This article is part of our Frozen Fantasy series.
It's T-minus three days to the best day of the year. Not Christmas – it's opening day for the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Ringer off. Don't bother me.
You know me by now – the church of the World Juniors draws me in every year. I've even been able to see games live in Toronto. And my ticket to Canada's 2015 gold-medal win hangs proudly in my office.
My jersey is ready. But is Team Canada?
I'll be cheering wildly for by boys in red and white. But I need to be real about their chances – they'll only win gold (or contend) if goalie Carter Hart is tourney MVP.
Don't get me wrong – there are a lot of good players on that Canadian team. But there isn't a top-10 NHL pick among the forward ranks.
The US team is loaded for bear. The top line of Kailer Yamamoto, Casey Mittelstadt and Logan Brown could be the best unit in the tourney. Adam Fox is a stud on the back-end and draft-eligible sniper Brady Tkachuk is better than his brother, Matthew Tkachuk.
Sweden is led by Elias Pettersson, who is having a season for the ages in Sweden's SHL. He's scoring at a pace better than the great Peter Forsberg did at the same age. Timothy Liljegren will be electric on the back end and we'll all get to see draft-eligible stud Rasmus Dahlen. Oh yah – the Sabres just loaned Alexander Nylander to the team.
It's T-minus three days to the best day of the year. Not Christmas – it's opening day for the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Ringer off. Don't bother me.
You know me by now – the church of the World Juniors draws me in every year. I've even been able to see games live in Toronto. And my ticket to Canada's 2015 gold-medal win hangs proudly in my office.
My jersey is ready. But is Team Canada?
I'll be cheering wildly for by boys in red and white. But I need to be real about their chances – they'll only win gold (or contend) if goalie Carter Hart is tourney MVP.
Don't get me wrong – there are a lot of good players on that Canadian team. But there isn't a top-10 NHL pick among the forward ranks.
The US team is loaded for bear. The top line of Kailer Yamamoto, Casey Mittelstadt and Logan Brown could be the best unit in the tourney. Adam Fox is a stud on the back-end and draft-eligible sniper Brady Tkachuk is better than his brother, Matthew Tkachuk.
Sweden is led by Elias Pettersson, who is having a season for the ages in Sweden's SHL. He's scoring at a pace better than the great Peter Forsberg did at the same age. Timothy Liljegren will be electric on the back end and we'll all get to see draft-eligible stud Rasmus Dahlen. Oh yah – the Sabres just loaned Alexander Nylander to the team. Wow.
Victor Mete and Cale Makar lead Canada on the back end and Hart is in the twine tent. Mete and Makar bring elite speed and excellence in transition, but there just aren't many marquis names in red and white. Sam Steel will be the biggest name up front.
Vitali Abramov and Klim Kostin lead Russia. Miro Heiskanen, Olli Juolevi and Eeli Tolvanen will bring it for Finland. And the Czechs can't be discounted after winning the Ivan Hlinka tourney two seasons ago. You'll recognized Filip Chytil and Martin Necas, and get a glimpse at 2018 top-five pick Filip Zadina.
Any of these six teams have a shot at a medal. I'm hopeful Canada will come home with one, maybe even gold. But odds are the US and Sweden will have something significant to say about that.
Now, let's take a look at who caught my eye this week.
Brian Boyle, LW/C, New Jersey (7 percent Yahoo! owned) – You have to pull for this guy – that preseason leukemia diagnosis stunned the hockey world. So, I smiled Friday night when I found Boyle on the top of the Yahoo! player rater. Yes, in number one spot. In three games this week, he has scored three goals, added four assists and gone plus-4 with 12 PIM, two power-play points and nine shots. Jersey is surging and Boyle is stepping up. He won't continue at this pace, but this performance is worth a screen shot. And a temporary spot on a lot of Yahoo! rosters.
