Announcement: The Fantasy Prospects Report (13^th Edition) will be released this Friday (June 12)!

The Draft is likely happening in October after the 24-team playoffs that is forthcoming, so instead of posting an update as per usual in late June with a Mock Draft, I will post this update in October. Whenever the draft order is set, then we will update the Fantasy Prospects Report.

Announcement II: The FPR and all the usual packages are now available for pre-sale in the shop. For the very first time, I have launched subscription plans. Platinum, Gold and Silver plans, or you can just buy the Guide or the Packages as per usual. Up to you! The subscriptions plans expire every May 15 and are automatically charged – it saves you the hassle of going through the buying process each year, and instead the documents will be waiting for you in your downloads as soon as they are released. As an added incentive, the Gold subscription is a couple of bucks cheaper than its equivalent package (Ultimate). Thank you everyone for your support through these difficult times.

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As you know, the NHL has officially ended the season and announced plans for playoff hockey involving 24 teams. Just over a week ago, in case you missed it, Ian wrote up an article digging into how commissioners should handle things in fantasy leagues.

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This week I decided to look at some per-60 stats, and I wanted to see them based on recency. I'm not interested in full-season numbers, I'd like to see how things are trending after everyone has settled in. The coach has the players he trusts, the line combos have stabilized, players fit in with new teams, etc. As always, a trip to Frozen Tools is in order. The Report Generator. And I filtered it by date after December 31. So these are 2020 numbers. I also set a minimum games played of 10, so we don't get any prospects who played three shifts, got an assist, and thus have a Pts/60 of a thousand or whatever.

First, points per 60 minutes played.

Name	Pos	Team	GP	Per 60 PTS
NIKITA KUCHEROV	R	T.B	32	4.4
STEVEN STAMKOS	C	T.B	23	4.4
LEON DRAISAITL	C	EDM	30	4.3
CONNOR MCDAVID	C	EDM	23	4.2
ARTEMI PANARIN	L	NYR	31	4.1
DAVID PASTRNAK	R	BOS	30	4
MIKA ZIBANEJAD	C	NYR	32	3.8
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS	C	EDM	30	3.8
EVGENI MALKIN	C	PIT	29	3.8
KEVIN FIALA	L	MIN	29	3.8
J.T. MILLER	C	VAN	29	3.7
MIKE HOFFMAN	L	FLA	31	3.7
SIDNEY CROSBY	C	PIT	24	3.7
ANDRE BURAKOVSKY	L	COL	22	3.7
PATRICK KANE	R	CHI	30	3.5
NATHAN MACKINNON	C	COL	30	3.5
DOMINIK KUBALIK	L	CHI	30	3.5
NIKOLAJ EHLERS	L	WPG	32	3.4
KYLE CONNOR	L	WPG	32	3.3
BLAKE WHEELER	R	WPG	32	3.3
BRAYDEN POINT	C	T.B	32	3.3
SEBASTIAN AHO	C	CAR	29	3.3
MIKAEL BACKLUND	C	CGY	29	3.3
KAILER YAMAMOTO	R	EDM	27	3.3
MARK STONE	R	VGK	23	3.3
GABRIEL VILARDI	C	L.A	10	3.3
JONATHAN TOEWS	C	CHI	30	3.2
TRAVIS KONECNY	R	PHI	30	3.2
TOMAS TATAR	L	MTL	29	3.2
NAZEM KADRI	C	COL	15	3.2
AUSTON MATTHEWS	C	TOR	30	3.1
BRAD MARCHAND	L	BOS	30	3.1
JOHNNY GAUDREAU	L	CGY	29	3.1
JAKUB VORACEK	R	PHI	30	3.1
ANTHONY MANTHA	R	DET	14	3.1
ALEX OVECHKIN	L	WSH	28	3
WILLIAM NYLANDER	R	TOR	28	3
MAX PACIORETTY	L	VGK	29	3
ELIAS PETTERSSON	C	VAN	28	3
ROBERT THOMAS	C	STL	31	3
CHRIS KREIDER	L	NYR	25	3
OLIVER BJORKSTRAND	R	CBJ	13	3

