As we approach the half-way point of September, pre-season creeps closer and the players shake off the cob webs (and beers) from the summer break. There is hope that some of the players on your favorite team had some good off season training. Gary Roberts training camp comes to mind for me, that guy was nothing but a warrior when it came to playing hockey. A handful of sophomore players were mentioned in the last blog, but here are a few more highly talented players I feel that are going to have great second seasons:
Morgan Rielly – Morgan is one of the most highly skilled defensemen of his age, coming into the season at 20 years old Rielly plans to continue to build off his solid rookie season. With only 2 goals, and 25 assists, Morgan will certainly see increased ice time this season with the additions of Robidas to the Leafs defensive core. There is speculation whether or not Rielly or Gardiner will be playing with Dion, but my gut tells me Rielly will be alongside veteran Stephan Robidas who is 37 entering this season. Rielly will see powerplay time and more than likely top 4 minutes this season for the Maple Leafs. Take Rielly as the third or fourth defensemen in your Fantasy draft, he will surely get more points this season as the Leafs do one thing yearly, put the puck in the net; 7 goals, 31 assists and a +2 rating with 22 penalty minutes for Morgan.
Beau Bennett – With playing 47 NHL regular season games, Bennett has a total of 21 points; he also chipped in with 5 points in 12 playoff games last season. Looking forward Bennett has an absolutely glorious opportunity staring him in the face going into the 2014/15 NHL season. Beau will likely be playing on the wing alongside Evgeni Malkin and newcomer to the Penguins organization, Patric Hornqvist. I would imagine he get second powerplay opportunities, but should do well adding up some fantasy value this season on a highly offensive Penguins team. Look to grab Bennett in the last round of your draft as he should surprise quite a few people this season with 45 points, 20 penalty minutes and a +6 rating.
Brock Nelson – The Islanders made some big changes this season, adding some quality forwards up front in Mikhail Grabovski and his partner in crime Nikolai Kulemin. Both are fresh after a summer’s rest and the ice bucket challenge, whereas on the other end of the spectrum they are hoping to have a red hot Halak between the pipes for a new look going forward. Nelson to me has two spots to land, one; on the top line with Tavares and Okposo. This would be phenomenal for the six foot three, 205 pound 22 year old, as he would be guaranteed to put up huge points. If that scenario didn’t work out for Nelson there could be a spot on the line with Grabovski and Kulemin, which could also benefit him. At this point, you should consider drafting Brock with the intentions he will put up close to 55 points for the New York Islanders. Powerplay time will be granted but don’t count on a lot of penalty minutes, he should be around +-0 this season.
Tomas Tatar – The Detroit Red Wings have a couple vacant spots on the top two lines. They also have a couple highly talented productive young players in Nyquist, Jurco and young prospect Anthony Mantha. Tatar is five foot eleven and weighs in at 185 pounds and should have a good chance playing alongside Weiss and Franzen. With that being said, anything is possible in Detroit…They had the second most injuries in the NHL last season, just behind Pittsburgh. So Tatar has a few options going forward this season, as the Red Wings have a lot of high end talent up front with veterans Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg leading the way. Take into account Tatar may not rack up a fortune of points over the season, but he will likely be around +10 with 45 points and 50-60 penalty minutes. I’m thinking, wait til the dying rounds of your draft and try to get Tomas with your second last, or last pick.
Aleksander Barkov – The 19 year old Finnish second round pick overall ended up with 24 points in 54 games in his rookie season. Decent points for such a young player on a rebuilding team. This year Barkov should play a full season and thrive with first line minutes alongside the Panthers newcomer Jussi Jokinen and Brad Boyes. Power play time will be a lock for Barkov, and because he is on Florida there is a good chance you will be able to draft him in the dying rounds of your draft. Expect 40-45 points from this sophomore, with a -8 rating and 26 penalty minutes. If you want Aleksander I would try to wait until the last round of the draft, although, you could try getting him in the second last round as he will surely get a lot of minutes to improve his output.
Mark Scheifele – Winnipeg has to be more than pleased with Scheifele’s rookie season last year, he was excellent. With 34 points in 63 games nobody on the Jets was complaining, as that’s great output for a first year NHL player. He will continue to improve as the season goes on, and I assure you him centering the second line for the Jets with Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler, his Fantasy value has increased. The six foot 185 pound Kitchener, Ontario native will produce in the 45-50 point neighborhood with 20 penalty minutes and a +5 rating. Look to grab him in the dying rounds of your draft as you can expect he will keep up the pace and more.
Elias Lindholm – The 19 year old Swedish sophomore had a great rookie season, tallying up 21 points in 58 games there is no doubt he will put up double the points this season. Prepare for the emergence of Lindholm as he will likely be on the same line as one of Carolina’s best players, Jeff Skinner. Don’t forget Jordan Staal who is a two way beast and is quite consistent at putting up 40-50 points per season. My gut tells me as long as this line stays healthy it will have a huge season for the Hurricane’s as they try to get the franchise back on track. Expect Elias to break the 40 point plateau, reaching 50 would be a stretch; but certainly possible if things click. Lindholm rarely takes penalties and he will likely be in the minus (+-) category as Carolina still has some work to do. Take Lindholm towards the end of your draft, but count on him for 40 points with some power play points as well.
Thanks for reading, let me know if I missed any sophomore player(s) you think will break out this season!