Last week we took a look at the biggest fantasy hockey disappointments at the halfway mark of the 2024–25 season, next up we’ll check in on the biggest positive surprises this season. Just like every year, a handful of players went from afterthoughts in fantasy drafts to household names among fantasy managers within a few months.
The below players have vastly exceeded their ADPs from the beginning of the year and are much more valuable in fantasy leagues than expected.
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Kirill Marchenko, W – Columbus Blue Jackets
ADP: Not drafted | Current rank: 20
No player has come out of nowhere more this season than Kirill Marchenko. Coming into the season Marchenko wasn’t even drafted in most leagues and had a career-high of just 42 points. As a member of what was supposed to be a middling Blue Jackets team, Marchenko was definitely an afterthought in fantasy.
Now 42 games into his season Marchenko is having a monster year, sitting with 18 goals and 46 points. His 46 points are already a career-high, and he’s just five goals off his career-best goal total. Overall, he ranks 20th in the NHL in points right now, ahead of fantasy mainstays like William Nylander, Artemi Panarin, and David Pastrnak to name a few. If you picked up Marchenko earlier in the year, you’re laughing right now.
Martin Necas, C/W – Carolina Hurricanes
ADP: 124 | Current rank: 23
Martin Necas has cooled off considerably as of late, but that doesn’t discount just how insane his start to the season was. Coming off a very subpar 53-point season, Necas wasn’t being drafted until an ADP of 124 and behind players like Noah Hanifin and Patrick Kane. Necas has proven us all wrong however, flying out of the gate and even leading the NHL in scoring at one point. Even with his recent struggles, he’s still sitting pretty with 48 points in 43 games and is on track to set career-highs across the board.
As it stands he’s currently 14th in the NHL in scoring, ahead of superstars like Brayden Point and Sidney Crosby. His 20 points on the power play rank seventh league-wide. No one could’ve predicted this kind of breakout for Necacs coming into the year. Anyone who bet on him late in their draft is getting back tremendous value so far.
Zach Werenski, D – Columbus Blue Jackets
ADP: 115 | Current rank: 10
Zach Werenski has always been a stud in fantasy—when healthy that is. The problem is he consistently misses games every year and has been stuck on the lowly Blue Jackets his whole career. As such, he was being drafted 115th overall in drafts, and was the 26th defenceman off the board behind players like Gustav Forsling and Mattias Ekholm.
Werenski has made his doubters pay this season though, playing an integral role on the Cinderella Blue Jackets while not missing a single game so far. He’s currently producing a career-best 1.14 points per game with 48 points in 42 games. The only defenceman in the NHL with more points is Cale Makar, who was the first defenceman drafted in fantasy. His 164 shots are also the most by any blueliner in the league, and his 19 power play points rank second.
Filip Gustavsson, G – Minnesota Wild
ADP: 145 | Current rank: 30
It was a rough 2023–24 season for Filip Gustavsson to say the least. His .899 save percentage and 3.06 GAA were all career worsts in a full season. Fantasy managers expectedly had major doubts coming into this season, taking Gustavsson around an ADP of 130 and as the 25th goaltender off the board. Gustavsson has blown those expectations out of the water so far though, currently sitting as the second-best goalie in fantasy at the midway mark of the season.
He already has 18 wins on the year, just four shy of his career high of 22. He’s also currently sitting fourth in the NHL for wins, fourth for save percentage, and ninth for GAA among goalies with at least 20 games played. His three shutouts are also tied for third-best. If you snagged Gustavsson late in your draft, you picked up an elite starter for pennies.
Rickard Rakell, C/W – Pittsburgh Penguins
ADP: 168 | Current rank: 29
After a 37-point season in 2023–24, Rickard Rakell looked to have been past his prime and no longer worth a look in fantasy. Coming into the season, he was being picked as the 122nd forward in drafts, behind players like Viktor Arvidsson, Evander Kane, and Andrei Kuzmenko. Rakell has turned back the clock though currently sitting with 36 points in only 43 games, just one shy of his full-season total from last year.
His 21 goals are 10th in the NHL and ahead of fantasy studs like Travis Konecny, Tage Thompson, and Brady Tkachuk. He’s also put up 103 shots and 71 hits for good measure. At a current rank of 29, Rakell is a must-own player after being a complete afterthought just a couple of months ago.
Big surprises in fantasy
There are always players who outperform their expectations—that part isn’t a surprise. It’s the names and actual performances that can be unexpected and this year’s crop is really something different. Congratulations if you managed to grab any of these names as they are sure to be powering your rosters to success.
