Merry Christmas! I know this hasn't been the most ideal holiday season, but hopefully you were able to enjoy something this year. Even without NHL action for at least another couple days, at least we can dive into the World Juniors today. Here are today's games that you can watch or at least follow.

Finland vs. Germany (Edmonton), 2 p.m. ET

Russia vs. Sweden (Red Deer), 4:30 p.m. ET

Czechia vs. Canada (Edmonton), 7 p.m. ET

United States vs. Slovakia (Red Deer), 9:30 p.m. ET

Ben Gehrels will be covering the World Juniors in The Journey for the next few weeks. Check out his first piece about Three WJC Players Poised for Breakouts.

With no NHL games to talk about at the moment, it's a good time to reflect on the season so far. Comparing Dobber projections to actual results, I've identified surprises and stumblers at forward (two of each), defense (one of each), and goalie (one of each). Think of it as an interim report card from school, where for these players it might be okay but it might not be. Not only will I describe the to-date performance, but what to expect going forward. I won't include injured players, unless the player has also been a poor performer when healthy.

FORWARD

Surprise: Nazem Kadri

If someone time travelling from the future told you before the season that a Colorado player would be fourth in league scoring at Christmas, you would automatically assume that the player is Nathan MacKinnon or Mikko Rantanen. Kadri's spot in the league scoring race is surprising in and of itself, but his 1.58 PTS/GP separates himself even further from the pack, as only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl score more on a per-game basis. MacKinnon's injury has a lot to do with Kadri receiving first-line minutes, but even MacKinnon's return hasn't stopped Kadri from piling up the points (11 PTS in last 6 GP). A minor drop might be inevitable, but the fact that the Avalanche are far and away the league's best offense (4.22 GF/GP) helps Kadri's cause.  

Surprise: Troy Terry

Dobber's projection: 74 GP, 13 G, 20 A, 0.45 PTS/GP

Terry's scoring so far: 31 GP, 18 G, 12 A, 0.97 PTS/GP

I'm not trying to embarrass Dobber here. In fact, I don't think anyone would have guessed that Terry would be a near point-per-game scorer with a 16-game point streak. Since the point streak, Terry has a more modest eight points (including six goals) in 14 games. In addition, a few of his advanced stats show possible regression (24.3 SH%, 3.4 PTS/60, 75 Sec. Asst%) in both goals and assists. Terry has at least shown to be a better player than we thought, but you may want to take the opportunity to shop him for a more established higher-tier option.

Honorable mention: Andrew Mangiapane – 17 goals but only three assists in 28 games

Stumbler: Elias Pettersson

Pettersson's issues have been well-documented. Moved to the second-unit power play and even to the third line, Pettersson simply hasn't looked right. If there's a glimmer of hope, it's that the Canucks appear to be a brand-new team under new coach Bruce Boudreau (currently 6-0). Petey hasn't set the world on fire since the Boudreau hiring (4 PTS in 6 GP), but he at least has points in each of his last three games. Pettersson's advanced stats (8.7 SH%, 5.4 5-on-5 SH%) also show that a potential improvement is on the way, while his shot rate (2.2 SOG/GP) is similar to previous seasons. He may not be truly elite, but he's better than he's shown this season. Your best bet is to continue to be patient.

Stumbler: Alexander Radulov

There are Stars players having offensive success at the moment, but Radulov is not one of them. The Joe Pavelski – Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz scoring line is miles ahead of the Radulov – Tyler Seguin – Jamie Benn line. We could easily include Benn or Seguin here, but we'll pick on Radulov because he his ADP was before pick 100 in Yahoo leagues and he has scored just one goal in 28 games. All of the advanced stats indicate an improvement, but it might take a line shuffle to get Radulov going. Not helping his cause, Radulov is below 2 SOG/GP for the first time in five seasons. Trading or even dropping the 35-year-old forward from your roster is certainly on the table.

(Dis)honorable mention: Blake Wheeler – Scored his first goal of the season in his 22^nd game, the same game where he suffered an injury that forced him onto LTIR

DEFENSE

Surprise: Kevin Shattenkirk

The Ducks have been one of the league's most surprising teams, so it should be no surprise that multiple Ducks are surprises on this list. With 18 points already, Shattenkirk has already nearly matched his fantasy guide projection in just 32 games. In addition, he has doubled his point-per-game production and surpassed his overall point production from last season. He has shown signs of a slowdown recently with a seven-game point slump in the first half of December before recording points in his final two games before the break. Keep an eye on his second-half production, as he could easily revert to last season's pace. As well, Jamie Drysdale is averaging more power-play time than Shattenkirk is.

Honorable mention: Tony DeAngelo – The scoring might be expected, but the fact he's stayed out of trouble might be the surprise

Stumbler: Jeff Petry

The fact that the Canadiens don't look like a Stanley Cup finalist after losing Carey Price and Shea Weber isn't a huge shocker, but Petry's production falling off a cliff should be. Even during shortened seasons, Petry had posted 40+ points in each of his previous four seasons with the Habs. Yet with two assists in 27 games, he won't come anywhere close to that this season. How about zero power-play points? Petry isn't even on the first-unit power play anymore – that role has been given to banger Ben Chiarot. At the very least, Petry should be benched, and he is also droppable in many formats.   

(Dis)honorable mention: Jakob Chychrun – A plus/minus black hole whose scoring was getting back on track before injury

GOALIE

Surprise: Tristan Jarry

Jarry was the kind of goalie you would target first if you decided to employ the Zero G strategy. With an ADP of 114 on Yahoo, Jarry has been one of fantasy hockey's top goalies. Jarry is another example of why it's not a bad idea to overlook playoff performance in a short series when drafting a goalie, as small sample size against one opponent can skew your overall perception. Only Juuse Saros has a higher quality start percentage than Jarry (75%) for goalies that have played at least 10 games, while only Jack Campbell has a higher GSAA (goals saved above average) than Jarry (14.77 GSAA). With Evgeni Malkin returning soon and the Penguins holding down a wild-card spot, Jarry should continue to be in a great spot. 

Honorable mention: Jacob Markstrom – Another Zero G target with a Yahoo ADP of 135

Stumbler: Spencer Knight

A rookie sensation late in the 2020-21 season, Knight was recently sent to the AHL. It appears that the Panthers are committed to big-ticket goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, while recent waiver-wire pickup Jonas Johansson will back him up. I didn't think that Knight should have been drafted as high as he was (ADP 84.7 in Yahoo leagues), but it seems criminal that he was drafted on average at least two rounds ahead of the aforementioned Jarry given his lack of experience and uncertain number of starts. Knight should continue to be rostered in keeper leagues because he has a bright future, but you're okay to let him go in single-season leagues.

(Dis)honorable mention: Semyon Varlamov – Missed time with injury, but also has just one win and subpar ratios

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Are there other players you think have been bigger surprises or stumblers, or at least deserving of an honorable mention? Let us know what they've done to your fantasy team below in the comments.

For more fantasy hockey discussion, follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding