You can be honest.

How much hockey have you watched since opening night last Wednesday? I won’t judge. We have all been patient, and are now being blessed with hours, upon hours of entertainment. Congratulations everyone, we made it.

There have been a handful of storylines thus far, with prospects making up a good chunk of them. Non of which have been more electric than my “guy”, Kirilll Kaprizov. The 22-year-old Russian phenom has arrived as advertised and has single handedly turned the Minnesota Wild into a 60-minute entertainment piece.

However, he is not the only rookie making a quick mark on the league. As of Monday evening, we now have seen a total of seven rookies score their first NHL marker, those being:

Kirill Kaprizov
Ty Smith
Eetu Luostarinen
Nils Hoglander
Tim Stützle
Yegor Sharangovich
Alexander Romanov

Sharangovich takes the cake for the “feel good” rookie goal of the year, so far. I wrote an article a few months back about him and at the time, he was less than 2% owned in fantrax. Since that article, he has gone on a phenomenal run in the KHL, and has carried that momentum into a spot with the Devisl and now this:

You love to see it. I’d love to say that I had a little something to do with it. But that’s all him.

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Now that the season is offficaly underway, and fantasy pools are off to the races, I decided to scour through the DobberSports Forum. If you aren’t familiar with the forum, it is time that you did some digging. It is filled with hours of entertainment and fantasy assistance. I highly doubt that you have a question that hasn’t been talked about at some point.

What’s more, is the community is very responsive. Never will you go without a response to your inuqiry. So, if you haven’t yet, make sure to check it out.

To give some feedback, here are my thoughts on some of the recently asked (Prospect) fantasy questions.

Philippe Myers or Mario Ferraro

Format: 24 team h2h league with the following cats – G, A, SOG, STP, Hit, Blk
Question: Who do you prefer in this league setup (now and in the future)

For the short term, I would say that opportunity is what is going to separate the two. With San Jose loading the top powerplay unit with their two-headed monster – Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns -, Mario Ferraro has been handed reigns as their second unit quarterback. As a bonus, he also carries a small cap-hit (925k), as opposed to Philippe Myers, who recently signed a new 2.55M deal.

Myers, on the other hand, will have to rely on an injury or extreme lackluster play from either Ivan Provorov, Erik Gustafsson, or even Travis Sanheim if he is to see a second of time on the man-advantage. Myers may take a slight leap in the peripheral department, but only by a slim margin and it likely does not make up for the additional special teams minutes with Ferarro.

Long term, however, things paint a different pciture. Based on team trajectory, combined with their close proximity in statistics, I would hand Myers the slight edge here. The Flyers are clearly in the early stages of something special, with Myers being very much a part of that vision among their top-four. While, San Jose remains a large question mark and lack deep prospect options.

It is a close comparison, but in the end, I think Myers is the safe pick for me for the future.

Short term: Mario Ferraro
Long Term: Philippe Myers

Max Domi or Drake Batherson

Format: Skater Cats: G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SOG, Hit, Blk
Question: Trying to go younger, wants to compete again in roughly two years

I understand that Domi does not fall into the prospect realm. However, given my stance, I am going for it.

For me, the answer is Drake Batherson with a bullet – especially if you are looking further down the line. The Senators, despite being a potential bottom-dweller this season, have already shown that they can score goals and Drake Batherson is very much apart of that offense. He is currently deploying on all of the club’s top outlets, and I don’t expect that to change.

Perhaps you may give Max Domi the upper hand in the peripheral deparrtment? Think again. Through 45 games at the NHL level, Batherson has contributed for 75 hits, 33 blocks, 19 PIMS, and 56 shots on goal and SOG may be the only edge that will be given to Domi at the moment.

I don’t have to tell you how things work in Columbus, but it’s clear that winning games 6-5 is not in the immediate plans. They are low scoring and do not have the future offensive layout like the Senators do going forward. It is a small sample size, but Domi has been close to invisible on the stat sheet through three games, with the only major number standing out being his minus-four rating.

