He also averaged only 44% in the face-off circle in his 37 games. It has been suggested in the past that Strome's face-off percentages need to improve for him to be a successful NHL center. Perhaps now is as good a time as any to take a new direction. Find a home beside JT.

Top six by season's end.

For more info on Ryan Strome head over to Dobberprospects.com

Strome gets drafted 5th overall w/highlights:

Johnny Gaudreau

Drafted 104th overall by Calgary in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

21-years-old

Ranked #227 in Dobber's 'Top 300 Fantasy Keepers'

Somewhere someone said, "cornerstone in the rebuild." Questions about his size never go away but he just keeps on trucking, Johnny Gaudreau is about to shock the hockey world… again, by putting up elite numbers as a little guy. A previous article I wrote about Gaudreau and Strome praised the formers accomplishments, I'm not going to get into that again here but doubters beware, you are not the first to be proven wrong by Johnny Hockey.

When it comes to how much fantasy value Gaudreau will have it is a matter of where he works his way to on the depth chart out of camp. Right now he probably slots in on the third line but knowing how the Flames will likely want to approach their lineup, he doesn`t fit the typical third line role. In order for Johnny to jump into the top six as a left winger, he will have to leapfrog Glencross or Hudler. The Flames have so many roster options right now that it is far from clear how this will shake out.

If for some reason Johnny finds himself in the AHL on what looks to be a VERY potent Adirondack Flames team it certainly won`t be for long. The real question is how long will it take him to convince the brass that his size isn`t an issue?

If you're like me you already have Gaudreau stashed away on your bench or prospect team. If he is in this year's draft there is no doubt in my mind that he will go late. There are still oodles of people who still think he is too small for the pro game.

Could he get bevelled and injured by a much bigger player? Yes. Could he have at any other level where his size was still very much inferior to opposing players? Yes. Did he? No. What he did was log two Hobey Baker Hat-tricks, One Hobey Baker Award, two straight Leonard Fowle Awards (MVP) and two straight Herb Gallagher Awards (Best Forward). He is an NCAA Division I All-Star, a Gold Medalist and the only college player in the last 11 years to score 77 regular season points in one season.

Downside is there is an off chance he is a victim of numbers here. The Flames have a lot of young guys that deserve a shot this year. Is he worth the risk? Hey, with Johnny it could easily be the Calder.

For more on Johnny Gaudreau head over to DobberProspects.com

Gaudreau 2014 World Championship Highlights:

QUICK HITS

Other newbs to keep your eyes peeled for:

William Nylander – Maple Leafs

Could easily be the answer to the second line right wing vacancy on the Toronto roster. Sure David Clarkson has been peddled there. Also more recently and perhaps more realistically Matt Frattin has been named as the heir apparent to steer the Leafs second line along with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul. But somewhere in Dave Nonis' wish-book is a glimmer of hope that Nylander blows away the competition at camp and cracks the opening night roster. If not, a trip across town to the Marlies will likely be short lived as this kid has the tools to be a Maple Leaf sooner than later.

Beau Bennett – Penguins

Sidney Crosby has aging line-mates and Bennett has the skill to replace either of them. He has shown promise alongside Evgeni Malkin and could be the answer to the eternal quest for someone to play with Crosby. The one question mark with Bennett will be if he can stay healthy.

Sam Bennett – Flames

Dubbed as one of the cornerstones of the future Flames, Bennett will do everything in his power to make the team this year and will get every opportunity to do so. One thing that will work against Bennett is that he is 18 years old and therefore is easily a candidate to spend another year in junior. Something magnifying that case is the fact that the Flames are extremely deep at center. Sure Colborne will likely move to the wing again but that still leaves a serious log jam of Stajan, Backlund, Monahan, Granlund, and that's just for the top two center slots. (BTW what is the pool at for how long it takes Burke's "regime" to trade Matt Stajan again?)

Grab Bennett if you can, he will be an elite option in years to come. Just don't be disappointed if he sees more time in Kingston in the short term.

Anders Lee – Islanders

Lee has the size and strength to be the Islanders top line power forward. Will they use him as such? Probably not but that is the kind of talent you are dealing with here. Size is great but when you combine it with the skill of Lee it makes for a component that every successful line has to have. Lee is mired in a log-jam on the wing to get into the top six. This is magnified by the talent pool at center forcing players to move to the wings in order to get their skill in the lineup (ie. Strome). It is unclear where Lee fits in going into camp but he is definitely worth a pickup if you have room to spare. He has potential to be a multi category threat in most fantasy leagues.

You can follow me on Twitter @TALKwillie

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