Training camps are here and that means fantasy hockey drafts are too.



For the second year in a row, this is my ranking of the top 20 Calder Trophy candidates (as well as several other rookies to keep an eye on) for the upcoming seasons.



This ranking will not line up with my annual Top 50 drafted prospects ranking, released in July, in a couple of key ways. The latter is built upon skill and upside. The focus here, instead, will be on projecting a player’s likely role within his team this season. As a result, this ranking considers each player’s fit within an organizational depth chart. It also considers the value of the counting stats (goals, assists, shots, etc.) that matter most in fantasy leagues — resulting in a proportionally higher value in the average forward than in the average defenceman.



The criteria for consideration here also differs from my prospects ranking. Here, the Calder Trophy’s guidelines are used (the player...