Welcome back to The Journey, where we track the development of prospects as they excel in junior, make the NHL, and push towards stardom.

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Happy Saturday, folks! As Labour Day weekend rolls in and fantasy league drafts kick into high gear, it's that time of year when we start eyeing our teams and plotting out those late-round gems with sky-high potential. Yep, we’re talking sleepers.

You're going to hear about a ton of sleeper picks and get some stellar advice from our experts here at Dobber, but just like during Bubble Keeper Week, it’s crucial to know your league settings inside and out. Your league type—be it Dynasty, Keeper, or Redraft—along with the number of teams and roster spots, can drastically change what makes a player a “sleeper” for you.

Today, I'll be covering a few prospects (with one exception) who have caught my attention, the ones who could surprise and pass past expectations and become those late-round steals we’re all hunting for.

Jack Quinn – RW – Buffalo Sabres

Everyone is talking about JJ Peterka, Zach Benson, and Dylan Cozens, who are all solid options. However, if you’re looking for someone who might be slightly under the radar, you may want to take a look at Jack Quinn. It seems that Peterka is in a prime position to take over that top-line and top power-play spot. Michael Clifford wrote about Peterka’s usage here, so I won't go too much into that.

Quinn, in all likelihood, may be further down the pecking order when it comes to the top power-play unit. However, I think he has a good chance of locking down that second-line spot on the right side, which gives him a prime opportunity to be a solid contributor alongside Cozens and either Benson or Zucker. Quinn was sidelined last year with a lower-body injury that kept him out for most of the season. With playing only 27 games, Quinn was on pace to record 58 points in an 82-game season. The year prior, he played 75 games and posted 37 points. If he can stay healthy, we have no reason to not expect that he won't, he'll provide that additional scoring touch that the second line desperately needs.

Fabian Zetterlund – RW – San Jose Sharks

This is a player you want to keep an eye on. Everyone is going to be focused on snagging Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli, and Mikael Granlund. Fabian Zetterlund has played 163 games and is set to hit his breakout threshold this year playing alongside both Celebrini and Toffoli. If Celebrini produces as advertised, you can definitely count on Zetterlund pushing into his breakout threshold.

Last year, in a full 82-game season, Zetterlund posted 24 goals and 44 points on a lackluster San Jose team. When picking San Jose players, guys like Celebrini and Smith will go off the board first, followed by Toffoli and possibly Granlund. Zetterlund is already poised to hit 30 goals this year based on his production last year, and if the option presents itself to pick between Granlund or Zetterlund, I would definitely choose the latter. Posting 60 points is a very realistic goal for him, with the potential for even more.

Fabian Zetterlund, #sjsharks

Just look at this video of this beast in SJ. He put up similar numbers to Slafkovsky, but on an even worse team. If you can ignore the +/-, he can provide 100+ Hits, 75+ Blocks and is available at the backend of your draft. pic.twitter.com/DXzy18XmQ1

— FantasyPuck (@fantasy_puck) August 26, 2024

Kirby Dach – C – Montreal Canadians

Everyone is excited for Patrik Laine to join the Canadiens, and rightly so—we've seen what he can do, and finally the excitement is building back in Montreal. Kirby Dach is a player I wasn't originally going to mention because he's already passed that 200-game mark at 212 games. The fact that he's just slightly over is the only reason I'm bringing him up. It feels like he's been in the NHL forever, but injuries have held him back from fully showing why he was drafted 3rd overall by the Blackhawks in 2019. Last year, he played only two games before tearing his ACL and MCL, resulting in season-ending surgery. Dach has certainly earned his "Certified Band-Aid Boy" status, but he has the pedigree, skill, and opportunity to put up decent numbers playing alongside Alex Newhook and Patrik Laine.

Even before the Laine trade, I would have included Dach in the conversation, but now, with Laine in the mix, the depth and strength of the second line looks even better. The only major concern here is that Dach has never played a full season in the NHL, and his health will be something to watch closely. If he can stay healthy, you might have something special here.