These are all the players who averaged at least three points per 60 minutes played (43 of them). You can see evidence of the Tampa surge (no surprise why) and the Big 2 in Edmonton, of course. But you see interesting names further down such as Robert Thomas. He was on his way to a 52-point season, but let's not forget that he began the year with just four points in 16 games! That means he picked up 38 points in 50 games after that, which is a 62-point pace. Thomas doesn't hit his Breakout Threshold for another 64 games, but he's a pretty great candidate to breakout early. The key for him his PP time, which was starting to eke upwards in the latter two quarters of the season.

Another name to jump out, barely making the 10-game threshold, is Gabe Vilardi. Not a big enough sample size and it's not a sustainable pace this early in his career, but even 3.3 Pts/60 after 10 games is a great indicator that he not only has a future in the NHL, but he will likely be a top-sixer. I'm not the only one who was worried about that guy slipping in terms of development thanks to time missed. I stupidly took Henrik Borgstrom as an add-on in a trade over Vilardi, back in January, because I didn't trust Vilardi's back.

Other names you see there who could be more productive with added ice time – Dominik Kubalik, Andre Burakovsky, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and who doesn't love what Kevin Fiala was doing in the second half?

Nazem Kadri features noticeably on a few of these lists: 27th on Pts/60, 46th on SOG/60, 2nd on PIM/60 and 24th on PPPts/60. He only played 15 games in 2020, but for roto leagues he was fantastic in that timeframe.

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Hits per 60 minutes played:

Name	Pos	Team	GP	Per 60 Hits
ZAC RINALDO	C	CGY	12	30.4
RYAN REAVES	R	VGK	29	25.4
MATT MARTIN	L	NYI	30	23.1
ROSS JOHNSTON	L	NYI	10	22.5
SAMMY BLAIS	L	STL	20	21.8
FILIP CHLAPIK	C	OTT	13	20.2
DALE WEISE	R	MTL	23	19.7
GABRIEL BOURQUE	L	WPG	27	19.5
LUKE SCHENN	D	T.B	11	19.1
GARNET HATHAWAY	R	WSH	29	18.4
JACOB DE LA ROSE	L	STL	13	17.5
WILLIAM CARRIER	L	VGK	29	17.3
BRENDAN LEMIEUX	L	NYR	24	16.6
CHRISTIAN FISCHER	R	ARI	20	16.6
SCOTT SABOURIN	R	OTT	22	16.3
TYLER MOTTE	C	VAN	21	15.5
AUSTIN WATSON	L	NSH	17	15.5
CHRIS WAGNER	R	BOS	29	15.3
BRADY TKACHUK	L	OTT	31	14.4
MILAN LUCIC	L	CGY	29	14.2
NIC DOWD	C	WSH	28	14.1
LAWSON CROUSE	L	ARI	29	13.9
NICOLAS DESLAURIERS	L	ANA	32	13.8
JAYCE HAWRYLUK	R	OTT	18	13.8
YAKOV TRENIN	C	NSH	15	13.4
BRANDON TANEV	L	PIT	29	13.3
ANDREAS ENGLUND	D	OTT	17	13.2
KYLE CLIFFORD	L	TOR	29	12.9
JOHN HAYDEN	C	N.J	28	12.6
GIVANI SMITH	R	DET	16	12.5
TOM WILSON	R	WSH	29	12.3
CEDRIC PAQUETTE	C	T.B	32	12.3
NOAH GREGOR	C	S.J	10	12.2
ZACH ASTON-REESE	C	PIT	18	12.2
LEO KOMAROV	R	NYI	30	12.1
CARTER ROWNEY	C	ANA	32	11.9
JOSH ARCHIBALD	R	EDM	30	11.8
SAM LAFFERTY	C	PIT	19	11.7
JUSTIN ABDELKADER	L	DET	26	11.6
ALEXANDER TRUE	C	S.J	12	11.5
NICOLAS AUBE-KUBEL	R	PHI	29	11.5
DMYTRO TIMASHOV	L	DET	16	11.4
ADAM ERNE	L	DET	25	11.4
ANTHONY BITETTO	D	WPG	22	11.3
MARCUS FOLIGNO	L	MIN	29	11.2
JUJHAR KHAIRA	L	EDM	27	11.2
ILYA LYUBUSHKIN	D	ARI	24	11.1
NICK RITCHIE	L	BOS	21	11
TYLER PITLICK	C	PHI	30	10.9
ZACK SMITH	C	CHI	17	10.9
KIEFER SHERWOOD	R	ANA	10	10.8
ADAM LOWRY	C	WPG	12	10.5
JAMES NEAL	L	EDM	14	10.3
MACKENZIE MACEACHERN	L	STL	18	10.2
PHILLIP DI GIUSEPPE	L	NYR	20	10.1
MARK BOROWIECKI	D	OTT	13	10.1
STEPHEN JOHNS	D	DAL	17	10
CASEY CIZIKAS	C	NYI	16	10
JAMIE OLEKSIAK	D	DAL	29	9.9
SEAN KURALY	C	BOS	29	9.8
NICK FOLIGNO	L	CBJ	31	9.8
IVAN BARBASHEV	C	STL	31	9.7
BLAKE COLEMAN	C	T.B	28	9.6
ZACK KASSIAN	R	EDM	21	9.6
ROMAN POLAK	D	DAL	21	9.6

