Sleepers - Forwards

Which players are on the verge of a breakout season? Which player will be the next big thing? Astute fantasy owners should always be on the lookout for future talent, which we are here to help you with.

Although none of the players identified were able to crack the preseason top 50 rankings, some of these players were able to demonstrate flashes of brilliance last season, with some benefitting from a change in situation. These are the kind of players that, if drafted in the mid to late rounds, could make a difference for your fantasy team, particularly if they are ready to break out and are in the top 50 by this time next season. 

We will start with forwards in this article. Defensemen and goalies will be featured in the next fantasy article. 

Patric Hornqvist, RW, PIT

Just as James Neal’s fantasy value plummeted with a move to Nashville, Hornqvist’s value skyrocketed with a move the other way. We saw what a move to Pittsburgh accomplished for the careers of Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis, so Hornqvist’s upside in Pittsburgh has the potential to be massive. Hornqvist scored a career-high 53 points last season with Nashville’s no-name centers, so imagine what he could achieve with either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin as his center.  

Jaden Schwartz, LW, STL

I find it difficult to believe that a young former first-round pick who scored 25 goals and 31 assists with a +28 in his first full season is ranked around 150 by Yahoo. Staying in the top 6 might not be a sure thing, given the Blues’ depth at the forward position. However, Schwartz is not only a sleeper, but he is also a player that has been ranked too low by Yahoo. Right now the only downside to Schwartz is the fact that he has not signed a contract for this season. 

Evgeny Kuznetsov, C/LW, WAS

If you were able to save your waiver-wire priority into late last season, Kuznetsov was the reward for your patience. His numbers in his short stint were modest (9 points in 17 games), but the former first-round pick could be lucky enough to slot in beside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The former World Junior Championship MVP certainly has the talent to keep up, although the offensive-minded Russian will need to click with defensive-minded coach Barry Trotz. 

Valeri Nichushkin, RW, DAL

The Russian with the difficult-to-spell name is many a hockey fan’s favorite young player. He had a decent first season (34 points), partially spent alongside Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Rumor has it that newly acquired Ales Hemsky will skate alongside Seguin and Benn on the first line, but Nichushkin should be just fine on the second line with another new acquisition in Jason Spezza. Given Hemsky’s injury history, it might not be long before Nik is back on the first line.  

Tomas Hertl, LW, SJ

I currently have the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” theme song in my head, thanks to my five-year-old son. Coincidence? That doesn’t matter, but Hertl earned himself one of the league’s coolest nicknames last season thanks to an unexpected four-goal performance during the first week of the season. Unfortunately, his rookie season was cut short due to injury, but 25 points in 37 games have us wondering what’s in store. As the Sharks (try to) swim toward a youth movement, expect the young Czech to continue to go Ninja Turtle on NHL goalies.

Gustav Nyqvist, RW, DET

The Red Wings have made the playoffs for 20 consecutive years and counting, thanks to a scouting system that is able to find players well beyond the first round. Former fourth-round pick Nyqvist became a must-own in every league during the second half of last season, as 23 of his 28 goals were scored after January 20. He will be expected to shoulder a greater amount of the offensive load this season for the Wings, who will be in tough to keep their playoff streak alive. Nyqvist can be found just outside the top 100 in the Yahoo pre-draft rankings.

Jonathan Drouin, LW, TB

At one time Nathan MacKinnon’s sidekick on the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, Drouin will attempt to carve out a name of his own this season. Drouin has absolutely nothing left to prove in junior, racking up an unreal 108 points in just 46 regular-season games last season. It seems inconceivable that he would be anywhere except Tampa Bay this season, given that he would be the last of the top six of last year’s draft to see any regular-season action. Drouin is even a strong bet to make it back-to-back for former Mooseheads winning the Calder Trophy.

Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL

With two players on the forward sleeper list, the Blues appear to be in good hands both in the present and the future. Former first-round pick and World Junior star Tarasenko reached the 20-goal and 40-point mark in his sophomore season last season to go with a +20. Icetime may continue to be a struggle, as he only averaged 15 minutes per game last season. But like Kuznetsov, he has both the skills and pedigree to be a breakout candidate.

Mark Scheifele, C, WPG

The Winnipeg Jets’ first-ever draft pick (after the move to Winnipeg), Scheifele moved himself into the fantasy conversation last season with 23 points over his last 31 games before an MCL sprain ended his season in March. He is a center in mid to deep leagues that could fill out your roster, particularly if he lines up with the underrated Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane, should the latter remain in Winnipeg.