Yaroslav Askarov – G – Nashville Predators

This is the most obvious sleeper pick on this list, in my opinion. The Yaroslav Askarov saga has come to an end, and he is now officially a San Jose Shark. While many of us are well acquainted with Askarov, some may not be. Whether or not he qualifies as a sleeper can be debatable, depending on the depth of your fantasy team.

Askarov has been considered a high-value prospect over the past four years. In the AHL, he recorded 56 wins over two seasons with a strong .911 save percentage. He has made it clear that he's ready for the NHL, requesting a move out of Nashville to escape Juuse Saros' shadow.

San Jose rocking a young core of:

• Macklin Celebrini
• Will Smith
• Quentin Musty
• Yaroslav Askarov
• Sam Dickinson
• William Eklund

Pretty decent start to the rebuild

— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) August 23, 2024

Although he's set to be a starter, don't expect much help from the players in front of him. San Jose was the worst team in the league last year, and despite the promise of high-end prospects and free agent signings, Askarov will face a lot of shots. Keep this in mind when drafting him. He's a potential sleeper pick who will get plenty of starts and volume which can be very difficult to get once you pass Tier 2 in goalie rankings, which is crucial in many leagues. Just don't count on a ton of wins, as San Jose is still expected to hover near the bottom of the standings.

Maxim Tsyplakov – LW – NY Islanders

The New York Islanders signed forward Maxim Tsyplakov from the KHL to a one-year entry-level contract. At 25 years old, Tsyplakov finished up his seventh season with Spartak Moscow, where he posted a career-high 47 points in 65 games. At 6-2 and weighing 189 pounds, he’s a solid skater with a physical edge, contributing to strong peripheral stats. Last season, he ranked among the KHL leaders with 145 hits and set a career high with 31 goals.

The Islanders needed to strengthen their left-wing position this offseason. Tsyplakov might not fully fix the issue, but he does add valuable depth. Its important to note that not all KHL stars make a smooth transition to the NHL. Adjusting to new teammates, systems, and a language barrier can be tough. Still, this move is low-risk for the Islanders with minimal cap impact, offering the potential reward of a top-six winger. Likewise for fantasy drafters, Tsyplakov is a low-risk option who might be overlooked due to his limited NHL experience and also playing on an Islanders team that lacks the superstar names that fantasy managers search for. This makes him a potential late-round sleeper or waiver wire pickup.

Nikita Gusev – RW – KHL

So, the chances that anyone has Nikita Gusev in their lineup are slim to none.

Here's the deal: This one is literally out of left field because the last time Gusev played in the NHL was in 2021, and things didn't pan out as well as most of us had hoped. Gusev split his playing days between the Devils and Panthers, recording only four goals and six assists over 31 games. He decided to pack things up and take his talents back to the KHL, effectively ending his NHL career.

In the KHL this year, Gusev recorded a career-high 89 points in 69 games with Dynamo Moskva, which also happens to be the single-season scoring record in the KHL. Gusev actually owns two of the top three highest-scoring seasons in the KHL. The last time was in 2018 when he scored 82 points, which also happened to be the year before he decided to make his way over to New Jersey.

For whatever reason, Nikita Gusev is at #NJDevils development camp.

— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNHL) July 2, 2024

Gusev was spotted at the New Jersey Devils Development Camp in early July. Now, does this mean he's coming back to the NHL? Of course not, however, if he impresses enough teams that show interest and if he can be an impact player at a reasonable cap hit, then we've got something here. He's now 29 years old, potentially showing more maturity than when he first entered the NHL. He can still score, which is a big positive for any organization. This is obviously a very out-there sleeper take, but he would be more of a waiver wire pickup than anything else.

Enjoy your Labour Day Long weekend!

Thanks for reading! See you next week. For more content/fantasy hockey analysis, or if there’s a prospect, you’d like me to cover, follow and message me on X @Punters_hockey.