Here is a good way to dig up some hidden gems in leagues that use Hits as a category. Particularly with young prospects. Look at Noah Gregor! (More on him in the Fantasy Prospects Report). Just a 10-game sample size, but you know he likes to throw down the Hits – 34^th in the entire league in terms of Hits/60. This is a list of everyone who averaged above 9.5 (66 of them). I also had no idea that Chlapik was quite this rowdy out there. It points to his future as unlikely in the top six, but rather as a third-line energy guy. We all figured he was heading that way anyway, but this is further confirmation. Yakov Trenin, Sam Lafferty and Givani Smith are other youngsters who should be on the radar if you're in a league with Hits. I particularly like Trenin here because I think he can put up decent points as well.

It's also worth noting Nick Ritchie. His spot on the list had me dig deeper to see the difference between Boston and Anaheim – and it was vast. Anaheim – 79 Hits in 41 games (1.92). Boston – 23 Hits in seven games (3.29).

One further observation. He was much further down the list (155^th to be exact – not shown) but Nicolas Roy averaged 6.6 Hits per 60 minutes over 21 games. When he becomes a regular, he should be good for 150 Hits or more in a season to go along with reasonable production.

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One more list for you, this one is for shots on goal. I love looking at this as an indicator of future likelihood of reaching potential. It's how I identified Dominik Kubalik as a prospect to watch, and confirmed early in the season that he could really explode (felt so satisfied that he actually did). You won't see some of these players on the top SOG list, but because they are on the top SOG/60 list they could eventually get to that top SOG list. And if you shoot a lot, odds are you score a lot (or you'll stop getting the ice time to keep shooting!).

