Hi everyone! My name is Lucas Main (@LAM1926) and I take care of the Anaheim Ducks prospects here on DobberProspect. I also write a bi-weekly ramblings over at GoaliePost, your home for all your starting goaltending needs. I am thrilled to be part of such a great group of guys and talented writers. Hope y’all enjoy!
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First, let’s discuss the recent Top 75 Fantasy Hockey Prospects. I was one of the writers in the group and wanted to share some of my thoughts.
For fantasy leagues, I like to build my teams around forwards and use my defense for peripheral stats. There are four defensemen in the top eight, but one didn’t crack my list until that number and it was Miro Heiskanen. He can whip the puck around the zone and log a ton of minutes, so I couldn’t leave him outside the top 10.
One ranking that I am shocked about is Troy Terry (go ahead and call me a homer). He is in his first full professional season as one of the older guys on the list (only 21) so maybe other writers took that into consideration. Couple that with the fact he had a dismal start in Anaheim at the beginning of the year and I can see why you could get down on the guy, but he has regained his confidence down in the AHL. He has tremendous patience with the puck and great playmaking ability. Right now might be the best time to buy low on him because after he is called up by the Ducks, he won’t get another one (he’ll stick with the team, get it).
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Now for a little World Junior talk…
It is way too early to predict the 2020 draft, but two top prospects from that class have made their respective teams; Alexis Lafreniere (CAN) and Anton Lundell (FIN) have made their nation’s teams and they are not looking back. Alexis is the ninth-youngest player to make the Canada squad, so temper your expectations for him as he will most likely be limited with his role. The talent is there to be on the top line, but with almost everyone being two years older, he will have to earn it. Lundell had a power play marker against the Canadians in their final exhibition game and will play a bigger role than Lafreniere. Keep your eyes on them (you’ll be able to spot their talent and the fishbowls on their heads) because those two are a lot of fun to watch.
Here is a hot take for y’all; the Czech Republic will win gold in this year’s tournament. The top line of Zadina-Necas-Kaut is going to be buzzing out there, they have three defensemen from last year’s squad (including minute-muncher Jakub Galvas) and their goaltending is very underrated. Lukas Dostal can steal a game for the Czechs, like he did last year at the U-18 Worlds. I watched him at the Ducks rookie camp this past summer and his positioning is flawless. He possesses a calm presence in the cage and makes himself look bigger than he actually is.
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Each ramblings I will give you a prospect that has the potential to play some NHL games and make contributions to your squad if you are in those deeper leagues. The first skater I will mention is Trevor Moore of the Marlies/Maple Leafs. He is tied for second in the AHL with 17 goals (as of 12/25/18) and with Tyler Ennis breaking his ankle, that should open up a full time spot for him to log NHL minutes. In fact, he made his NHL debut on 12/23/18 against the Red Wings and notched an assist in five and a half minutes of action. Look for him to see more ice time as he gets more games under his belt and he could be a sneaky depth option in deep leagues and a cheap option in daily fantasy leagues.
Thanks for reading and if you have any questions/comment or just want some good reads, follow me on Twitter @LAM1926.
Photo courtesy of NHL.com