Fantasy hockey defense tiers: The elite, the roster fillers and everyone in between
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Sean Allen
Let’s get into the nuances of making your own fantasy hockey draft tier list.
And that’s the first key takeawsay: your own is the most important part of that sentence. Tiers only work if you’re comfortable with them. The goal is to make sure you feel confident and in control as the pressure of your fantasy draft builds.
But maybe you don’t have time to crunch projections or debate every player. You can absolutely deep dive into the process — calculating drop-offs, percentage fades, or projection decay rates — and it’s fun if you like that sort of thing. The good news is that if you don’t, only minimal effort is enough to turn a basic ranking list into flexible tiers that adapt as your draft unfolds.
Even five minutes spent drawing dividing lines through a cheat sheet can turn a simple list into a powerful draft tool that keeps you ahead of your competition.
It’s easiest to show how simple this can be by walking through a physical list:
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Start reading the names from the top.
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Picture yourself drafting each player and gauge your comfort level.
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Whenever you feel a pang of doubt about the next pick, draw a line above their name. That’s a tier.
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Use roster spots as a guide (No. 1 line, No. 2 defense, etc.).
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If a certain player really makes you uncomfortable, just cross them off entirely.
To know how to let your tier list guide your draft-day strategy, check out the forward tiers.
One quick reminder before diving in: these aren’t the rankings or projections you’ll see sitting inside your draft room. Just like with the forwards, these are my own numbers built from a mix of custom projections, not the default in-game list.
Note: Points based on the ESPN standard scoring system.
Tier 1: A tier of one
1. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche: (projected: 222.6, last season: 235.2)
Notes: It’s lonely at the top, but Makar has no equals when it comes to fantasy production from the blue line. Since 2009-10, Makar has three of the top 11 finishes in total fantasy points by a defender, and four of the top 16 finishes in fantasy points per game.
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Tier 2: If anyone can challenge
2. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Calgary Flames: (projected: 211.0, last season: 203.0)
3. Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets: (projected: 207.5, last season: 216.2)
4. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres: (projected: 203.7, last season: 174.8)
Notes: If — and it’s a big if — anyone holds a candle to Makar for fantasy production from the blue line, these three are the best candidates. Weegar has been consistently elite in Calgary, Werenski showed what his top gear can be last season and Dahlin hasn’t peaked yet.
Tier 3: Harley, the Guenther of defense
5. Thomas Harley, D, Dallas Stars: (projected: 196.2, last season: 148.9)
6. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings: (projected: 191.9, last season: 193.7)
7. Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa Senators: (projected: 186.9, last season: 190.9)
Notes: If you read the forward tier list, you’ll get the reference to Dylan Guenther, who is projected unreasonably high in my forward rankings. Harley looks shocking at fifth overall, but the stats are there: After Miro Heiskanen was injured on Jan. 28, Harley was sixth among defensemen in fantasy points per game for the remainder of the season. Can he do it while Heiskanen is healthy? Given his power-play chops, yes.
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Tier 4: Still solidly No. 1 fantasy D
8. Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators: (projected: 185.7, last season: 122.2)
9. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks: (projected: 181.7, last season: 160.5)
10. Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers: (projected: 180.0, last season: 174.6)
11. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Utah Mammoth: (projected: 178.1, last season: 169.3)
12. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning: (projected: 176.3, last season: 182.5)
Notes: Well, they are still solidly No. 1 fantasy D if Josi can maintain a healthy campaign. It sounds like there is some risk in that hope, but given his upside, Josi is still a top-10 selection.
Hughes has offense to keep pace with Makar, but his hits and blocked shots — rather his almost complete absence of them — hold him back in fantasy.
Tier 5: Grand Central Terminal (great floor, high ceiling)
13. Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg Jets: (projected: 173.7, last season: 165.8)
14. Adam Fox, D, New York Rangers: (projected: 172.5, last season: 153.0)
15. Colton Parayko, D, St. Louis Blues: (projected: 170.4, last season: 149.8)
16. Noah Dobson, D, Montreal Canadiens: (projected: 165.2, last season: 143.7)
Notes: This tier gives me comfort if, for some reason, I end up avoiding defense early in any draft. Though they are ranked 13 to 16, I feel like three of these four could easily churn out elite statistics for fantasy –Parayko being the exception, as he’s not about to get start quarterbacking a power play.
Dobson is one of the few players for which I felt it necessary to manually insert information into the projection process. Even with the reduced output in 2024-25, he projects for much stronger fantasy results that what has landed him No. 16 on this list. The Habs blue line is a tricky one this season: Dobson, Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson could all be power-play quarterbacks on their own team, but will combine in some fashion for the Canadiens. It makes forecasting them difficult until we start to see some game action.
