After the Slovak stack came up short, IIHF Fantasy expert Eki still finished above the daily average — and pivots hard for Day 6 by stacking three Czechs against a favourable matchup, leaning on Josi's form and trusting Raymond's 70% pick rate in the Fantasy.
First, let's go over Eki’s yesterday Fantasy lineup. The number isn't pretty — 29 points — but the context is friendlier. "The Slovaks let me down," he admitted: Okuliar 2 as captain, Hrivik 0, Kmec 1.5. Even Latvia's Balcers managed only 7.5. The save came at the back, from Norway: Haukeland 14, Solberg 4 — "I was still over the average score" because "everyone else was struggling as well." A reminder that in fantasy hockey, beating the day matters as much as the absolute total.
That outcome reshapes the Day 6 build to a three-player Czech stack which anchors a lineup pointed at a matchup Eki believes Czechia will win.
The captaincy goes to Blumel, who "only scored two times in the tournament so far." Around him, two more Czechs: Defenceman Hronek, whom Eki calls "Czechia's best puck-moving" defender, and goaltender Pavlat.
Around the Czech core, three trust picks. Josi returns on defence — "Josi has been unbelievable… scored a lot of points”. Leonard comes back for USA, with the upside framed honestly: "He hasn't scored a lot, but I'm hoping" the volume tilts his way. And Raymond is the ownership play. "Seventy percent of fantasy teams" have the Swede, Eki noted.
The through-line is volume in favourable matchups, not chasing the leaderboard with a single hero. The Day 5 lineup landed 29 because the captain pick and two-thirds of the Slovak stack went cold; the Day 6 lineup is built so that even one Czech goal, an active Hronek night and a couple of Raymond points produce a base-rate result without a single explosion.
5 advices by IIHF Fantasy expert:
• Target players from teams expected to control the game
• Don’t panic after one disappointing fantasy day
• Reliable point production matters more than risky hero picks
• Keep highly owned stars in your lineup to protect against big swings
• Build around players who consistently generate shots and puck possession
The full Day 6 lineup: GK Pavlat (CZE); DEF Josi (SUI), Hronek (CZE); FWD Blumel (CZE, C), Leonard (USA), Raymond (SWE).
▶ Play IIHF Fantasy now on iihf.com
First, let's go over Eki’s yesterday Fantasy lineup. The number isn't pretty — 29 points — but the context is friendlier. "The Slovaks let me down," he admitted: Okuliar 2 as captain, Hrivik 0, Kmec 1.5. Even Latvia's Balcers managed only 7.5. The save came at the back, from Norway: Haukeland 14, Solberg 4 — "I was still over the average score" because "everyone else was struggling as well." A reminder that in fantasy hockey, beating the day matters as much as the absolute total.
That outcome reshapes the Day 6 build to a three-player Czech stack which anchors a lineup pointed at a matchup Eki believes Czechia will win.
The captaincy goes to Blumel, who "only scored two times in the tournament so far." Around him, two more Czechs: Defenceman Hronek, whom Eki calls "Czechia's best puck-moving" defender, and goaltender Pavlat.
Around the Czech core, three trust picks. Josi returns on defence — "Josi has been unbelievable… scored a lot of points”. Leonard comes back for USA, with the upside framed honestly: "He hasn't scored a lot, but I'm hoping" the volume tilts his way. And Raymond is the ownership play. "Seventy percent of fantasy teams" have the Swede, Eki noted.
The through-line is volume in favourable matchups, not chasing the leaderboard with a single hero. The Day 5 lineup landed 29 because the captain pick and two-thirds of the Slovak stack went cold; the Day 6 lineup is built so that even one Czech goal, an active Hronek night and a couple of Raymond points produce a base-rate result without a single explosion.
5 advices by IIHF Fantasy expert:
• Target players from teams expected to control the game
• Don’t panic after one disappointing fantasy day
• Reliable point production matters more than risky hero picks
• Keep highly owned stars in your lineup to protect against big swings
• Build around players who consistently generate shots and puck possession
The full Day 6 lineup: GK Pavlat (CZE); DEF Josi (SUI), Hronek (CZE); FWD Blumel (CZE, C), Leonard (USA), Raymond (SWE).
▶ Play IIHF Fantasy now on iihf.com