Name	Pos	Team	GP	Per 60 SOG
MAX PACIORETTY	L	VGK	29	15.7
DAVID PASTRNAK	R	BOS	30	14
PATRIC HORNQVIST	R	PIT	30	13.8
JUSTIN WILLIAMS	R	CAR	20	13.2
JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT	C	VGK	24	13.2
NATHAN MACKINNON	C	COL	30	13.2
AUSTON MATTHEWS	C	TOR	30	13.1
KEVIN FIALA	L	MIN	29	12.8
BLAKE COLEMAN	C	T.B	28	12.4
TYLER TOFFOLI	R	VAN	28	12.4
PATRICK KANE	R	CHI	30	12.4
ALEX OVECHKIN	L	WSH	28	12.3
CRAIG SMITH	R	NSH	31	12.3
BRENDAN GALLAGHER	R	MTL	20	12.3
MIKE HOFFMAN	L	FLA	31	12.3
ALEX DEBRINCAT	L	CHI	30	11.4
TAYLOR HALL	L	ARI	29	11.4
BRADY TKACHUK	L	OTT	31	11.2
JOHNNY GAUDREAU	L	CGY	29	11.1
TIMO MEIER	R	S.J	30	11
PATRIK LAINE	R	WPG	31	11
TYLER ENNIS	C	EDM	30	10.9
EVANDER KANE	L	S.J	27	10.9
MIKA ZIBANEJAD	C	NYR	32	10.8
TYLER SEGUIN	C	DAL	29	10.7
ANDERS LEE	L	NYI	31	10.7
JEFF SKINNER	L	BUF	20	10.6
NIKOLAJ EHLERS	L	WPG	32	10.6
FRANK VATRANO	C	FLA	31	10.5
JAKE VIRTANEN	R	VAN	29	10.5
VINNIE HINOSTROZA	R	ARI	28	10.5
NIKITA KUCHEROV	R	T.B	32	10.5
BROCK BOESER	R	VAN	17	10.5
CONNOR MCDAVID	C	EDM	23	10.3
FILIP FORSBERG	L	NSH	31	10.2
CARL SODERBERG	C	ARI	29	10.1
JORDAN WEAL	C	MTL	18	10.1
WILLIAM NYLANDER	R	TOR	28	10.1
CHRIS KREIDER	L	NYR	25	10
ROOPE HINTZ	L	DAL	27	9.9
JARED MCCANN	C	PIT	29	9.9
PATRICE BERGERON	C	BOS	30	9.9
JAKUB VRANA	L	WSH	29	9.9
ROCCO GRIMALDI	R	NSH	31	9.9
NAZEM KADRI	C	COL	15	9.8
JAKE DEBRUSK	L	BOS	30	9.8
DOMINIK KUBALIK	L	CHI	30	9.7
SEBASTIAN AHO	C	CAR	29	9.7
SHEA THEODORE	D	VGK	29	9.7
MILES WOOD	L	N.J	30	9.6
JEFF CARTER	C	L.A	19	9.6
MIKKEL BOEDKER	L	OTT	14	9.6
RICKARD RAKELL	L	ANA	29	9.6
FILIP ZADINA	R	DET	13	9.6
JAKOB SILFVERBERG	R	ANA	28	9.6
ANTHONY DUCLAIR	L	OTT	26	9.5

The above 57 players are everyone who averaged 9.5 shots per 60 minutes of ice time or higher.

Look at Kevin Fiala's shot volume!

I'm also surprised at Jonathan Marchessault. Fifth in the entire league in terms of shot volume by ice time? It gives me second thoughts about his decline.

Uh…Blake Coleman? I had to take a closer look. Nope, false alarm. Just 18 shots in nine games since joining Tampa. He was going nutty at the end of his New Jersey tenure, posting 93 shots in his last 19 games there – nearly five shots per game.

Tyler Ennis! Another closer look – he had 20 SOG in nine games with the Oilers, which wasn't much different than what he was doing in Ottawa.

Frank Vatrano and Vinnie Hinostroza are names that jump out at me. Great shot volume that makes me wonder if more ice time and better linemates would do something for them. But I won't be moving them up any lists until I actually see something like that happen (I have faith this could happen with the former, but little faith on the latter).

We all expected to see Jakub Vrana and Dominik Kubalik on there. But Rocco Grimaldi is your typical late-blooming small, skilled guy. But has he already been pigeonholed? Probably. But I do love it when a player busts his way out of that pigeonhole to gain fantasy value, so consider him a Dobber Darling hopeful.

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Did you notice that the player profiles in Frozen Tools now have my rankings included? Yep – in a player profile click the info/analysis tab and you will that players ranking on all of our lists (prospect, regular, defense, goalie, cap league, roto). Click a player name above and take a look-see.

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See you next Monday. Be safe. Thanks for continuing to support the website, and if you're bored and need a fantasy hockey fix – visit the gang in the forum here.