Tier 6: Physical play on display
17. Kaiden Guhle, D, Montreal Canadiens: (projected: 161.0, last season: 104.0)
18. Jackson LaCombe, D, Anaheim Ducks: (projected: 160.6, last season: 146.8)
19. Jakob Chychrun, D, Washington Capitals: (projected: 160.2, last season: 141.8)
20. Seth Jones, D, Florida Panthers: (projected: 159.9, last season: 131.4)
21. Darnell Nurse, D, Edmonton Oilers: (projected: 159.3, last season: 142.3)
22. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars: (projected: 159.1, last season: 88.5)
23. Rasmus Andersson, D, Calgary Flames: (projected: 158.2, last season: 164.4)
24. Jacob Trouba, D, Anaheim Ducks: (projected: 156.7, last season: 146.3)
25. Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils: (projected: 155.6, last season: 124.8)
26. Brandon Montour, D, Seattle Kraken: (projected: 155.0, last season: 145.9)
27. John Carlson, D, Washington Capitals: (projected: 153.5, last season: 150.2)
28. Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens: (projected: 153.2, last season: 158.5)
29. Shea Theodore, D, Vegas Golden Knights: (projected: 152.2, last season: 127.9)
30. Jake Walman, D, Edmonton Oilers: (projected: 151.5, last season: 146.0)
31. Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins: (projected: 151.1, last season: 91.7)
Notes: At this stage of the draft, the players who have fewer points, but more physical statistics (hits and blocked shots) start to catch up. Guhle, LaCombe, Nurse and, of course, Trouba collect enough fantasy points from their play without the puck to earn a spot on your team.
And it’s because of the uncertainty with Dobson, Hutson and Matheson that Guhle actually checks in ahead of Hutson in my rankings; I’ll bank those blocked shots and hits, rather than gamble on how the Habs deploy their power plays.
Theodore’s injury history holds him back, but note that this could be an explosive year if he stays healthy and Mitch Marner levels up the Knights power play.
Jones could also have a boosted performance with a full season as the top offensive blueliner for the Panthers.
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Tier 7: Pick your poison
32. Travis Sanheim, D, Philadelphia Flyers: (projected: 148.5, last season: 147.3)
33. Vince Dunn, D, Seattle Kraken: (projected: 148.0, last season: 112.1)
34. Jake Middleton, D, Minnesota Wild: (projected: 146.6, last season: 127.0)
35. Brandt Clarke, D, Los Angeles Kings: (projected: 145.2, last season: 118.3)
36. Thomas Chabot, D, Ottawa Senators: (projected: 145.2, last season: 154.1)
37. Alexander Romanov, D, New York Islanders: (projected: 144.6, last season: 131.6)
38. Morgan Rielly, D, Toronto Maple Leafs: (projected: 144.4, last season: 135.8)
39. Neal Pionk, D, Winnipeg Jets: (projected: 142.9, last season: 129.6)
40. Philip Broberg, D, St. Louis Blues: (projected: 142.6, last season: 103.5)
41. Alexander Nikishin, D, Carolina Hurricanes: (projected: 142.5, last season: N/A)
42. Alex Vlasic, D, Chicago Blackhawks: (projected: 142.5, last season: 135.2)
43. Matt Roy, D, Washington Capitals: (projected: 140.0, last season: 103.3)
44. Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins: (projected: 138.6, last season: 140.5)
Notes: What are you in the mood for? A reliable, stalwart to collect fantasy points by throwing his body at people and in front of pucks? Steady power-play quarterbacks who, while getting the job done, just won’t step into the elite threshold? A defender under 21 with massive upside, but competition on the blue line from veterans? This tier has all of that and much more; we didn’t even reference the Norris Trophy winner among them.
Nikishin is a wild card. He has the talent to be a true game-changer for fantasy, but I’ve tried to be conservative with his projection. The Hurricanes still have Shayne Gostisbehere, who, for all his detractors at five-on-five, is a wizard on the advantage.
Clarke is another youngster with a wide range of possible outcomes. Depending on how a 36-year-old Doughty performs, Clarke might not have the breathing room he needs to meet this projection.
Tier 8: Filling out the roster
45. Noah Hanifin, D, Vegas Golden Knights: (projected: 138.3, last season: 125.7)
46. Adam Larsson, D, Seattle Kraken: (projected: 137.8, last season: 130.5)
47. Brayden McNabb, D, Vegas Golden Knights: (projected: 136.6, last season: 132.2)
48. Devon Toews, D, Colorado Avalanche: (projected: 136.1, last season: 124.8)
49. Simon Edvinsson, D, Detroit Red Wings: (projected: 135.9, last season: 127.7)
50. Mike Matheson, D, Montreal Canadiens: (projected: 135.5, last season: 147.3)
51. Justin Faulk, D, St. Louis Blues: (projected: 134.0, last season: 116.2)
52. Andrew Peeke, D, Boston Bruins: (projected: 133.5, last season: 100.5)
53. Cam York, D, Philadelphia Flyers: (projected: 132.9, last season: 96.5)
54. Dante Fabbro, D, Columbus Blue Jackets: (projected: 131.4, last season: 122.1)
55. Sean Durzi, D, Utah Mammoth: (projected: 130.6, last season: 47.4)
56. Ivan Provorov, D, Columbus Blue Jackets: (projected: 129.9, last season: 119.3)
57. K’Andre Miller, D, Carolina Hurricanes: (projected: 129.7, last season: 111.6)
58. Radko Gudas, D, Anaheim Ducks: (projected: 128.7, last season: 140.6)
59. Ryan Pulock, D, New York Islanders: (projected: 128.4, last season: 127.2)
Notes: At this stage you are ideally adding a D or two to your bench, so the names to choose from extend well beyond this list. Highlighted here though are a few players that get their fantasy mojo from their partner: Think Makar for Toews or Werenski for Fabbro. But that’s just fine. There is a reason it is them and not another player sharing the blue line with the superstar.
