Happy New Year to all the DobberHockey readers, listeners, etc. It was another great year here and we’re thankful that you’re a part in making it so. Cheers to an even better year for all of us in 2025, and may you have luck in love, life, and fantasy hockey lineup choices. 

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In 12 team H2H leagues we’ve just passed the point where the calendar flips back to the beginning and you’re playing against the same teams that you faced in your early season matchups. What this means is that any hole you find your team has slipped into, you have an equal amount of time remaining to dig that team out of it. Or, if you’re ahead, then you still have enough time to fall right back to the starting line. 

Now is the time to be looking ahead at the rest of the season, the time to be taking action, and setting your team up for a successful second half. That’s what the DobberHockey Midseason guide is for. Pre-order it now, and your team will repay you later. The guide comes out on the 16th. 

You can pre-order it here. https://dobbersports.com/shop/

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Jean-Gabriel Pageau had one of the best multi-category fantasy performances of the season. One goal on five shots, a plus- one rating, six hits, six faceoff wins, two blocks, and a game misconduct to boot. Have to say I’ve been enjoying his production this year, as well as his winger eligibility. He could see a boost in ice time when Brock Nelson gets traded, and the Isles have one of the best fantasy schedules during head-to-head playoffs. 

Joseph Woll stopped every other shot he faced yesterday to take the win, but he was slow to get up after one stretch save, so it’s possible his workload is lessened over the coming days, that is it he doesn’t just outright sit for a stretch. 

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Igor Shesterkin is headed to the IR with an upper body injury. Fantasy owners are really hoping that he rests up, gets healthy, and returns a his usual dominant self. In the meantime, Jonathan Quick is worth an add for the volume alone. 

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Cam Fowler looks like a whole new player since the trade to St Louis. Last night playing in his 1000th game for the outdoor Winter Classic, he opens the scoring, then added another marker in the second period to make it seven points in six games with the Blues. He’s averaging 23 minutes a game, and really being relied on for the power play as well. 

The Blues took the game easily, winning 6-2, and dropping the Blackhawks to 0-5 all time in outdoor games. Maybe the league will give someone else a turn for the next few years. 

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Denton Mateychuk picked up his first NHL point last night.

Kirill Marchenko secures Denton Mateychuk his first NHL point with a nifty shot off a great passing play!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/x6cAxPwSZV

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 1, 2025

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With Kirill Kaprizov leading the imaginary list of Hart Trophy race candidates at this point in the season, and taking up most of the headlines out of Minnesota, I wanted to look at a few other players in Minnesota who aren’t getting the love they deserve. 

Marco Rossi has been centering Kaprizov for most of the season, and has been reaping the scoring rewards. His IPP of 70% and low secondary assist rate also suggest that he’s not just a passenger, but he’s helping drive the success. His high shooting percentage and PPIPP of 100% will both come down though, so this 65- point-pace should drop a little. Rossi still has almost a full season to go before his breakout threshold though, so there is still plenty of growth coming. 

Matt Boldy is the other superstar winger in the State of Hockey, and actually started the year with 23 points in 22 first-quarter games. He’s slowed down lately, but as soon as his centre Joel Eriksson Ek went down with an injury, Boldy’s scoring rate plummeted. Eriksson Ek is just returning now, making both him and Boldy excellent options to buy-in on in the second half. Eriksson Ek’s scoring rate can’t match Boldy’s, but he’s in the 55- to 65-point range and has excellent peripheral category contributions. His scoring, shot, and hit rates have all dropped noticeably this year though. 

With Jake Middleton out with a long-term injury, I had figured that would be David Jiricek music. However, it seems like the Wild are going to let him stew in the AHL for a while, and that might be best for him too as is seems like he doesn’t fully have his feet back under him yet. Only one point in seven AHL games, though the trademark multi-category contributions are there with nine PIMs and 18 shots in those seven games. 