Not too mention, Alexandre Texier has been moved back to the center position and looks to be out for blood early in the season. Knowing John Tortorella, things could change quickly and Domi could end up on the outside of a top-six role looking in, quick.

Short Term: Drake Batherson
Long term: Drake Batherson

Joel Farabee or Nils Höglander

Format: Points only
Questions: With Sean Couturier injury, does his deployment increase vs With J.T Miller back, does Hoglanders production drop

To start, I do not foresee the Couturier (center) injury affecting Joel Farabee’s (wing) deployment or production. If you were looking at a player such as Morgan Frost or Nolan Patrick, then it’s a different story as both should see a bump in minutes over the next few weeks – Frost being the biggest beneficiary as he will finally slot into the lineup. Farabee should continue to do his thing on the club’s top-line and second powerplay unit.

Things will change slightly for Höglander, who had been previously given reps with the big boys (Pettersson and Boeser), as well as time on the club’s top powerplay. With J.T Miller back, you should expect to see Nils back on the second line, alongside Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson, as well as the club’s secondary PP unit.

Whether it’s a re-draft league or dynasty league, I think Farabee is the safer option. Of course, Hög has continued to surprise and prove me wrong on predictions, so I suppose I shouldn’t say this with too much conviction. I absolutely love Nils’ compete level and his forever turned on motor. He is fiesty on puck carriers, and shows a high level of offensive touch, but his sample size is just to small for me to give him the advantage.

Whereas, Farabee is a little more proven, has a solid dose of offensive upside and plays on a slightly more well-rounded team. For me, it’s Farabee by a hair.

My Pick: Joel Farabee

Alexander Romanov or Moritz Seider

Format: H2H Points Dynasty
Question: 16 Team Dynasty League, H2H points, Points, Powerplay points, +/- (0.5), SOG, Blocks, 3 bench spots, 40 minor league spots

This is spicy.

Both are very strong players with similar trajectories. In a small sample size, Romanov has shown us that he can play in the NHL, and look good while doing it. As expected, his peripheral dominance is on display, posting 10 hits and six blocks through just three games. He is seeing third-line minutes, but is patrolling the line on the club’s second powerplay unit, which you can count on being a regular thing. We can certainly expect these numbers to not only continue, but expand as the games and utilization roles on.

Moritz Seider, on the other hand, is currently playing in Rogle (SHL) and is proving to be an absolute unit. Through 27 matches, he sits fifth in the league with 54 hits, top-25 with 30 blocks, second in the league with a plus-15 rating, and tied for 11th among defenders with 19 points (10G + 8A). Pretty good. Of course, this won’t immediately translate to NHL success, but the proof is in the pudding and I am quite confident in him competing along the same lines when he makes the move.

Once in Detroit, Sieder will be the next go-to guy on the backend and has proven that he has much to offer in a large variety of areas. I foresee the two being very close in peripheral stats, but I expect Seider to overtake him in the points department.

My pick: Moritz Seider

Oskar Lindblom or Nolan Patrick

Format: Points only
Question: Who do you pick?

This one is certainly a reach for “prospect” conversation. But, given their recent status’s, I thought I would wrap things up with this.

Both fantastic stories and it is great to see them both healthy and back into the line-up. This one is interesting as both are in similar positions and fringe on special teams utilization. I like Oskar Lindblom’s chances of competing in a top-six role on the wing, considering the depth is a little weaker, as opposed to their skill up the middle, which is far more prominent.

Overall, the pair are quite close in comparison and if healthy, could go either way – especially in a points only format. If you were looking for a few more peripherals, i’d veer to the side of Lindblom as he plays the game with a little more versatility with a total of 132 hits, 85 blocks 274 SOG throughout his young career.

My pick: Oskar Lindblom

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As always, my DM’s are always open to chat fantasy. If you ever want to bounce an idea off of me, please follow me @hall1289.

Enjoy week two of fantasy hockey!