It’s always tough to assess which surprise players can keep up their hot starts, but figuring it out will go a long way to winning you a championship.

Obviously, you don’t need to be an expert in fantasy hockey to know that Connor McDavid will keep putting up points. But what about those that no one predicted would start this hot?

You only need to look back to last season to come across some examples. Twenty games into last year, would you have guessed that Joe Pavelski would continue the crazy pace he set at the start of the season, but James van Riemsdyk would go cold? If you gambled correctly, you would have kept Pavelski but traded away JVR when his value was at an all-time high.

It’s a tough guessing game. All we can look at for now is how the players are being used and hope that continues. A player on the top line for the first month while averaging 20 minutes a night will see a significant drop in productivity if they are demoted to the third line for the next month. 

Below are 10 players who have surprisingly hot starts this season but should be able to keep up a fairly high level of production if there are no major lineup shakeups. Keep in mind this doesn’t necessarily mean these players will continue putting up a 100-point pace, but they should be able to smash career heights. Please note that all statistics are before Sunday’s action.

I would also like to clarify that you will not find any goalies on this list as that is a fickle position. A netminder playing lights out could quickly start allowing three goals a night for the next two months. However, if I were to add one to this list, it would be Jack Campbell. He’s playing great and picking up wins even though the Leafs are seventh-worst in goals for per game.  

10. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

At this rate, the only thing that is going to slow down RNH is a trip to the IR, which isn’t out of the question for the Band-Aid boy trainee. RNH has 19 points in 17 games, but only one goal. His point total is helped by playing at even strength with Leon Draisaitl, and that he’s averaging 21:06 of ice time per night, the highest of his career. He’s also on the top power-play unit, where he already has 12 power-play points. 

9. Shayne Gostisbehere

Sure, Arizona is putrid, and there’s a very real possibility that they will finish the season with the fewest wins in modern-day NHL history. Their 1.78 goals for per game is the lowest since the NHL expanded back in 1967-68 and the lowest since the Montreal Canadiens averaged 1.71 goals per game in 1935-36. What are the odds Arizona continues to be this horrific? Despite their struggles, Gostisbehere has 13 points in his first 18 games and has owned the top power-play unit all season (his five power-play points are the highest on the team, tied with Phil Kessel). If you believe that Arizona can provide even a little bit more offense instead of finishing with a historic low, then Gostisbehere should finish with 50 points (he’s on pace for 59 right now). 

8. Timo Meier

Will he finish with 100-plus points, which is his current 82-game pace? Odds say he won’t. Could he flirt with 75-plus? Easily. His 17:48 ice time per night is a career high. His 2:28 power-play time per night is a career high. His 4.1 shots per night is a career high and eighth-highest in the league. He only has two power-play points, so even as his even-strength production drops, his power-play production should increase. However, much of his production might fall into the lap of what the Sharks do with Evander Kane, whose suspension ends this upcoming weekend. If the Sharks allow Kane to play again, it could impact Meier’s minutes and his production. 

7. Chandler Stephenson

The Knights’ number one centre may not be their number one once Jack Eichel is in the lineup, but that is still months away. In the meantime, you have to appreciate what he has been able to accomplish this year. Despite Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty missing the majority of the season, Stephenson has still managed to notch 16 points in 18 games. He’s averaging a career-high 19:53 per game, and now Stone is back and Pacioretty is not far away. It would not be surprising if Stephenson could be a point-per-game player while centering those two. 

6. Ryan Getzlaf

The 36-year-old Getzlaf is turning back the clock this season. Despite scoring one goal in 18 games, Getzlaf is tied for 17th in league points as he has put up 18 points. It’s the first time he’s put up a point-per-game pace since 2017-18. One of the main reasons behind his renaissance includes a significant increase in ice time; he is averaging almost 20 minutes a night, up from 16:36 a season ago. He’s back on the top power-play unit and he’s averaging 2.8 shots per game, easily the highest of his career. As a bonus, he’s averaging 11.44 faceoff wins a game (the first time he’s ever been above nine faceoff wins per game) and is on pace for 938. His previous high was 692. 

5. Seth Jones

Jones is going to get plenty of opportunities because no one on Chicago’s management is going to want to admit they overpaid twice for Jones this past summer: They overpaid in what they gave up in the trade, and then overpaid in the contract they gave him. No matter how bad Jones is analytically or how bad that contract will be when it kicks in next season, he’s going to be given a prime position. Jones is averaging 25:41 ice time per night and 4:37 power-play time, the latter of which smashes his previous high of 2:42 per night. His 3.1 shots per game are 0.1 off his career high and his six power-play points are only two off what he managed all of last season. 

4. Evgeny Kuznetsov

There may be some who believe that Kuznetsov is only seeing a huge increase in numbers because Nicklas Backstrom has yet to play a game. After all, once the latter is back in the lineup, Kuznetsov won’t see as much ice time next to Alexander Ovechkin. While there may be a little bit of truth to this, it would be extremely difficult for a coach of an 11-2-5 team to all of a sudden mess with the top line. His ice time is almost five minutes a night higher than a season ago, which is an extreme difference. Kuznetsov has almost always been a fixture of the top power-play unit, and is one point away from matching last year’s total power-play points. 

3. Drake Batherson

It should be no secret that I am a big fan of Batherson’s fantasy game, and I believe he is still under the radar because of one of his teammates. However, one of the best little-known secrets in Ottawa is that Batherson is a better fantasy own than Brady Tkachuk. Sure, Tkachuk puts up gaudy shots and hits numbers that make fantasy general managers swoon, but Batherson is no slouch either. This season, Batherson is averaging three shots and 2.6 hits per game. That is an 82-game pace of 246 shots and 217 hits. Plus, Batherson is much better offensively. The only concern for Batherson is how the Sens survive this Covid battle (no easy task considering how some professional athletes have struggled after their illness). 

2. Lucas Raymond

Raymond is a great example of a coach who puts a rookie in the best opportunity to succeed. How many times do we see a head coach bring a rookie in slowly, putting him on the fourth line to average seven minutes a night and forcing the rookie to “earn” his spot? Then the rookie doesn’t produce and it takes years before they are given a real shot. Despite the great preseason Raymond had, there was still talk he was going to be sent down to start the season. Instead, he was rewarded and made the team. He was immediately put on the top line and top power-play unit, where he continues to stay. His points-per-game may slow up a little, but as long as he is given the opportunity, he could flirt with 70 points. 

1. Tony DeAngelo

About 18 months ago, Dobber came out with a list of defensemen who could someday reach 80 points (a rare feat, as that mark has only been reached five times since 1995-96). Fox was ranked fourth on that list, but has an opportunity to reach that lofty mark this season. Many fantasy hockey general managers may have given up on the former Rangers defenseman after his poor showing last year and then the team kicking him to the curb, but once he signed with Carolina, we should have seen this coming. With 15 points in 16 games, he’s on pace for 77 points.