January 2021 is right around the corner, and fantasy hockey managers are busy preparing for draft season. We’re aiming to help all of our readers, longtime and new, cruise to a title as smooth as Connor McDavid‘s shot. In the coming weeks we’ll be providing you with several excerpts from our 2020-2021 Rotoworld NHL Draft Guide from the Rotoworld Premium EDGE+ Roto, EDGE+ Pro and EDGE+ Max packages.
Jammed with content aimed at providing the knowledge you need to make the perfect draft decisions for both standard and dynasty leagues — from projections, rankings and tiers to exclusive expert columns, mock drafts, ADP Reports and much more — we’ve never been more proud of what we have to offer. And don’t forget, you can use promo code PUCK10 for 10% off any tier or package.
In the last preview, we provided a look at the positional tiers for the center position. This week, we preview our 2020-21 NHL Draft Guide’s sleepers, highlighting a handful of names that could be worth considering late in fantasy drafts. Have a look:
2020-21 Sleepers
Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton) - Yamamoto averaged 17:23 of ice time last season over 27 games with the Edmonton Oilers. He joined the team from Bakersfield of the AHL at the end of December and became a regular in the lineup. Yamamoto fit in nicely alongside Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He generated 11 goals and 15 assists, while being credited with 44 shots and 45 hits. His whopping 25.0 shooting percentage is likely unsustainable, but there’s still a great deal to like about his prospects. Yamamoto stands a very good chance of starting the 2020-21 campaign with Draisaitl as a linemate. It’s unclear if Nugent-Hopkins or Dominik Kahun will occupy the left side, but either way the combination offers plenty of promise. Draisaitl amassed a league-leading 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) last season and Yamamoto will benefit tremendously from a full year alongside him. His fantasy outlook is improved further by the rate at which he racked up shots and hits, which provides more category coverage.
Nick Suzuki (Montreal) - Suzuki produced 13 goals and 28 assists in 71 games during his rookie year in 2019-20 with the Canadiens. His most common linemates in 2019-20 were Max Domi, who was traded to Columbus in the offseason, and Artturi Lehkonen, who isn’t known for his offensive contributions. Suzuki is expected to take on a much larger role with Montreal in his sophomore campaign following a great postseason performance. He led the team with four goals and seven points in 10 contests, while seeing playing time alongside Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Drouin. If Suzuki centers the second line in 2020-21 then he could have Drouin, Josh Anderson or Tyler Toffoli as wingers. Additionally, he will still probably have exposure to Tatar and Gallagher on the top power-play unit. His improved shooting percentage (14.8%, up from 9.4%) and shots per game (2.7, up from 1.94) during the postseason are encouraging signs going into the 2020-21 campaign. Suzuki shouldn’t be branded as just a playmaker and he is capable of more consistent production.
Jake Virtanen (Vancouver) - Virtanen flashed some potential in 2019-20 when he had a career-year offensively. He provided personal bests in goals (18), assists (18) and points (36), while averaging just 13:05 of ice time. He spent most of his even-strength ice time alongside Adam Gaudette and Antoine Roussel, but got opportunities to play in the top-six forward group with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson as well as Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. He is expected to get a chance to land a spot on the top line going into this season after Tyler Toffoli and Josh Leivo left via free agency. Virtanen had success in a small sample size with Pettersson and Miller last year, while racking up shots and scoring chances. Virtanen’s speed and forechecking ability makes him well-suited for a top-line role. Look for him to set new personal highs offensively across the board, while piling up shots and hits in 2020-21, if he earns a full-time position with Vancouver’s top-two producers from last campaign.
Kirby Dach (Chicago) - Dach only had eight goals and 15 assists in 64 games during his rookie season in 2019-20 with the Blackhawks. He suffered a concussion during the NHL Prospect Camp in Traverse City following a busy offseason and he had trouble getting back on track. Dach was able to rest up and get stronger prior to the postseason. His efforts paid off and he made an impact for Chicago in the NHL Return to Play with one goal and five assists in nine games. Dach spent most of the playoffs alongside Patrick Kane and showed that he is ready for second-line duty in 2020-21. The 19-year-old’s average ice time per game jumped from 14:16 during the regular season to 19:24 in the postseason, which ranked second among the team’s forward group behind only Kane. Chicago expects more from the team’s younger players in 2020-21, as the team looks to rebuild, and Dach is shaping up to be a key part of it. The potential to play alongside Kane in all situations, while getting exposure to Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik on the top power-play unit, should result in a very strong sophomore season for the third-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
For access to all sleepers and all Draft Guide features, as well as season tools for NHL, MLB, NFL and NBA, you can purchase our EDGE+ Roto here for as low as $3.99 per month! And if you’re into DFS and betting, be sure check out our EDGE+ Pro package that includes our DFS Tools, our EDGE+ Bet package with just our Bettiing Tools for as low as $7.99 per month or get it all with EDGE+ Max for as low as $11.99 per month.
[[ad:athena]]