Yanni Gourde, RW/C, Tampa Bay (24 percent Yahoo! owned) – I've been hard on Gourde this season. He's a small winger with real offensive flair. But I'm always skeptical of breakouts from 26-year-olds with limited NHL experience (22 games). Maybe I shouldn't be. Gourde has nine points, including five goals, in his last nine games and 24 points in 34 games. It's easy to think he'll keep scoring – it's not like he's facing the opposition's best defenders when he hops the boards. Check your wire.
Danton Heinen, LW/RW/C, Boston (25 percent Yahoo! owned) – Heinen's ownership leapt 23 percent Thursday and with good reason – the kid is on fire. He was held off the score sheet that night, snapping a four-game point streak. Heinen has 10 points, including four goals, in his last nine games. His hands are fantastic and the dude can dish. And it looks like his skating has improved enough to make this 22-year-old a viable NHL – and fantasy – option.
Michael Hutchinson, G, Winnipeg (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – The Jets have been shopping Hutchinson all season. He's tearing up the AHL with a 12-1-1 record, 1.72 goals-against average and .950 save percentage, and he'd be in the NHL if he played for a lot of other teams. This is pure speculation, but Hutchinson could end up in, say, Pittsburgh or another playoff-desperate locale. After all, Matt Murray's injury is his fifth in just 19 months. Hutch is worth stashing, just in case.
Joonas Korpisalo, G, Columbus (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Korpisalo was brilliant against the Leafs on Wednesday night. He made 39 saves and was just the tonic the slumping Jackets needed. Korpisalo doesn't get much action, but Bob the Goalie is scuffling. Short-term, Korpisalo might deliver you some real value if John Tortorella decides to go with the hot hand.
Kevin Labanc, LW/RW, San Jose (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – I've had a love-hate with Labanc this season. I pick him up; he goes cold. I cut him loose and you guessed it – he fires things up again. And that's where Labanc is again. He has nine points, including eight helpers, in his last six games. And four of those points have come with the man advantage. I won't pick Labanc up for your sake – he'll go cold if I do. I'm just hoping that me talking about him won't extinguish his flame this time.
Hampus Lindholm, D, Anaheim (11 percent Yahoo! owned) – Lindholm's hattie Thursday night was a thing of beauty. It was his first NHL trick and his third goal gave the Ducks the OT win. Lindholm has been a steady, 30-point defender in each of his four seasons – not stellar, but solid. He's been off hurt, but his totals project to a 40-point pace. Trick or not, Lindholm might be a sneaky value addition.
Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg (15 percent Yahoo! owned) – Morrisey is a talented young defender who has started to really grow his game. He's chewing big minutes – he's logged more than 21 minutes a game in five of his last six. And Morrissey is starting to put up points, too. He has five points (two goals, three assists) in his last seven games. Morrissey has great hockey IQ and elite agility, and is on a trajectory toward the Jets' top pairing. His value will skyrocket when he gets some power-play time.
Daniel Sedin, LW, Vancouver (27 percent Yahoo! owned) – Sedin may be old, but he's not decrepit. He's managed eight points (two goals, six assists), including four on the power play, and fired 25 shots in his last seven games. He's still got it. So go get it.
Ryan Spooner, LW/C, Boston (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Spooner is a talent, but Spooner is an injury just waiting to happen. At least this year. He was hoping to build on the 49 points he drained in 2015-16, but he started slow and then hit the IR with a groin injury. Twice. But Spooner is back now and producing. Can you afford the risk? Yes. He has four assists in his last three games and is available in way too many leagues. Spooner can help.
Cam Ward, G, Carolina (7 percent Yahoo! owned) – Don't look now, but Ward is actually stopping pucks. And winning. He has three-straight wins and a .926 save percentage in those starts. Scott Darling is struggling, so Wardo might be the answer. And a starter is a starter.
Back to the World Juniors.
I won't make excuses in advance. I only wish Canada could have eligible guys like Nolan Patrick, Tyson Jost, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Jakob Chychrun on their squad.
Now THAT would be domination.
As it stands, I have party food ready to go, craft beer chilling in the fridge and friends ready to cheer with me.
GO Canada GO!
Until next week.
