The important thing to remember as you read this is that the selections are based on the facts of the selected players careers such as goals, assists, and games played. These selections are also based on opinion and do not represent the views of the NHL, any team in the NHL, their players, or anybody but the author.

That being said, here are the top 20 fantasy hockey picks according to Brendan Hagen.

Here is a quick examples for your reference.

1. Skater - Team - Games Played last year, goals last year, assists last year

2. Goalie - Team - Record, Save Percentage, Goals Against Average

1. Steven Stamkos - Tampa Bay Lightning - 37 GP, 25 G, 15 A

Sidney Crosby is viewed as being the best player in the world, but Stamkos takes the number one spot for several reasons. The first is that Stamkos has only had one major injury in his career, his broken leg this past season, and he intends to spend the majority of the summer working to regain strength in his leg in order to get his offensive play back to where it was at the start of last season. Crosby is prone to injuries, which is why Stamkos would be a better pick since he is less likely to be out for long periods of time. He is an excellent goal scorer and was on track to have over 60 goals until his injury sidelined him last year. While he no longer has Martin St. Louis to set up all of his one-timers, he'll still be with plenty of talent like Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin.

2. Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins - 80 GP, 36 G, 68 A

Like always, Crosby has been racking up points unlike anybody else in the past few years and is playing some of the best hockey of his career. He won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the NHL in points and was the only player to have more than 100 points last season (he had 104). He's 31 points away from having 800 in his career and could easily take the scoring title again. He will thrive with whoever the Penguins put on his line. The only downside is that you take a risk due to his past injuries.

3. Ryan Getzlaf - Anaheim Ducks - 77 GP, 31 G, 56 A

A leading force behind the Ducks domination of the NHL for the majority of the season, Getzlaf earned nominations for being the best leader and most valuable player during the regular season. He was second in scoring and was four points away from tying his season high point total (91 in 2008-09). He had over 30 goals and 56 assists. During the playoffs, he had 4 goals and 15 points, which helped the Ducks beat the Dallas Stars and take the LA Kings to seven games. He's a hard-nosed player but can also produce points and shows no sign of slowing down in that category.

4. John Tavares - New York Islanders - 59 GP, 24 G, 42 A

Tavares could have challenged Sidney Crosby for the NHL scoring title this year had he not been injured at the Olympics. Tavares is a very talented player and could help to lead this Islanders team to the playoffs. He likely would've had a career high point total this year and his injury will be well behind him next year. He is already a favorite to win the Art Ross Trophy.

5. Claude Giroux - Philadelphia Flyers - 82 GP, 28 G, 58 A

Giroux was one of a few key players that led Philly to the playoffs after a less than stellar start to the season. While he may not reach as high in points as our first four selections, Giroux can still produce and despite some legal troubles this summer, he'll still be a leading force for the Flyers next season. With the fate of the Metropolitan up for grabs, Giroux may just have a career high point total as he and the Flyers attempt to win the division. He had 86 points this year and if your fantasy team needs somebody good, Giroux is certainly someone to consider.

6. Corey Perry - Anaheim Ducks - 81 GP, 43 G, 39 A

An early favorite to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the most goals, Perry provides a team with a stable forward and you can be sure that he will produce just as much next year as he did this year. Perry has played in almost every game he could over his career, which makes him an even better choice because that means he will produce throughout the entire season.

7. Evegeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins - 60 GP, 23 G, 49 A

Malkin missed 22 games with injuries this year, but that does not make him a worse player. Malkin thrived on Pittsburgh's second line, but with players like James Neal gone, there remains a question of how well he will produce remain. However, if Crosby gets injured again, look out for Malkin. In 2011-12, while Crosby was out for much of the season, Malkin played amazing and had 109 points, four short of his regular season record.

8. Alex Ovechkin - Washington Capitals - 77 GP, 51 G, 28 A

Ovechkin's reputation has been hurt due to his lack of defensive plays in recent years as well as his -35 rating this year. He is a great goal scorer, but has been inconsistent over his career and drafting him does pose risks. However, if he plays like last year (defensively not included) he will be a great pick for any fantasy team.

9. Tuukka Rask - Boston Bruins - 36-15-6, .928 SP, 2.11 GAA

Coming off of a Vezina Trophy season this year, and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals the year before that, Rask is one of the best goaltenders in the league. Granted, having a defense as good as that of the Bruins probably helps, but he still has great talent and great potential. Rask likely will do well next year as well and could lead the Bruins deep into the playoffs again.

10. Jamie Benn - Dallas Stars - 81 GP, 34 G, 45 A

Benn had an amazing season thanks to his great chemistry with Tyler Seguin and helped the Stars return to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. Benn is the oldest player on his line, but is only 25 meaning he and everybody on his line could produce for years to come.

