Another week of hockey is in the books and a few surprising standouts have emerged as of late. This week I am going to take a look at these players who have been on some impressive hot streaks. Some of these players are a big part of why their teams have seen so much success thus far in the season. There have been plenty of surprises this season in the first quarter of the year. Teams like Minnesota and Anaheim have been rock solid. Meanwhile in the Eastern Conference, nobody assumed the Islanders would be basement dwellers in the Metro Division. And while we all expected Arizona to be bad this year, I'm not sure anyone expected them to be this bad. Yikes!

Troy Terry (ANA) RW

2021-22 Stats: 17 GP, 12G, 10A, 22 PTS, 43 SOG, 1 Hit, 7 Blocks, 17:29 ATOI

Perhaps the biggest surprise of this young season is the emergence of Troy Terry as the offensive catalyst for the red hot Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks have been rebuilding/retooling for what feels like forever now, but finally they are seeing some of their young talent break through and make an impact on the big stage. 

Terry has played in 17 games this season and has only been held off the scoresheet once all year. He's currently slated on the top line with Adam Henrique and Ryan Getzlaf and it's clear the three have found something together. The 24-year-old has averaged well over a point per game with 22 points in his 17 contests which puts him on pace for 106 points this season. Obviously, I am not making any claims he will break the 100-point plateau, but if he can stay healthy and at least find a morsel of consistency, 60-70 points is certainly in the realm of possibility.

The cat is already out of the bag on Terry, as he is 85% rostered in Yahoo leagues already. But if you are in that 15 percent of leagues where he isn't claimed, find someone who is replaceable and made that move! He is shooting at a very respectable rate of 2.5 shots per game which is a solid number. His shooting percentage is at a mega-unsustainable rate of 27.9 percent, a number which will surely come down over time.

With that being said though, the Ducks still are playing him on the second power-play unit despite his hot star. If they were to bite the bullet and move him up to the main unit, his production could stay reasonably high. Regardless of what happens, Terry and the Ducks have been my favorite storyline to emerge so far this season. It's great to see the team finally getting their act together, if anything for the sake of superstar goaltender John Gibson. Gibson owners rejoice! Your goalie may finally be viable again!

Matt Duchene (NSH) C/RW

2021-22 Stats: 17 GP- 12 G, 7 A, 19 PTS, 53 Shots, 5 Hits, 7 Blocks, 19:01 ATOI

I'll be the first to admit, I had written off Matt Duchene being a viable fantasy asset quite some time ago. So imagine my surprise when less than two months into the season I see Duchene going on a 12-game heater scoring 18 points. Ever since he arrived in Nashville in 2019, I feel like he has been invisible, almost a shadow of his former self. It was a real shame since I always think back to his time in Colorado and I thought he would be a major player in the NHL for years to come.

While I wouldn't say he's a "major player" at this point of his career, he certainly has been impressive up to this point in the season. Duchene has really stepped up and put up some valuable offense after Filip Forsberg went down with an upper-body injury that has sidelined him since early November. Last night's hat trick versus the Montreal Canadiens really helped put an exclamation point on Duchene's impressive run as of late.

It really helps that Duchene is shooting at a noticeably higher clip so far this year. His 53 shots so far gives him an average of 3.1 shots per game, and while his shooting percentage is a little unsustainable at 22.6%, it's great to see him getting so engaged in the offense again. Although he is listed as a dual center/right winger, he has almost exclusively been playing on the wing of Mikael Granlund on the top line. He has also enjoyed a spot on the Preds' top power play unit.

It's been reported that Forsberg is back skating with the club, so it seems like his return could be imminent. If Forsberg joined Granlund and Duchene back on the top line, they could be a very productive line together. Duchene is currently 76% rostered in Yahoo leagues, so if he is still out there maybe ride the hot streak or add him as a streamer where available. This is the best I've seen Duchene look in years, and if he can maintain this play, he could be one of the best bounce-back players of the season.

Ryan Hartman (MIN) C/RW

2021-22 Stats: 17 GP- 9 G, 4 A, 13 PTS, 57 Shots, 15 Hits, 9 Blocks, 17:11 ATOI

My third and final player I'd like to go over this week is Ryan Hartman of the division-leading Minnesota Wild. The 27-year-old American has jumped around from team to team a decent amount in his career. It seems as though he has found an amicable home in Minnesota where he has begun his third straight season with the team. I'm not sure if it's me who is sleeping on the Wild every season or if they are actually over-achieving, but it feels like the Wild are sneaky-good more often than not.

Hartman has never put up more than 31 points in a season, and has never really been a fantasy asset at any point in his career. But are about to roll into December, Hartman finds himself in a pretty healthy spot. He's riding a nice little wave of momentum as of late, posting 11 points in his last 11 games. He is currently stationed on the team's top line alongside wingers Kevin Fiala and Mats Zuccarello. Like Duchene, he is listed as a center/right-winger, but unlike Duchene, he is actually centering the top line and taking a majority of the draws. 

He isn't elite on draws, but if your league tracks faceoffs he can certainly provide a healthy amount of draws for you while slotted in at right wing, so that's a nice added bonus. He has more than doubled his shot rate thus far this season. He had 74 shots in 51 games last year, and this season he's already at 57. At an average of 3.4 per game, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about his play. His shooting percentage is a touch high at 15.8%, but that's not catastrophically high.

Unfortunately, Hartman holds down a spot on the second power-play unit, so his special teams production seems a bit stifled as of right now. He will occasionally get you a block or a hit most games, but nothing off the charts. He is only rostered in 52% of Yahoo leagues, so he is pretty available should you be looking for an upgrade on offense, or even just a streaming option on a certain night.  In his eighth season of NHL hockey, it seems like Hartman is in the prime of his career and is playing for a very capable Wild team. He is definitely worth a look if you have space!

Well, that's it for this week folks. It's been nice to see some of these players that weren't on anyone's radars do so well. These three guys have done a ton to help their NHL clubs, maybe they can help your fantasy teams as well. Until next Sunday, have a good week and best of luck with your fantasy teams!