Christmas is the time of giving, and that also holds true for fantasy hockey.

Last Christmas, you may have gotten everything you wanted, but did you get a defenseman who scored 90 points, a New York Ranger who potted 50 goals or a 23-game point streak from a Toronto Maple Leaf?

This past calendar year was a great one from a fantasy hockey perspective, with a rise in goal scoring leading to unexpected years from many players. Below are 10 players who were gifts in 2022. The players listed here are those who would have been on your wish list last Christmas but did much better than anticipated.

A total of 1,023 skaters and 112 netminders have played a game so far this calendar year, so there are plenty to choose from. Just keep in mind the simple ground rule that we are looking at the full calendar year. Players who were hot this season but struggled early in 2022 are not included, so players such as Pyotr Kochetkov, Erik Karlsson and Josh Morrissey won’t be found on this list.

But first, a quick note about the number one choice on this list. That player was second in points in 2022, and it was a surprise to me. So before reading the list, take a second to think about who the player might be and see if you can figure it out.

Finally, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone. May 2023 bring you the fantasy hockey championship you deserve.

10. Clayton Keller

Going into 2022, Keller was considered to be a bit of a disappointment, thanks to a few poor seasons after a great rookie season. With a $7.15-contract weighing him down, he had 216 points in his first 323 career games, a 55-point pace over an 82-game season. He had 23 points in 30 games to close out 2021, and then it’s like he became an entirely different player in 2022. He had 40 points in 37 games in the first half of 2022 and has 31 points in 32 games so far this season. Kudos to anyone in keeper leagues who was willing to wait until he broke out. You have finally been rewarded for your patience.

9. Kevin Fiala

Fiala has a reputation for slow starts and fast finishes, but this season’s hot start aided him in becoming a great choice for this list. With a few games left in 2022, Fiala already has 100 points in 89 games and is one of only 16 players to hit 100 points in this calendar year. Thirty-five of his points have come in 37 games this season, which is a bit of a shock. It was only a year ago when he had 15 points in his first 25 games, and the year before that when he had 14 in his first 28. We always hoped he could figure it out from the start of a campaign, and he seems to have done that this year.

8. Ville Husso

Maybe the most surprising goalie of 2022. Husso took the starter’s reins from Jordan Binnington in St. Louis in the first half of the year. When he signed in Detroit, many thought he might be in a timeshare with Alex Nedeljkovic. However, that hasn’t happened as Husso has completely outperformed his teammate. Husso’s 34 wins in 2022 are tied with Connor Hellebuyck, Tristan Jarry and Juuse Saros, and only four behind the league leaders and ahead of many other netminders. He doesn’t get the love that other goalies do, but he’s been keeping Detroit closer to a playoff spot than they have been in years.

7. Roman Josi

How great was Josi in 2022? His 93 points in this calendar year lead all defensemen (four points more than Cale Makar with four fewer games played) and 15 points up on third place (Adam Fox). Even though his first half of 2022 was insane (67 points in 50 games), he’s continued to produce in the second half of the year as well with 26 points in 32 games this season. Among defensemen in 2022, Josi was also first in goals and power-play points, while finishing second in assists and shots.

6. Jesper Bratt

Before the past 18 months, Bratt wasn’t contributing much in fantasy hockey. He was routinely a 30-point player, as high as a 50-point pace when pro-rated over 82 games. He was barely worth keeping in most keeper leagues. Then something switched, and he became an excellent contributor. In 2022, he had 77 points in 79 games. It may be a common belief that this is due to his playing alongside Jack Hughes, but he’s also shown great production when playing alongside Tomas Tatar, Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha (now with the Bruins).

5. Cole Caufield

A year ago, any fantasy general manager with Caufield on their roster would have been begging Santa for something to help the then-Habs rookie turn his season around. After all, Caufield finished 2022 with one goal and seven points in 25 games. He started 2022 struggling and was demoted to the AHL. That’s when the Habs decided to bring in a new coach, Marty St. Louis, and it’s almost like Santa was listening but a little late in his gift. Caufield immediately went on a tear that lasted the rest of the calendar year. In total, he finished 2022 with 41 goals in 76 games. Only 27 players reached 40 goals this year, but Caufield’s goals-per-game mark was higher than many of those with higher goal totals, including Elias Pettersson, Kyle Connor, Steven Stamkos, Matthew Tkachuk and Mitchell Marner.

4. Evander Kane

Going into 2022, there was some doubt about Kane’s future. He had worn out his welcome on previous teams. He was in the AHL after serving a 21-game NHL suspension for violation and lack of compliance of Covid-19 protocols. On January 8, he was put on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract for violation of AHL Covid-19 protocols. There were also investigations by the NHL into other various issues. He signed with the Oilers and was an immediate impact player. In 57 games, Kane scored 27 goals and had 52 points. He also had 202 shots, 76 PIM and a plus-29. And none of that takes into consideration how great he was in the postseason. Even though he had no team in the middle of January, it turned into a pretty good season for anyone who had Kane on their roster.

3. Tage Thompson

Only seven players have scored 50 goals this year, and most of the other names you would expect to see (Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak, Jason Robertson, Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov and Leon Draisaitl). However, it’s Thompson’s name that sticks out as his 52 goals in 2022 are tied with Draisaitl. Aside from the goals, Thompson has 98 points in 78 games, which is a 103-point pace over an 82-game season. He also has 302 shots and 34 power-play points. It’s funny to think back to this past summer when he signed his seven-year, $50-million contract, and many thought it was an overpayment based on one great year. It’s looking more and more as if that contract will be a massive underpayment.

2. Linus Ullmark

Even though the Bruins used a timeshare last season, Ullmark showed he was the better option in net. In the first half of 2022, Ullmark went 19-5-2 while Jeremy Swayman went 16-9-1. However, it wasn’t until this year that he became one of the best fantasy netminders thanks to an injury to Swayman. Ullmark’s 38 wins in 2022 are tied with Igor Shesterkin for most in the league, and Ullmark’s winning percentage is easily the best among number-one netminders. Not too shabby for a goaler that was in a timeshare to start the year.

1. Matthew Tkachuk

The former Flame and current Panther had one of the best calendar years of anyone in the league. His 44 goals were 12th on the list, but his 74 assists were tied for sixth. Overall, those 118 points were second-highest, trailing only Connor McDavid. Truthfully, if you had given me 10 guesses on who was second in points in 2022, Tkachuk probably would not have been one of my choices. He was one of only 41 players to have at least 30 power-play points, and his 272 shots were 24th. His plus-48 led the league, and he’s always a threat to pile up the PIM (he averaged one PIM per game in 2022). Overall, he was one of the greatest gifts of 2022.