We are through four fantasy rounds of action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and we’ve seen some interesting results. By now we’re starting to see some players separate from the pack and some teams genuinely surprise in their results.

The fun thing about this tournament is looking at the matchups. As the lower seeds fight hard to avoid relegation, analyzing the rankings of certain teams and their level of competition can make a difference.

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ON FIRE: Vadim Shipachyov, F, Russia

The Russians lit up the lamp in the last couple of rounds and that was capped off Thursday by their 10-goal performance against Denmark. Russian forward Vadim Shipachyov doubled his point total in that game with a five-point performance, which included two goals. He shoots the puck a lot, and with games against Switzerland and Norway coming up, more points are coming.

WARMING UP: Vitali Kolesnik, G, Kazakhstan

Kazakstan has been very competitive during this tournament and a big reason has been the play of Vitali Kolesnik. With games against Czech Republic and Latvia coming up, Kolesnik is sure to face a lot of shots and rack up a lot of points for your team. He has played every game for his team between the pipes.

ICE COLD: Max Domi, F, Canada

Canada is loaded with talent, but for some reason Max Domi has been noticeably absent on the score sheet. He wasn’t expected to be a leading scorer, but he was certainly expected to contribute. At a cost of 15.5, stay away from Domi for now.

The Matchups:

Czech Republic vs Kazakhstan: See Warming Up. Kolesnik is your guy. A lot of shots means a lot of points for your team.

USA vs Hungary: With USA showing a lack of offence lately, go with goaltender Adam Vay of Hungary. He will likely get another start after his 45 save performance against Finland. If he can replicate that same level of success that could translate into a lot of points for your team. Make sure you check the latest in the news to make sure he is in net.

Denmark vs Latvia: This has all the makings of two teams that are about to explode offensively. Mikelis Redlihs is a safe bet for Latvia. The forward has three goals in four games and two more than any other player on his team. After the rough game Denmark just had, there could be more goals to be had.

Germany vs Belarus: You’ve got to hand it to the Germans. They upset Slovakia and had a pretty good showing against Canada on Thursday. Forward Philip Gogulla appears to be at the heart of the offence with a team-leading five assists, but if you are looking for value, go with Patrick Reimer. He’s got a pair of goals and costs slightly less at 14.60.

Norway vs Sweden: Gustav Nyquist is the top pick here. His recent two-goal performance has him playing in a league of his own. He also has two game-winning goals which are big in this game. At 18.55 he could be expensive. If you want value. Alexander Wennberg comes in at a much cheaper 15.65.

France vs Finland: Despite his struggles in the last couple of rounds, Patrik Laine is your go-to player. He’s had his chances and just ran into a really good goaltender in the last game. Stick with Laine.

Russia vs Switzerland: Vadim Shipachyov of Russia is your guy for this matchup. He’s been shooting a lot and has found his groove with the national team. The Swiss could be in for a lot of trouble.

Slovakia vs Canada: Slovakia could give Canada a tough test. With other lopsided matches available for gaining points. This is an excellent game to go with value. Pick Tomas Jurco for Slovakia. Or if you are looking for a defenceman Andrej Sekera has been great with three goals so far.

Fantasy Tip: Matchups are really important when setting your lineups. As is staying up to date with news and notes. Russia just added a bunch of players to their lineup which can change the dynamic of the game. As other NHL teams get eliminated, other tweaks can happen there too. Stay up to date and see how your points total improves.


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