The other Minnesota player I wanted to look at through the lens of having a successful fantasy season to this point is Mats Zuccarello. At 37 years old he looks like he’s keeping up with his low-70s scoring rate from the last few years. Underneath that though, there is a bit to be worried about as Zucc’s shot rate has really dropped off, but an inflated shooting percentage is hiding it in the meantime. His other luck metrics are also elevated, meaning that this current pace might be too high. A scoring rate in the 55- to 60-point range the rest of the way might be more realistic. 

Ryan Hartman broke a 19-game pointless streak with his second period assist. 

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Collin Graf is worth a speculative add in leagues of 14-teams and larger, based on how well he has done in the AHL. He’s tired for first among AHL rookies in points with 26 in 29 games, and is first in assists. 

He didn’t end up playing last night though, so keep an eye on his lineup status. 

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Jakub Dobes got a shutout in his first NHL start on Saturday, and he looks to be sticking around for at least the medium-term. He could be worth an add if your league rewards volume, but I wouldn’t risk my ratios on him right now, even though the Habs have looked decent the last couple weeks. The team waived Cayden Primeau in order to call up Dobes, which may indicate that Primeau is just about at the end of his NHL leash. 

The long-term goalie in Montreal is still Jacob Fowler, who is putting up exceptional numbers in the NCAA this year. He’s only 20 years old though, so he’s likely still at at least three years away from any NHL action, and two years away from signing his NHL contract and leaving college. 

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Frank Nazar has been up with the Blackhawks for nine games now which seems like a decent time to check in on him. He only has one point through nine games, but he was doing well in the AHL at over a point per game, so the NHL adjustment should click for him soon. 

He’s seeing middle-six minutes, most often with Tyler Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall, as well as some time with the top power play unit. A good last round flier in 12-team re-drafts next year, but probably not any consistent production this year. 

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Here are some of the standouts I’ve noticed most through watching the group stage at the World Juniors:

Axel Sandin-Pellika looks like he is just about ready to step into the first power play role in Detroit next year, making Seider do all the heavy lifting with the PK time and harder even strength minutes. He’s been visibly dynamic in the tournament, with seven points to show for it, tops on Sweden. 

I also wanted to point out Anton Wahlberg from Sweden, who looks massive, and has been keeping up in the AHL this year. Buffalo needs some size in the top-nine, especially if they end up moving Cozens. That could give Wahlberg the leg up over prospects like Isak Rosen or Noah Ostlund. He has six points thus far in the tournament tied with a few others for second on the team. 

Dalibor Dvorsky was viewed as having an outside shot to make the St Louis Blues roster in the fall, and while he didn’t make it this time around, come October he looks like a safe bet to become an NHL regular. He’s producing very well in the AHL, and is leading Slovakia through the tournament so far as their most dominant player. I’ve never been the biggest fan of his, but I’m coming around to the fact that he should have a real fantasy impact sooner rather than later. 

On a Czech team with higher-touted NHL prospects, Jakub Stancl is leading the way on offence. He another Blues pick, taken in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. His junior numbers are nothing to write home about, but his international play has been much more notable. He’s probably not someone you need to pay much attention to outside of the deepest of leagues. 

James Hagens, Ryan Leonard & Gabe Perreault have been a dominant line in every game so far. It’s expected from them, especially with the latter two being 2023 draftees. Hagens’ performance is all the more impressive as he is only 2025 eligible, and is looking to regain his hold on the first-overall rank leading up to the draft. He’s showing everything you could want out of him up to this point in the tournament. Let’s see if he can continue to step up as the stage gets bigger. 

It’s unfortunate that Hagens’ biggest competition for being selected first overall is the now-injured defenceman Matthew Schaefer. It would have made for another excellent sub-plot in the Canada/USA game yesterday. Schaefer is out for approximately two months with a broken collar bone. 

News from one other 2025 draft eligible player: Ivan Ryabkin is moving from Russia to join Muskegon in the USHL. The move too North America should help boost his draft stock both because of exposure as well as an increase in ice time.

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Have a happy, safe and healthy 2025. See you next Wednesday, and if you have any fantasy hockey questions or comments you can find me on BlueSky here, or Twitter/X here.