Originally published Sept. 1, 2012, Ryan Kennedy provides a list of 19 names to target in keeper leagues.
As a fantasy hockey team manager in a keeper league, you're always on the lookout for the next big thing.
There's nothing wrong with staying with the tried, tested and true — just look at Ultimate Fantasy Pool Guide 2012-13 cover athlete Sidney Crosby and how he continues to dominate despite being 36 years old.
But it pays off to know the top prospects because their immense potential and upside can help them outperform their draft value. In the 2021-22 season, for example, puck wizard Trevor Zegras was a late pick, if he was even picked at all, in most fantasy leagues, but went on to score 61 points in 75 games.
In Ryan Kennedy's "Pipeline Projections" article, he outlined 19 players who were projected to make the NHL in the coming seasons, including Nathan MacKinnon, Seth Jones and Sean Monahan in 2013-14, Filip Forsberg in 2014-15 and, of course, Connor McDavid in 2015-16.
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