Which prospects are lost deep into the ranked draft lists, waiting to be added by a resourceful owner? Find out in this Sunday Ramblings…
What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? That its finally draft season!!
Chances are you've already had a draft or mock-draft take place for the upcoming season, and you may have relied on the host website's pre-set player rankings. This can be a useful tool to keep track of which stars are yet to be selected, but can become a dangerous crutch when it gets to the depth rounds. You may take a pre-ranked player with time running out, when a few pages deeper into the list there awaited a sleeper gem, a prospect not understood by lists relying on last season's stats. Well worry no more – below are prospects you can pull from the depths of the pre-ranks to gain an edge on your league brethren. These are misranked prospect picks that will help you both this year in single season leagues, and hold extra value in kepper formats.
Yahoo Fantasy
Teemu Pulkkinen – Preseason Rank: 682
Two-time 30-goal season in the AHL, solid production in NHL stints so far, and gaping holes in Detroit's top-6? This is a good spot for goal-scorer to be in.
Nick Ritchie – PR: 776
NHL duties for sure, and could be the LW Getzlaf and Perry have been waiting for.
Shea Theodore – PR: 793
The offensive d-man also puts up big blocked-shots numbers. Should not go undrafted.
Oliver Bjorkstrand – PR: 822
Position in lineup still not certain, but he will be on Columbus and the sky's the limit.
Connor Brown – PR: 858
Just imagine if this offensive dynamo gets on a line with Nylander…or Marner…or Matthews…
Connor Carrick – PR: 870
Time will tell if his roster spot if solid, but his stats certainly are. Brings bonus SOG, H, and possible PPP.
Pavel Zacha – PR: 920
Not much above him on the New Jersey food chain. Good play could earn him big minutes as a rookie.
Anthony Mantha – PR: 937
A talented power-forward on a team direly needing a net-front presence. Big powerplay potential here.
Michael Matheson – PR: 984
The Florida blueline is a good place to be. The high-scoring d-man will finall be embraced this season.
Mitch Marner – PR:1102
116 points in an OHL season, 14 points in 4 Memorial cup games, think this guy will give you some points?
Zach Werenski – PR:1135
Stud defenceman dont grow on trees, especially ones stepping into such an ideal position to grab powerplay minutes.
Travis Konecny – PR: 1204
Looks to have secured a spot in Philly in the top-six. That should be enough for fantasy owners.
Jimmy Vesey – PR: 1385
Has lived up to the hype so far in pre-season, and is just about one of the only Gudas targets to not have been injured.
Gustav Forsling – PR:1510
Will start the year on the Hawks' third-pairing, but has the ceiling for a higher role if needed.
Kevin Labanc – PR:1608
Its not easy to convince the already deep San Jose that they need to make room for your offence, but he is very close to doing just that.
Tyler Motte – PR: 1618
The frontrunner for a top-six spot in Chicago. Not a bad gig.
Jakub Chychrun – PR:1639
Its one thing to look good in the pre-season, and another to do it with big minutes. Making teams look foolish for letting him slide in the draft.
Mikko Rantanen – PR: 1686
I've harped enough about the man-cild who dominated Finland and the AHL as a rookie. Now he'll be in the Avs' top-six.
Sebastian Aho – PR: 1741
He was the perfect compliment to his European linemates in the World Juniors, and now has a guaranteed spot on a line with Teravainen and Lindholm…
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ESPN/TSN
All players in the above list remain under-ranked, with the following players in addition:
William Nylander – Position Rank: 88
The superb playmaker will be in the Calder discussion.
Tobias Rieder – PR: 93
To be a shooter in a lineup with as much talent as Arizona is a pretty great thing. A solid sleeper pick.
Ben Hutton – PR: 155
Saw powerplay time with Edler out last season, time to se what he can earn as a sophomore.
Andreas Athnasiou – PR: 167
A sleeper breakout candidate in Detroit in a lineup ready for players to step into a top role at any time.
Slater Koekkoek – PR: 295
Tampa Bay has a way of taking solid defencemen and adding offence to their game. Confidence in him let them trade away DeAngelo at the draft.
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The DobberProspects Radio Show is on episode 3 and just keeps on providing the best prospect information out there. If you have half an hour to become a more knowledgeable fantasy owner, this is the best way to do it. You can listen to the new episode HERE or follow the show on twitter @DPR_Show
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As always, thank you for reading and best of luck in your upcoming fantasy hockey season!
Hayden Soboleski
@soboleskih