October is over, and as Thanksgiving approaches, the NHL standings are sorting themselves out. In the fantasy season, the draft is the most important day of the year, but the next most important period is the first month. It’s this critical slice of the year when sleepers emerge and, if you’re able to add some of them to your team, it can make a huge difference in separating your team from the pack.
Here are five players who didn’t appear to be fantasy relevant at the start of the year (depending on the size of your league, of course), but now are.
Sean Monahan – C – MTL
- 28% ownership
- Preseason rank: 654
- Current Rank: 37
Sean Monahan has been plagued with injuries throughout his career, but appears to have found his game again in Montreal. Ranked well outside the draft for even the deepest leagues, he currently sits 37th in fantasy according to Yahoo! and has racked up six goals, nine points, three power play points, two shorthanded points, 28 shots, three hits, and three blocks in his first 10 games. He’s also averaging 19:13 TOI playing on a line with Brendan Gallagher and Tanner Pearson.
Jaden Schwartz – LW – SEA
- 22% ownership
- Preseason Rank: 254
- Current Rank: 54
The Seattle Kraken made headlines after making the playoffs last season with a roster devoid of star power, and regression was expected this year. However, even the bad teams score goals, and Jaden Schwartz is carrying a lot of the offensive load for the Kraken. He’s ranked just outside the top-50 right now and is skating on the second line with Alexander Wennberg and Jordan Eberle. His real value is on the power play where he’s on the second unit, but it’s a really good unit featuring Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn, and Eeli Tolvanen. Schwartz has nine points in 11 games, along with 33 shots,10 hits, and seven blocks. Category coverage is king.
Ivan Provorov – D – CBJ
- 21% ownership
- Preseason Rank: 579
- Current Rank: 72
The Columbus Blue Jackets traded for Ivan Provorov to align their roster more closely to then coach Mike Babcock’s system. Well, we all know how that ended, but Provorov is having a very productive start to the year. He was ranked well outside draft rounds, but sits 72nd currently. He’s on the second pairing with David Jiricek right now, and is quarterbacking the second power play unit. With eight assists in 10 games, four of which came on the power play, Provorov is back to being a solid fantasy option. He’s also fired 10 shots on goal, dished out seven hits, and blocked 28 shots (tied for the third most blocks leaguewide).
Paul Cotter – C/LW – VGK
- 15% ownership
- Preseason Rank: 562
- Current Rank: 95
Put your hand up if you had never heard of Paul Cotter before this season. A fourth rounder by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018, this is Cotter’s third season with Vegas and has burst onto the scene early this year. He’s ranked inside the top-100 on Yahoo right now, and is locking down a coveted top-six role with the defending champions alongside Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson. He’s also on the second power play unit with heavy hitters Alex Pietrangelo and William Karlsson, and has racked up three power play points already. His value is in the category coverage: three goals, three assists, three power play points, 13 shots, 37 hits (third most leaguewide), and four blocks over 11 games.
Pavel Mintyukov – D – ANA
- 36% ownership
- Preseason Rank: 261
- Current Rank: 113
I watched my first full Anaheim Ducks game last week and Pavel Mintyukov is impossible to miss. This rookie defenseman is electric and will be a mainstay in fantasy hockey for years to come. He’s risen from 261st preseason to 113th currently, and has put up one goal and seven points in the first 10 games of the season. He’s skating on the second pair, but has usurped all other Ducks defensemen for the role of PP1 quarterback, and is averaging 19:15 TOI. Mintyukov also covers categories with 16 shots, 22 hits, and 16 blocks so far. His ownership has steadily increased each week and you’ll start hearing his name in Calder Trophy talks very soon. Finding PP1 defensemen becomes next to impossible as the season goes on; there is a huge opportunity to grab Mintuykov now while it’s still early.
