image courtesy of NHL.com
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As one of the most important pro development leagues, its always a good idea to check on the AHL, and who has been impressing lately. Last month, our own Pat Quinn rambled about some players that deserved a shot from their GMs and coaches. In a similar but less immediate fashion, I want to cherry-pick a few prospects whose fantasy stocks are on the rise, for your potential gain in dynasty leagues:
Alex Barre-Boulet (TBL) is a Junior top-scorer, scooped up by Tampa Bay and now tearing up the AHL. Sound familiar? At this point we know better than to doubt the Lightning’s development system – this AHL rookie deserves to be on everyone’s radars for next fall.
Otto Koivula (NYI) came over to North America from Finland this season and sits second on his squad in points. His pedigree isn’t the highest as a former 4th-rounder, but he’s on the same point pace as the often-talked-about Josh Ho-Sang, and well above Kieffer Bellows. Take note now.
Drake Batherson (OTT) was a hot name to start the year in Ottawa, and probably go scooped up in more leagues as a result. When he got sent down he might have started slipping some minds, but his stock keeps rising as he leads all AHL rookies in scoring.
Calle Rosen (TOR) gets talked about less than his teammates Sandin and Liljegren, and has less upside than either, but he was an AHL All-Star, and signed a cheap two-year extension a few months back. He is in the plans going forward, will fit into a tight cap situation, and is racking up points. Don’t wait until training camp to jump on this fantasy opportunity.
Josef Korenar (SJS) currently sits first in the AHL in GAA and 5th in SV%. His 22-game workload isn’t as high as some other starters in the league, but these are legit numbers so keep an eye out if his value keeps increasing. This is a bit of a long-shot compared to other names on the list since he is only 21 and we all know that predicting goaltenders is not for the faint of heart.
Pavel Francouz (COL) is another new name in North America that might be heard more soon. The 28-year-old came over with sparkling KHL stats, and hasn’t missed a beat on the AHL Eagles. 30 games, 0.915 SV% with a non-playoff squad in front of him. Not to mention the terrible play of both goalies ahead of him on the depth chart in Colorado. He’s one hot call-up away from looking like a real option for the Avs.
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No first NHL goals to show you this week…hopefully this lull doesn’t last long! There is a long line of call-ups waiting for their shot.
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Thanks for reading!
Hayden Soboleski