Aaron Ekblad (176.3 average draft position) – Most poolies had penciled in Ekblad for a "learning curve" type of rookie campaign, only to see him nearly hit the 40 point mark. Of course some still might be wary of the dreaded d-man sophomore slump, particularly since the last time a rearguard posted 39+ points in his first two seasons while still a teenager was Phil Housley more than 30 years ago.

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Bracket #2 – Defensemen Fallers

Zdeno Chara (76.1 average draft position) – Although the reality is Chara, at age 38, will be leaned upon more now that Dougie Hamilton is gone, poolies will have a hard time seeing past his dismal 2014-15.

Matt Niskanen (93.8 average draft position) – If you needed any convincing that Sekera's draft stock would rise quite a bit, look no further than Niskanen, who was a similarly high profile singing from last season. But after Niskanen's production fell back to earth with a crashing thud in 2014-15, expect his draft spot to plummet.

Dan Boyle (107.0 average draft position) – Most poolies will realize that Boyle's output from 2014-15 was made worse by an early season injury that took the wind out of his sails. But that likely will also shine a spotlight on the fact that his production was already waning before coming to the Rangers.

James Wisniewski (107.6 average draft position) – While he's getting a bit of a fresh start in Carolina, his complete and utter flop in Anaheim will be enough to drive down his draft position, especially when coupled with his advancing age and ever-present injury concerns.

Christian Ehrhoff (109.8 average draft position) – Combine Ehrhoff's draft stock having been inflated last season due to signing with Pittsburgh, with his terrible production there and (like Wisniewski) his advancing age and injury risk, and you can count on the net result being him picked much later.

Brian Campbell (118.9 average draft position) – Although Campbell's 27 points in 2014-15 don't look too terrible on paper, his drop in production is as bad if not worse than Boyle's. And with Ekblad's emergence, Campbell's draft stock could take sizeable hit.

Alex Goligoski (124.6 average draft position) – With two Stars defensemen (John Klingberg, Trevor Daley) scoring at a 45+ point pace last season, Goligoski stands to be seen as an afterthought, or at least not a sure enough bet to be picked at anything close to where he was grabbed in 2014-15 fantasy drafts.

Alexander Edler (130.8 average draft position) – While Edler rebounded to 31 points after his 2013-14 disaster, it's likely not enough to keep poolies from waiting longer to draft him for this upcoming season.

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Bracket #3 – Center Risers

Kyle Turris (106.6 average draft position) – Although his 64 points might not immediately jump out, astute poolies will remember his point per game production over the final three months of the season and factor that into drafting him much earlier for 2015-16.

Filip Forsberg (118.6 average draft position) – While Forsberg had the opposite type of season as Turris in that he trailed off as the campaign went on, chances are his overall success will be enough for poolies to confidently select him a lot earlier this time around.

Derek Stepan (156.5 average draft position) – His low draft spot last year had more to do with the knowledge that he'd miss the first month of 2014-15 than it did with concern about him being able to produce. And considering he tallied only two fewer points in 2014-15 than in 2013-14 despite playing in 14 fewer games, expect a healthy climb in draft position for 2015-16.

Derick Brassard (161.6 average draft position) – As the season went on, Brassard was woven more and more into the Ranger offense. And because Brassard can be counted on for 2+ SOG and 1+ Hit per game, he's a valuable asset at center in leagues with the settings we're focusing upon.

Sean Monahan (164.4 average draft position) – Simply put, he played (and produced) at a level well above what poolies are used to seeing from a 19 year old. And although there's some question as to whether his two-way abilities will impede him from becoming a point per game guy, there's no doubt he'll be picked much earlier on your league's 2015-16 draft day.

Carl Soderberg (164.5 average draft position) – Poolies will see Soderberg as a breakout waiting to happen, with the idea being if he could post 49 points in a 66 game stretch for Boston at the end of 2013-14 and beginning of 2014-15, there's no telling what he could do in a top six role for the Avs.

Tyler Johnson (177.5 average draft position) – A case could be made for Johnson as the biggest feel good fantasy story among skaters for 2014-15. The question is whether poolies think he's for real, what with Steven Stamkos still the face of the franchise and Johnson having cooled off toward the end of last season, including a stretch of only seven points in 15 games during March and April.

Mike Ribeiro (187.2 average draft position) – While Ribeiro hurts a fantasy team with his poor SOG, he's shown he can produce in Nashville, where he just re-signed.

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