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The Journey examines Dobber’s Top 200 Forward Prospects list and assesses the fast risers in the May rankings. Take a look to see the forwards to target for the future of your fantasy team.

Vadim Shipachyov – Las Vegas Golden Knights – 29^th Overall, Up from Not Ranked

Our first tidbit about a Las Vegas Golden Knight in The Journey! Shipachyov is the second player signed by the club (Reid Duke being the first, but he’s roster relevant at this point), and quite a coup it was for GM George McPhee. Shipachyov, who is 30 years old, is going to be a priority in prospect drafts for owners this summer as an instant roster upgrade.  

The Russian forward has been one of the highest scoring forwards in the KHL over the past three seasons, culminating in a 76-point season (in 50 games nonetheless) in 2016-17. Shipachyov is a playmaking center, who should be surrounded by some decent wingers through the NHL’s expansion draft in less than a month. No doubt for his 4.5-million-dollar price tag he will garner top-six minutes and plenty of power-play opportunities. Just how valuable he will be will be determined by what the Golden Knights roster looks like at the beginning of the season.

Nicolas Roy – Carolina Hurricanes – 35^th Overall, Up from 75^th Overall

Roy has been dominating the QMJHL for a couple seasons now, with 170 points in his last 116 games for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. He nearly single-handedly gave Saint John trouble in the QMJHL semi-finals, contributing to the only two games that the Sea Dogs lost en route to capturing the league’s President’s Cup this month.

The 96^th overall pick from 2015 certainly appears to be outplaying his draft position at this point. He will join the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League this season, where he should be given ample time to develop. Most of the world was introduced to the Canes prospect at this year’s World Juniors, where he was one of Canada’s best and most consistent performers. Keep him on your fantasy radar as once he makes the jump, he will be a middle-six center with and extra boost in leagues which count face-offs.

Troy Terry – Anaheim Ducks – 67^th Overall, Up from 290^th Overall

From one solid 2017 World Junior performer to another, Terry became a household name with his shootout wizardry for Team USA in January. However, this season he showed he is more than just a shootout specialist. Terry was a member of the University of Denver’s National Championship-winning team which, paired with his WJC gold, made for a pretty good 2017 for the Colorado native.

Terry was the Pioneers top scorer during his sophomore campaign with 45 points, leading the team in both goals-per-game (.63) and points-per-game (1.29). He was tied with Florida first rounder and teammate Henrik Borgstrom with 22 goals on the season. The fifth rounder has yet to sign his entry-level contract, so it appears that he will be returning to Denver for his junior season and chance to defend their championship. When he does eventually turn pro, he could be a fast riser through the Ducks system.

Zach Senyshyn – Boston Bruins – 90^th Overall, Up from 157^th Overall

Senyshyn was a part of the maligned trio of consecutive first-round draft picks that were selected in 2015. Boston fans are not particular pleased when they think about the fact that Senyshyn, Jakub Zboril and Jake DeBrusk could have actually been a trio of Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Thomas Chabot, who went with the three picks following their selections.

The 15^th overall pick from 2015 had a respectable season for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, performing to the highest point-per-game rate of his career at 1.10. The 20-year-old winger will join the Providence Bruins full-time in the fall, which puts him one step closer to making his NHL debut. His four AHL games at this point in his career have produced zero points, but he should see more consistent ice time in a non-playoff environment. At this point, barring a huge improvement, Senyshyn looks like player with a near-certain NHL future that will provide depth to the Bruins forward group for some time to come.

Aleksi Saarela – Carolina Hurricanes – 92^nd Overall, Up from 154^th Overall

Yet another Hurricanes forward makes the May list. Honestly, I could have highlighted Julien Gauthier (71^st to 59^th) or Janne Kuokkanen (193^rd to 135^th) as well, but didn’t want to flood everyone with the excitement that is the Canes prospect group. Saarela was the prize of the Eric Staal deal to the Rangers at the 2016 trade deadline, and Carolina may see the fruit of their trade as early as this season.

The Finnish-born sniper made the jump to North America following his Liiga season, and was a revelation once he hit the AHL ice, scoring in five of his first seven games for the Charlotte Checkers. Overall, Saarela put up 10 points in nine regular season games, but was quiet during the Checkers playoff run before his season ended due to injury. Durability has been an issue for Saarela, but if he can find consistent playing time without injury, he has the talent to be in the Hurricanes lineup as early as this coming season. Don’t be surprised if he makes his NHL debut in 2017-18.

Zach Aston-Reese – Pittsburgh Penguins – 166^th Overall, Up from Not Ranked

Successful teams have been utilizing a tactic in recent years, replacing draft assets that they give up at the NHL trade deadline with some of the best NCAA free agents available. This allows not only for increased organizational depth; but the opportunity get older players into their systems that have been developed in their time playing college hockey.

Aston-Reese was one of those players this season. Undrafted, he went on to lead college hockey with 63 points in just 38 games for the Northeastern Huskies. Fulfilling his college career, the 22-year-old forward was free to sign with whatever team he wished, choosing the Pittsburgh Penguins. He reported to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he continued his torrid pace with 8 points in 10 AHL games. The Pens have not been shy about promoting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton players who produce, and Aston-Reese could be one of the next in the pipeline to make the jump.

Rudolfs Balcers – San Jose Sharks – 173^rd Overall, Up from 309^th Overall

Balcers, a fifth-round pick in 2015 out of Latvia, made the trek from Europe to the Western Hockey League this season, featuring for the Kamloops Blazers. What resulted was a 40-goal, 77-point performance for the 20-year-old. Balcers was one of just 11 players to break the 40-goal threshold in the WHL this season, and was tied for second among all WHL players with 34 even-strength markers.

A veteran of international competition, as many young prospects from small nations are, Balcers was admirable for Latvia in the World Juniors this winter. His NHL future is still unknown, but it’s obvious that the winger has some scoring ability in his arsenal. He should join the San Jose Barracuda this year, where we should get a better barometer of what type of player he ultimately projects to be, and whether he has an NHL future.  

Give Kevin a follow @kleblanchockey for prospect talk and happenings.