Ever since being drafted 12th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Czech forward Martin Necas has had a decent amount of hype surrounding him. He was touted as a strong skating, high hockey-IQ player who could end up being a major part of the Carolina Hurricanes long-term plans within a few years. What he lacks in size he more than makes up for with his speed and evasiveness and certainly fits the mould of "undersized" players who can still make an impact in the NHL. 

Straight out of the gate in his first training camp in 2017, Necas exceeded expectations. Most people expected Necas to be sent to Carolina's AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers after preseason finished, but surprisingly Hurricanes management opted to keep him to start the season. While he only would see very limited action, he did get a small sample of what was to come in his career. Carolina would end up loaning him back to HC Kometa Bmo of the Czech Extraliga so he could further develop his skill set.

Necas would be invited by the Czech Republic to play in the 2018 World Juniors for his second time. This tournament really helped get some eyes as he really dominated his age class. He tied Casey Mittelstadt for the tournament scoring lead with his 11 points.  With the help of Necas, the Czech Republic earned a fourth-place finish in the tournament, highlighted by a massive 4-3 shootout upset of Finland in the quarter-finals. Necas' performance would earn him an invite back the following year also, and ultimately he was named team captain.

The 2018-19 season started off similarly to his previous one, as Necas competed in camp to make the Hurricanes. And like the previous year, he again stuck with the big club out of camp. He got into seven games and scored his first ever career goal versus the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning on October 16. Ironically that was the last game he'd play for Carolina as they chose to send him down to the Checkers, opting not to burn a year of his entry-level contract. 

In his 64 games for Charlotte, Necas tallied 16 goals and 36 assists for 52 points. In addition to his solid offensive production, he also finished the regular season with a plus-20. Necas proved to be a key piece to a very strong Checkers squad that finished first in their division, and was poised to make a deep playoff run. The postseason saw Necas collect 13 points over 18 games as the Checkers went on to win the AHL Championship after eliminating the Chicago Wolves in five games in the final. 

Heading into the 2019-20 season, Necas was widely recognized as the de facto number one prospect in the Hurricanes organization. While the previous year saw Andrei Svechnikov make his marvelous debut in Carolina, 2019 it was Necas' chance to do the same, and many believed he had the potential to be just as good, if not better.

Necas certainly came storming out of the gate, scoring a goal on opening night versus the Montreal Canadiens. He would go on to get points in five of his first seven games. He was certainly showing flashes of what he could potentially be capable of. The only issue was he often found himself in the bottom six of the lineup. He was averaging just 14:10 minutes a game which isn't great. He also was only averaging 1.4 shots per game which isn't a number fantasy owners would like to see.  In the COVID-shortened campaign he would play in 64 games and finish with 16 goals and 20 assists. He did manage to slot into the second power play unit and certainly made the most of his opportunities, putting up a total of nine power play points. 

All things considered, he enjoyed a pretty respectable rookie campaign and there was still plenty of room to improve. It was also worth noting his shot percentage was 18.2%, and while that isn't completely abnormal, it's a touch high and probably not a sustainable pace. After putting up four points in eight playoff contests inside the playoff bubble, Necas would shift focus to the current 2020-21 season.

With the acquisition of Vincent Trocheck at the end of last season, it was hard to say where Necas would end up on the Hurricanes depth chart.  The start of the season saw a lot of line-juggling and it was hard to say where Necas would end up. Under unfortunate circumstances, the Canes would eventually find more time for Necas as Teuvo Teravainen has been unable to play for most of the season due to a concussion and its lingering effects. While this certainly wasn't the ideal way for Necas to get a chance to prove himself, he certainly has taken the ball and ran with it.

In his expanded role with the club, Necas is up to 17:32 minutes a game. He has been a mainstay on the team's second line with Trocheck and Swiss winger Nino Niederreiter. While he still hasn't been able to crack the top power-play unit, he has still has notched 10 power-play points already.  Through 36 games he has 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points. In an 82-game slate, that would mean he'd be on pace for a 68-point season. That's certainly production you can work with. What's better is he is shooting at a much better clip this season, averaging 2.3 shots per game. While you would like to see that number closer to three, it's certainly a good start.

Another great thing about Necas is his eligibility, as he is dual-eligible for center and right wing. This is super useful and adds some versatility for getting him into your lineup, not to mention right wingers are a little more scarce than wingers from the left side. While there's a ton to like, it is certainly worth cautioning fantasy owners about the elephant in the room. There's currently no news or any timetable for the return of Teravainen. And even when, or if he does get back this season, who knows the impact it will have on the roster. Necas and Trocheck have shown some great chemistry for the Canes this season, and I would be surprised if they broke them up. But with that being said, Teravainen isn't a bottom-six player. Perhaps he would replace Niederreiter, but nothing is for sure.

The last thing worth pointing out is that Necas is that he is barely 22 years old. Having just turned 22 in January, the best is surely yet to come for this Czech stud. He is still only 65 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues and could be a welcome boost to your squad heading into fantasy playoff season.