Are there any forward sleepers that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.

Players I Have Added Since the Start of the Season

Time can sure pass quickly in an NHL season. Since I last added something to this blog, some teams have already played ten games. What this means is that you can determine with some degree of certainty where your fantasy hockey team stands. In fact, you probably already have, assuming that you have made a trip to the waiver wire at least once, as most astute fantasy hockey leaguers have.

Perhaps the easiest way for me to write a fantasy hockey article is to write about what is happening on my own teams - in other words, what I have noticed with my own eyes. So this list of players that I have added is by no means a comprehensive list of players that were not on draft cheatsheets and have since been universally added in fantasy leagues everywhere.

Tomas Hertl, C, SJ
Yes, Hertl of the four-goal game. Yes, Hertl of the sick goal that everyone was talking about and some thought "broke the code." After that hat trick plus one, fantasy owners nearly crashed their league IT systems as they scrambled to add Hertl, assuming that another four-goal performance would soon follow. But the important thing here is, what has Hertl accomplished since that breakout performance? How about a more modest goal and two assists in six games. That's still enough for Hertl to be tied for the league lead in goals (7) with four other players. In spite of the return to reality, Hertl is still worth rostering in all formats.

Kevin Bieksa, D, VAN
I'm not just saying this as a Canucks fan, but I'm surprised that Bieksa is not owned in more fantasy leagues. His offense (four assists in ten games) hasn't been that great, but he picked up three of those helpers in an impressive game on Saturday against Pittsburgh. But he has a solid +7, and may lead your fantasy team in hits (22). In addition, the John Tortorella mandate to block every shot directed at a Canucks goalie will also help Bieksa in that department. But as a Canucks fan, I also worry that all these blocked shots will lead to more injuries to the Canucks' more physical players such as Bieksa and Ryan Kesler.

Lars Eller, C, MON
The man burdened with the pressure of being the player in return for Jaroslav Halak is finally starting to come through. Eller currently leads the Habs with five goals and is second on the team with eight points with a +5. With injuries to Daniel Briere and Max Pacioretty, expect Eller to continue to receive top-6 minutes. He has found great chemistry with Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk on what looks like the Habs' top line of the future.

Teemu Selanne, RW, ANA
I have to love Yahoo this season. They have finally allowed fantasy owners to deal with the dreaded "day-to-day" roster designations from teams. If a player was not placed on IR by his team, a fantasy owner could not move the player to IR and had to keep a valuable roster spot open for that player - dead weight in daily leagues in particular. But thanks to the IR+ designation, I'm able to replace the concussed Lubomir Visnovsky and concussed (I think) Dan Boyle with healthy bodies - one of which is Selanne. Yeah, I knew I'd eventually get to the ageless wonder here. He is proving for fantasy owners that he still has something in the tank, scoring goals in three consecutive games for the scorching-hot-out-of-the-gate Ducks.

Jason Demers, D, SJ
Speaking of injuries to the defense, can you believe that I have Boyle, Visnovsky, and Kris Letang all on one team? And that that very same team is also 3-0 in head-to-head play? Yes, said team is becoming extremely thin on defense, so I was forced to add whatever defenseman I could on Sunday, the day that we are allowed to bid on players. I lost out on Letang injury beneficiary Matt Niskanen, who has already recorded six points and a +9 in the nine games Letang has been out. But I was able to add Demers, who has five assists and a +5 in nine games of his own. In a similar spot to Niskanen, Demers is currently receiving first-unit power-play time with Boyle sidelined. But once the first-string power-play QB returns for both Pittsburgh and San Jose, expect the values of both Niskanen and Demers to drop.

Mike Ribeiro, C, PHX
Ribeiro is a perfect example of why you should not be too impatient with a player, particularly in the early going. After being held off the scoresheet in his first three games, Ribs is currently running a six-game point streak, with his last game being a two-goal effort on Saturday against the Wings. Every so often one of these kinds of players is dropped in a league, and you have to be the first one to pounce on the opportunity.

Have there been any other players that you have added that have helped you to early-season glory? Are there any players that I should have added to my team (even though I must say that I'm faring extremely well in my leagues right now, unlike my fantasy football teams)? Let me know below.