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30 Oct 2009 |
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Tweet me!| The Fantasy Hockey Roundtable is back at FantasyPros911.com again this week with a question regarding rookies: Which NHL rookie has impressed you the most so far this season? Okay, so with my comment last week about missing the boat on Michael Del Zotto, I guess I’m admitting my love for him. It’s kind of like chasing after the girl that we know is out of our league – we’ve all done this before, haven’t we? I made a commitment to draft better quality defensemen this season, so I wasn’t inclined to jump on the waiver wire to grab the hottest player after the first game of the season. After all, I was banking on mid-round steal Sergei Gonchar to anchor my defense on several of my teams, and look what happened! Anyway, on to why Del Zotto is so impressive. Look at the birth year (1990). Who would have thought a defenseman would be this dominant so early in his career? A total of 12 points in 13 games, with 8 of those points coming on the power play. Do I think he will hit the rookie wall? At some point he will, and maybe I can grab him once an impulsive fantasy owner drops him for the next big thing on defense. He’s exactly what the Rangers needed – a puck-moving power-play QB – and the very reason why a Wade Redden buyout seems more and more imminent. Ian Gooding, fantasyhockey.com I would be shocked if anyone doesn't pick Michael Del Zotto. The defenseman leads all rookies in points. He's tied for the lead in goals. He's +4. The kid is a statistic machine. But that's not even what's most impressive about him. What's impressive is his poise and maturity, playing a difficult position in an offensive-system that's murder on blue-liners. He's out of position less and less frequently. He plays the body. He covers when his defensive partner, usually Michael Rozsival needs to rotate out of position. These are the kinds of mature maneuvers that don't impact fantasy hockey, but make a player great to watch. Del Zotto is cementing a permanent spot on a lot of rosters for quite a few upcoming seasons. Steven Ovadia, RotoRob.com After being drafted 3rd in June's draft I was under the impression that Matt Duchene was still a year away from the NHL. Not only has Duchene surpassed my expectation of playing in the NHL this season but his 6 pts have enabled him to stay on the team for the remainder of the season. Having watched of few games his 6 pts don't paint the full picture as Duchene has shown he has the skill to carry an NHL line by himself with his vision and play making ability. I look forward to watching him develop throughout the season. Marcus Schalle dobberhockey.com It's still early yet, but you have to be impressed with the production from Evander Kane in Atlanta. He's ranked 175th overall in the Yahoo system, and boasts 3 goals, 2 assists, is a tidy +3, and has 22 shots on goal. While he's only 9% owned, expect that number to jump with the injury to Ilya Kovalchuk, because Kane is going to get his chance on the top line, and likely some quality power-play time to boot. If you are in need of some help at LW, consider picking up Kane this week. You can thank me later. Brent Lemon for DobberHockey.com While I agree with almost everyone on the Michael Del Zotto pick, there are a couple of other rookies worth pointing out as well. Ryan O’Reilly of the Colorado Avalanche has also been very impressive up to this point with 11 points in 13 games, one less than Del Zotto. He also has the best +/- ratio for rookies in the league at +10. Former Hockey East and New Hampshire standout James van Riemsdyk is sitting a solid point per game right now with eight in eight. Although seven of those are on assists, he has proven his worth in the NHL and will have to step up with the absence of Simon Gagne. Kevin Orris FantasyPros911.com
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