A list of 10 late-draft gems who exceeded expectations and, hopefully, continue to carry your team to the championship in the 2024-25 season.
Brandon Hagel, LW/RW, Lightning - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): 104.4
Hagel is the biggest win among forwards this season, going from a highly-regarded role player to a focal point of arguably the league's best offense. He's on pace for 92 points and 237 shots, with an elite IPP of 82.98 per naturalstattrick.com - meaning for every goal the Lightning has scored when Hagel's been on the ice, he's registered a point 82.98 percent of the time. That's as good as Nikita Kucherov's best seasons.
Zach Werenski, D, Blue Jackets - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): 114.8
Yes, the biggest question with Werenski was always his health, but not only has he managed to stay healthy this season (and most of last season), he's elevated his play to another level under Dean Evason. He's one of three defensemen - along with Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar - who possess the potential to score at least 90 points this season, and his usage is through the roof. Don't be surprised if Werenski finishes with close to 30 goals, 300 shots and well over 100 blocks. Werenski was the 26th defenseman off the board in Yahoo drafts, but easily ranks in the top three in any format.
Martin Necas, C/RW, Avalanche - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): 123.5
Unless you're reaching for a generational rookie talent, it's very, very uncommon to draft a leading scorer this late. Necas' production fell off after a hot start, but a trade to the Avs has reinvigorated his scoring and remains on track to score at least 90 points. Going into the season, Necas was slated to play a bigger role with the departures of Jake Guentzel and Teuvo Teravainen, but nobody predicted he would explode like this considering he scored below a point-per-game pace even in his best season.
Filip Gustavsson, G, Wild - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): 145.3
There was certainly a part of me that wondered if the Wild would have to lean on Marc-Andre Fleury a lot this season. Gustavsson was horrendous in 2023-24, the Wild weren't expected to be a contender and this was Fleury's last season, after all. Instead, Gustavsson became one of the best zero-G options and value picks, cementing himself among the league's elite goalies in their prime. January was a tough month, but he's been excellent overall and should garner at least some minor attention for the Vezina.
Logan Thompson, G, Capitals - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): 151.3
A zero-G target will inevitably find its way on this list every season. For every top-tier goalie whose season goes off the rails, there's always another goalie ready to take his place. Thompson has been one of fantasy's best goalies this season despite being the 27th goalie off the board, and even with the Caps stubbornly sticking with their rotation, he ranks fourth in wins and tied-17th in shutouts. Among goalies with at least 10 starts, Thompson ranks sixth in quality starts percentage, per hockey-reference.com, just behind Gustavsson.
Dylan Strome, C, Capitals - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): 162.2
Admittedly, I did not have Strome ranked among the No. 1 centers. Coming off back-to-back 60-point seasons, and with the expectation that the Caps would just be a playoff hopeful, Strome was a mid-tier scorer at a deep position showing few signs that he could be a true No. 1 playmaking center. We were all wrong. Strome is on pace for his first 80-point season, and while he's clearly not Nicklas Backstrom, his chemistry with a rejuvenated Alex Ovechkin has helped Strome rank 11th in scoring among centers.
Tom Wilson, RW, Capitals - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): 163.9
Are we sensing a theme, here? Much like how the disappointing Rangers and Canucks dominated the top 10 draft busts list, the surprisingly good Caps dominate this list. Long hailed as a 20-goal, 200-hit threat, Wilson has reached this milestone just three times (2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22) in 12 seasons. This season will likely be his fourth - he's 44 hits away - but it's also a testament to the number of games he's missed throughout his career. Banking on a healthy season from Wilson was a dicey prospect, but it's paid off handsomely so far, especially in banger leagues.
Kevin Lankinen, G, Canucks - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): 173.4
Nobody could've predicted Lankinen would set a league record for consecutive road wins (10). He had signed after training camp had opened and quickly leapfrogged an ineffective and inexperienced Arturs Silovs and the oft-injured Thatcher Demko to the top of the depth chart. With Demko out week-to-week, Lankinen will take over the Canucks' net (again) following the 4 Nations break. Even if Lankinen hasn't been as sharp in recent months as he was at the beginning of the season, he's already provided surplus value relative to his draft position with quantity.
Kirill Marchenko, RW, Blue Jackets - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): n/a
Technically, Marchenko shouldn't be included on this list because he was never drafted, but kudos to fantasy managers who picked him up quickly. An unlucky injury - a broken jaw from an errant puck fired into the bench - will cost Marchenko significant time, but there's no doubt this has been his breakout year. He was on pace for his first 30-goal, 80-point season and currently leads the league with a plus-31 rating. If you're familiar with the Jackets' history - namely, the lack of elite scoring - Marchenko's been a godsend.
Mackenzie Blackwood, G, Avalanche - Yahoo Average Draft Position (ADP): n/a
The prospect of a trade was always possible with the Sharks still re-building, but Blackwood didn't gain a significant portion of his value until he was traded to the Avs. However, it's worth noting Blackwood was effective on the Sharks - 4.0 goalie point shares in 19 games, compared to 4.8 goalie point shares in 22 games with the Avs - and provided fantasy value with a massive amount of saves. He's entrenched as their No. 1 goalie with tons of goal support to bail him out if need be.
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