2022 Fantasy Hockey Rookies: Kent Johnson Could Make an Impact Right Away
When it comes to giving fantasy hockey draft tips there is no more popular question being asked than who the next hot commodity is going to be in the NHL. Who is going to be this year's Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Trevor Zegras or Michael Bunting? Through the research and with our fantasy hockey player projections, these are the top fantasy hockey rookies that should be on your radar for the upcoming season!
2022 Fantasy Hockey Rookies
Mason McTavish - Winger - Anaheim Ducks
Mason McTavish is coming off a very impressive World Junior Championship run where he posted 17 points in seven games captaining Team Canada to a gold medal. If he can carry that momentum forward he should have an opportunity to be an impact forward for an Anaheim Ducks team this season that could surprise some people. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see McTavish hit the 25-goal mark this season, with the upside of even getting to 30.
Cole Perfetti - Winger - Winnipeg Jets
Perfetti made my list of players last season, but ultimately only ended up playing 18 games for the Jets, but he did put up seven points in those games. This season he is projected to see second-line minutes playing with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kyle Connor and with that he should get plenty of opportunities to put up a 50-point season or better and be a useful fantasy player in his first season.
Owen Power - Defense - Buffalo Sabres
Power has the size and the skills to be a top pairing defenceman in the NHL at some point, but we should remember that defencemen often take longer to develop. While Power should see north of 20 minutes per night for the Sabres, it is unlikely that he will supplant Rasmus Dahlin on the powerplay and that will likely limit his point potential. For this season at least, I expect Power to be a better real-world hockey player than a fantasy hockey player. I would pass on him.
Matty Beniers - Center - Seattle Kraken
To open the season Beniers has a chance to be the top center for the Kraken. He had an impressive first 10 games at the end of the last season putting up nine points in ten games, and he should have every opportunity to have a productive season this year as he could see nearly 20 minutes of ice time, and he is expected to be a primary piece on their top power-play unit. Owen Power will get a lot of early attention for the Calder, but Beniers would be my pre-season pick because of the opportunities he will see.
Kent Johnson - Center - Columbus Blue Jackets
With Alexandre Texier expected to miss the entire season, this should open up the top 6 minutes for Johnson right out of the gate. He played well with Team Canada at both the World Junior Championships, and more importantly the World Championships where he put up 7 points in 10 games. He could be a 40-point player this season with upside as he could see exposure to either Patrik Laine, Johnny Gaudreau, or in a perfect world both.
Jake Sanderson - Defense - Ottawa Senators
Sanderson should make the Senators team out of camp, and it is likely he would have made his debut last season if not for a late-year injury. Sanderson finished his last season with the University of North Dakota last year above a point per game, but we shouldn’t expect much offensive production from Sanderson right away in the NHL. The Sens will hope that Sanderson will be able to play well enough to bring Thomas Chabot’s minutes back down to earth, and by mid-season, I would expect Sanderson to start seeing a healthy amount of power play minutes. I don’t believe you will need to draft Sanderson, but I would keep an eye on him to see how he performs early on.
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Related NHL Links:
- 2022 NHL Free Agency Round Up July 14: Johnny Gaudreau Signs with Columbus & Ondrej Palat to New Jersey
- Fantasy Hockey News
- 2021-22 NHL Statistics
- NHL DFS Lineup Advice
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