The Islanders are trickier. Matthew Schaefer didn’t make the cut, but he deserves a mention. In the past 15 years, no defender has finished a campaign still 18 years old with more than four games played (Sergachev hit that mark in 2016-17). Schaefer aside, the Islanders still have power-play specialist Tony DeAngelo and former quarterback Pulock competing for minutes. Someone will emerge, but the smart play is to wait and see rather than stake your draft pick on guessing right.
And that’s the point of tiers: they give you structure, but leave room for your own instincts to take over. Use these as a guide, draw your own lines, and you’ll be ready for whatever your draft throws at you.
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Shwetha Surendran
The NCAA sent a letter to Kalshi, a company that offers prediction markets on college basketball and football, expressing its concern about the company’s “commitment to contest integrity and the protection of contest participants,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by ESPN.
In the letter, dated Oct. 30, NCAA chief legal officer Scott Bearby asked Kalshi how it monitors collegiate sports markets for integrity concerns and activity by prohibited customers, who it considers a prohibited customer, whether it will report integrity concerns to the NCAA and whether the company will cooperate with NCAA investigations.
“We welcome Kalshi’s stance on its efforts to protect the integrity of NCAA competitions and to reduce instances of abuse and harassment directed at student-athletes and other participants,” Bearby wrote.
The NCAA also asked if Kalshi would ban prediction markets similar to prop bets, which the company began offering this fall.
Prop betting markets, Bearby noted in the letter, heighten “the risk of integrity and harassment concerns.” In March last year, NCAA president Charlie Baker called for a ban on prop bets on college athletes in states with legal sports wagering.
The NCAA also asked Kalshi in the letter to review language on its website that the NCAA says implies a relationship between them.
“Kalshi has robust market integrity provisions required by our status as a federally licensed financial exchange,” a Kalshi spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN. “We value the NCAA’s feedback and are working on adjusting the language on our site. We are currently reviewing and addressing their additional requests.”
Prediction markets like Kalshi have emerged over the past year and are competing with traditional sportsbooks in the betting market. Kalshi is battling multiple lawsuits by state gambling regulators, who allege that the company is violating state laws by offering event contracts that mimic sports bets. Kalshi argues that it does not fall under state jurisdiction and is instead regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal agency.
In March, Kalshi announced a partnership with IC360, an integrity monitor used by many collegiate and professional leagues.
The NCAA has faced an increasing number of alleged betting violations by players in recent years. In September, the NCAA announced that a Fresno State men’s basketball player had manipulated his performance for gambling purposes and conspired with two other players in a prop betting scheme. In total, the association has opened investigations into potential betting violations by approximately 30 current or former men’s basketball players.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami has asked the Atlantic Coast Conference for clarity on a number of officiating decisions made in its loss this past weekend to SMU, including a critical 15-yard penalty in the final moments of regulation.
Miami lost the game, 26-20. The Hurricanes, who were as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25 last month, have dropped two of their last three games and are now ranked No. 18.
Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said Miami has not gotten an answer from the ACC. It’s unclear if any explanations will be coming.
“Certainly, we’re waiting what the response is, as well as on the roughing the passer one which we certainly don’t agree with,” Cristobal said Monday. “But at this point in time, the best we can do is turn it in and hope for a better result next time.”
The Hurricanes’ Marquise Lightfoot was called for unnecessary roughness against SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings with about a minute left in the fourth quarter, giving the Mustangs 15 yards and a first down. Miami had called time out just before the fourth-and-9 play was snapped, and the Hurricanes argued to no avail that Lightfoot did not hear the whistle.
Replays showed that Lightfoot, who did make contact with Jennings, tried to hold the SMU quarterback up after apparently realizing the play was dead.
That penalty gave SMU the ball on the Miami 37, and the Mustangs went on to kick an overtime-forcing field goal.
Miami also was incensed about how a pass interference flag that would have aided the Hurricanes was picked up, and how officials missed a Hurricanes receiver getting tackled in the end zone on a play that wound up as a Miami interception in overtime.
Miami was called for 12 penalties in the game for 96 yards, compared with four by SMU for 40 yards. The eight-penalty differential tied Miami’s biggest of the season; it had 13 penalties compared with five by Florida State when those teams played in Tallahassee last month.
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