Preseason Fantasy hockey rookie tracker for 2018-19
Donato, Kyrou, Yamamoto have sneaky upside in prominent roles
By
Rob Reese @NHLReese / NHL.com Fantasy Editor
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NOTE:Positions indicate eligibility in Yahoo leagues. Each player's team and league from last season is listed in parentheses).
Anaheim Ducks
Troy Terry, RW* (University of Denver, NCAA) -- The Anaheim Ducks right wing is skating on the top line with center Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. He's worthy of a pickup with right wing Corey Perry (knee surgery; to miss five months) and Ondrej Kase (concussion) sidelined.
Maxime Comtois, LW (Victoriaville, QMJHL) -- The left wing is skating on the second line with center Adam Henrique and wing Jakob Silfverberg. Comtois, 19, could be considered a deep sleeper if his top-six role continues.
Others: Sam Steel, C
Boston Bruins
Ryan Donato, LW/RW (Harvard University, NCAA) -- The Boston Bruins wing is skating on the first power-play unit with elite forwards Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. At even strength, Donato will likely start on the third line but could work his way up with early success.
Buffalo Sabres
Rasmus Dahlin, D, BUF (Frolunda, SHL) -- The defenseman is expected to play on the second pair with Jake McCabe and the second power-play unit. The No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft has an unknown fantasy ceiling but should see at least 20 minutes per game.
Casey Mittelstadt, C, BUF (University of Minnesota, NCAA) -- The Buffalo Sabres center will likely start the season on the third line with forwards Vladimir Sobotka and Kyle Okposo and the second power-play unit with forwards Jason Pominville, Tage Thompson, Conor Sheary and Dahlin.
Carolina Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov, RW (Barrie, OHL) -- The Carolina Hurricanes right wing could start the season in the bottom six but could easily find himself on the top line with center Sebastian Aho. Svechnikov is expected to play on the second power-play unit with forwards Micheal Ferland, Martin Necas, Justin Williams and defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
Valentin Zykov, LW/RW (Charlotte, AHL) -- The dual-eligible wing will start the season on a line with Necas and on the first power-play unit with Aho and forward Teuvo Teravainen.
Martin Necas, C (Kometa, CZE) -- The center looks to have secured a roster spot, but it's unclear whether he will play in a top-six role. Necas is worth stashing in deeper leagues and remains a valuable asset in keeper and dynasty leagues but could find himself playing behind Aho and Jordan Staal.
Warren Foegele, LW (Charlotte, AHL) -- The left wing is skating in a top-six role on the second line with Staal and Williams.
Chicago Blackhawks
Henri Jokiharju, D (Portland, WHL) -- The Chicago Blackhawks defenseman will have prominent lineup placement on the top pair with Duncan Keith. If this usage continues, Jokiharju could realistically average at least 20 minutes per game and be worth a bench spot in a long-term league.
Dominik Kahun, C/LW (München, DEL) -- The 23-year-old rookie is expected to skate on the top line with center Jonathan Toews and wing Alex DeBrincat.
Dallas Stars
Miro Heiskanen, D(HIFK, FIN) -- The Dallas Stars defenseman will start the season on the second pair with Marc Methot and on the second power-play unit. Methot, who played mostly with elite defenseman Erik Karlsson on the Ottawa Senators' top pair for more than four seasons, could mentor Heiskanen in similar fashion.
Detroit Red Wings
Michael Rasmussen, C (Tri-City, WHL) -- The Detroit Red Wings center is expected to play on the first power-play unit with forwards Dylan Larkin, Gustav Nyquist, Tyler Bertuzzi and defenseman Trevor Daley. The No. 9 pick in the 2017 draft is also likely to play wing on the second line, indicating he could gain dual eligibility in Yahoo.
Dennis Cholowski, D (Portland, WHL) -- The defenseman will skate on the top pair with Danny DeKeyser with Mike Green (illness) expected to miss at least one month. Cholowski could also see power-play time on either unit.
Filip Hronek, D (Grand Rapids, AHL) -- The 20-year-old defenseman could be fantasy-relevant this season if he captures the first power-play spot with Green out of the lineup. He has been rotated with Daley at practice.
Edmonton Oilers
Kailer Yamamoto, RW (Spokane, WHL) -- The right wing looks to have secured a top-six role, on the second line with elite forward Leon Draisaitl.
Others: Evan Bouchard, D
Montreal Canadiens
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C (Assat, FIN) -- The center is skating on the second line with forwards Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia. Given Montreal's lack of center depth, Kotkaniemi has value in one-year leagues and added appeal in keeper/dynasty formats.
New York Rangers
Filip Chytil, C (Hartford, AHL) -- The New York Rangers center is expected to start in a bottom-six role with Ryan Spooner and Jesper Fast. But Chytil is also expected to skate on the first power-play unit with forwards Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
Others: Brett Howden, C
Ottawa Senators
Brady Tkachuk, LW (Boston University, NCAA) -- The left wing is dealing with a groin injury but is expected to play on the second line with right wing Mark Stone when healthy. Tkachuk could also play on either power-play unit, giving him instant fantasy appeal.
Maxime Lajoie, D (Belleville, AHL) -- The Defenseman is expected to play on the third pair with Dylan DeMelo and could be one of two Senators defenseman to be fantasy-relevant this season alongside Thomas Chabot.
Others: Alex Formenton, LW, OTT; Colin White, C, OTT
Philadelphia Flyers
Mikhail Vorobyov, C (Lehigh Valley, AHL) -- The center is skating on the third line with wings Wayne Simmonds and James van Riemsdyk and second power-play unit with defenseman Ivan Provorov.
St. Louis Blues
Jordan Kyrou, C (Sarnia, OHL) -- The St. Louis Blues forward is skating with center Brayden Schenn and left wing Jaden Schwartz on the second line. If the lineup placement sticks, Kyrou could become fantasy-relevant and gain dual-eligibility as a right wing.
Others: Sammy Blais, LW, STL; Robert Thomas, C, STL*
Tampa Bay Lightning
Anthony Cirelli, C (Syracuse, AHL) -- The center is expected to skate on the third line with Alex Killorn and Mathieu Joseph. Cirelli is worth monitoring in deep leagues with exposure to the strong Tampa Bay Lightning offense.
Mathieu Joseph, RW (Syracuse, AHL) -- The right wing led the Lightning in goals, assists, points and shots on goal during the preseason and is expected to skate on the third line. If Joseph's success extends into the regular season, he could be worth a bench spot in deep leagues. It's worth noting Tyler Johnson (upper body) could miss the start of the season.
Vancouver Canucks
Elias Pettersson, C (Vaxjo, SHL) -- The center will likely be in Calder Trophy contention skating on the second line with wings Nikolay Goldobin and Loui Eriksson and the first power-play unit with forwards Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi and defenseman Alexander Edler.
Winnipeg Jets
Kristian Vesalainen, LW/RW (HPK, FIN) -- The wing is skating with Nikolaj Ehlers and Jack Roslovic in the bottom six to start the season. Vesalainen could have sneaky upside this season if he forms chemistry with Ehlers or is elevated to a line with Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele and/or Blake Wheeler.