11. Henrik Lundqvist - New York Rangers - 33-24-5, .920 SP, 2.36 GAA

Lundqvist is coming off a somewhat disappointing year. First, he came up short by getting silver in the Olympics for team Sweden and then losing in five games to the LA Kings in the Stanley Cup Final. However, none of that will affect his play. Lundqvist is one of the best goalies in the world. He's a three-time all star and a Vezina Trophy winner and will no doubt play well again next year. If he doesn't get off to a bad start like last year, he may be an even better pick up than Rask.

12. Phil Kessel - Toronto Maple Leafs - 82 GP, 37 G, 43 A

Kessel put up career numbers in points with 80 points (two short of his career high) and tied his career high goal total with 37. This is the second full season in which he's put up such big numbers and it is possible that he can keep this up in years to come. That being said, the thing to remember is he has only had 80 or more points twice in his seven seasons. (He actually played eight but the lockout season in 2012-13 may have prevented big production and is therefore not included). Either way, he is a good player and even if he doesn't match his point totals from last year, he would still be a good addition to any team.

13. Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks - 69 GP, 29 G, 40 A

Kane is a few years removed from his career high point seasons, but it doesn't mean he has gotten any worse and could have had more points this year if not for missing games due to injury. Kane will be an excellent addition and will continue to produce thanks to the new contract extensions he and Jonathan Toews received a few weeks ago.

14. Erik Karlsson - Ottawa Senators - 82 GP, 20 G, 54 A

The highest ranked defenseman on the list, Karlsson will no doubt put up high numbers next season as he looks to lead the Senators back into the playoffs. In his last two seasons (once again, the 2012-13 season is not included) Karlsson had 78 and then 74 NHL points. He was named the best defenseman of the 2014 Men's Ice Hockey tournament in the Sochi Olympic games and brings a level of excellence to the table unlike any of the other defensemen in the league.

15. Joe Pavelski - San Jose Sharks - 82 GP, 41 G, 38 A

What the Sharks experienced in the playoffs last year (like so many times in their franchise history) was no doubt heartbreaking, being only the fourth team in NHL history to give up a 3-0 lead in a playoff series and go on to lose that series. All San Jose players have expressed feelings of disappointment and Pavelski is no different. He will be determined to make a difference next year. How big of a difference is still a question, but there is no doubt he will produce big point totals next year, just as he did in the 2013-14 season.

16. P.K. Subban - Montreal Canadiens - 82 GP, 10 G, 43 A

Subban played his best hockey last season and over the past three years has continued to produce more points and even won the Norris Trophy for the League's best defenseman in the 2012-13. If the past means anything, he will only have more points next season, which will increase his fantasy value in years to come but could also mean he is underrated this year.

17. Taylor Hall - Edmonton Oilers - 75 GP, 27 G, 53 A

While the Oilers have not had success in a long time, Taylor Hall certainly has had some personal success. He had a new high in points this year and with the amount of talented forwards Edmonton possess, he will continue to produce and make other Oilers successful as well. He did miss seven games this year so he may have ended up with more than 80 points had he played the entire season.

18. Tyler Seguin - Dallas Stars - 80 GP, 37 G, 47 A

Seguin had new found success in Dallas this year while playing with Jamie Benn and Valeri Nichushkin. He will likely produce well again next year, but we cannot be certain as he has spent one year with the Stars. The arrival of Jason Spezza certainly will not challenge Seguin for the top line role, but he may not be as pressured to be on the ice as much as he was this season. Regardless, Seguin is talented and drafting him will not be a mistake.

19. Ben Bishop - Tampa Bay Lightning - 37-14-7, .924 SP, 2.23 GAA

A Vezina Trophy Finalist, Bishop certainly was a leading force for the Bolts last year. He was in the top 10 in all goaltender categories and, at times, in the top three until the Lightning went through a bit of a tailspin in February and March. He will be good for a team that needs a starting goaltender and will likely put up good numbers especially with Tampa's upgrades on the blue line.

20. Patrick Sharp - Chicago Blackhawks - 82 GP, 34 G, 44 A

He led the Blackhawks in points and can put similar numbers next year. Sharp is a two-time Stanley Cup Champ, one-time Gold Medalist, and is a big part of why Chicago has done so well in recent years.

Just Missed:

Anze Kopitar, Pavel Datsyuk, Jonathan Toews, Patrice Bergeron, Niklas Backstrom, and Henrik Zetterberg.

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About the author
Brendan Hagen
Lightning writer since March 2014. Born in St. Pete and I'm just waiting for a chance to head back.