Blues
  93. Alex Tuch, LW, Buffalo Sabres - - Bounce-back candidate after slipping to 22 goals and 59 points last season from 36 markers and 79 points across 74 appearances in 2022-23.
  94. Brandon Hagel, LW/RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
  95. Jonathan Marchessault, RW, Nashville Predators
  96. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Montreal Canadiens
  97. Shea Theodore, D, Vegas Golden Knights - - The offensive upside is undeniable but injuries have hindered his fantasy value for the past two years.
  98. Patrick Kane, RW, Detroit Red Wings
  99. John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
  100. Tomas Hertl, C, Vegas Golden Knights