Jun 22nd, 2008
Jimmy D aims to be No. 1 in NHL draft contest
Jimmy D aims to be No. 1 in NHL draft contest
By JIMMY D Fantasy Sports
A YEAR AFTER Americans went 1-2 in the NHL entry draft, Canadians are expected to go 1-2 Friday in the 2008 edition of the event. And Ontario Hockey League players could go 1-2-3-4-5.
It’s a keeper poolie’s dream night Friday, as serious fantasy hockey participants look into the crystal ball to see who will be producing fantasy stats for them in three to five years.
Steve Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting, a hugely creative player, shapes up as the No. 1 pick. That’s the same position Jimmy D expects to land in the inaugural NHL Draft Contest he set up at fantasy sports site Fanjack.com.
The contest is a question-and-answer format where you select among several answers that have been provided. Obvious answers earn you small amounts of points (Stamkos will be the No. 1 overall pick is good for one point), but predict a long shot answer (Tampa Bay will trade the first overall pick to two teams like Quebec did with Eric Lindros back in 1990) and that will earn you 100 points.
There are 13 draftees whose draft range you must predict, as well as six questions involving the draft itself, such as how many trades will be completed during the first round, when will the first goalie — possibly Thomas McCollum of the Guelph Storm — be selected and which former or current NHL player will be involved in a trade.
The draft could see five of the top seven positions go to defencemen. After Stamkos, world junior stud Drew Doughty and New York-born Zach Bogosian are projected as the next two picks. Doughty is a six-foot, 220-pound rock who can fly (24 goals as an OHL rookie with Guelph), while Bogosian led the Peterborough Petes in scoring and tallied 51 assists.
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