In the third part of our series, we look at players drafted in the fourth round or later who, if they develop to their potential, could be fantasy assets long down the road.  

To see part one of this series, which highlighted first round fantasy fits click here.

For part two, which looks at middle round options, click here.

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Nikita Popugaev – Right Wing – New Jersey Devils – Selected 98^th Overall

New Jersey continued their solid draft into the late rounds, grabbing the hulking Popugaev in the fourth. Although he stands 6’6” and weighs in at well over 200 pounds, the power forward has good hands and the ability to put the puck in the net.

Popugaev split time between Moose Jaw and Prince George in his draft year, posting nearly a point-per-game with 69 points in 71 games. Getting him as late as the Devils did in the draft was impressive, as some outlets had him as a potential top 40 player and I didn’t expect him to drop past the second round. With his ability to pot goals in close, he projects as a net-front guy on the power play who can provide a scoring punch when needed. He will need to continue to develop, but expect him to push closer to 40 goals in his post-draft Western Hockey League season.

Adam Ruzicka – Center – Calgary Flames – Selected 109^th Overall

Another big-bodied CHL forward taken in the fourth round was Ruzicka, who was selected in the second round of the CHL Import draft by Sarnia a year ago. He paid them back with a 46-point season, finishing fourth among OHL rookies in points and second in goals scored (25).

Ruzicka’s combination of size and skill are intriguing, as he has the body of a modern-day power forward at 6’4” and 210 pounds. He plays the type of possession game which is common in today’s NHL, and has the ability to finish in a number of ways in the offensive zone. In fantasy, the Slovakian could provide added peripheral stats in addition to his scoring ability, which is a combination worth taking a chance on depending on how deep your prospect draft goes.

Ostap Safin – Right Wing – Edmonton Oilers – Selected 115^th Overall

Safin was a personal favorite of mine, and one who I would have expected to go higher than the fourth round. The Czech-born forward plays a high-skill game and should be a perfect fit for the lineup that Edmonton is putting together both in the present and the future.

He is best with the puck on his stick, using his offensive ability to win one-on-one battles, and his skating ability to find pockets of space on the ice where he can release his dangerous shot. Despite being 6’4” he is a fluid skater, and is the type of player who if he reaches his ceiling, we would be wondering why he was passed over 114 times in the draft. If you can find a potential top-six guy in the fourth round, that’s a huge win both for the NHL club and your fantasy roster.

Markus Phillips – Defenseman – Los Angeles Kings – Selected 118^th Overall

Our first late-round rearguard featured on this list is Phillips, an Ontario native who had a solid all-around season for an Owen Sound team that won 49 games and made it to the OHL conference semi-finals. Phillips finished the season as the Attack’s second leading scorer among defensemen with 43 points, and led the team with both goals (13) and shots (167) from the blue line.

Phillips is built for today’s NHL, because his game is tailored around skating and puck distribution. He is solid in puck transition, with the ability to either headman the puck to a forward or skate out of trouble. He projects as a bottom four defenseman who will be steady both offensively and defensively, and has the skills to fill in on the power play if need be.

Tyler Steenbergen – Center – Arizona Coyotes – Selected 128^th Overall

Steenbergen, an Alberta native who was passed over in his first draft eligible season a year ago was selected by the Coyotes in the fifth round in his second go around. His point production jumped from 46 in 2015-16 to 90 this season, which included scoring 51 goals – a number that led the WHL.

Any player who can score 50-plus goals in a league like the WHL is worth at least taking a closer look at, especially for fantasy purposes. Pairing with another prospect who was highlighted on my mid-round list in second round pick Aleksi Heponiemi, Steenbergen and Heponiemi helped lead Swift Current to 39 wins. The 19-year-old undersized center did score 37% of his goals on the power play so his totals were a little inflated, but there are worse prospects to take a flyer on given his ability to find the back of the net.

Denis Smirnov – Right Wing – Colorado Avalanche – Selected 156^th Overall

As an undersized Russian overage forward, it was always going to be interesting to see where Smirnov fell in terms of draft range. Colorado did well to find a player of his skill level in the sixth round to help bolster their offensive attack. Sure, the bust potential is high, but when you are taking a player with the 156^th pick in the draft, you might as well select one with a high offensive ceiling.

In Smirnov’s freshman season at Penn State, he led all NCAA rookies with 47 points in 39 games, finishing ahead of players like Clayton Keller, Henrik Borgstrom and Adam Fox. The 5’8” winger finished in the top five among NCAA rookies in goals (19), assists (28), points-per-game (1.21), shots-per-game (3.23) and game-winning-goals (4). He plays a game built around skill, and if your drafts are deep is worth a shot on a high-upside guy.

Ville Rasanen – Defenseman – Carolina Hurricanes – Selected 197^th Overall

There is not a lot known about Rasanen, but he has the tools to be a potential steal in the seventh round of the draft. It’s rare that any players near pick 200 have lengthy NHL careers, so take the mention with a grain of salt.

The ‘Canes scouting department was pretty excited by the pick, comparing him to a poor man’s Miro Heiskanen in terms of similarities in their style of play and abilities. Rasanen was stuck in the lower levels of Finnish hockey this past season, where he was nearly a point-per-game player for Jokipojat’s U20 team. We will see a bit more of his potential this season when he makes the jump to Liiga with Jukurit.

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