Top 10 Forwards Under 23 (2015)

Tom Collins

2015-05-25

TylerSeguin

 

Collins brings you his Top 10 fantasy hockey forwards who are age 23 or under…

 

 

Last week, we looked at the top 10 defencemen under the age of 23. This week, it's time to focus on the forwards.

This was one of the hardest lists to ever put together, as there are a lot of great young forwards that aren't going to make it. Plus, many players under the age of 23 are already superstars, unlike last week, where we were trying to project future value.

 

5. Nathan MacKinnon, 19

Remember him? Maybe it was the Cole Harbour thing, but I'm pretty sure everyone thought he was going to be the next Sidney Crosby. Many poolies rejected trading MacKinnon away last year for anything less than an Evgeni Malkin or Claude Giroux (and some even turned down those deals). But the sophomore slump wasn't kind to the former Calder-winner, and his fantasy value has taken a massive hit. He still has plenty of talent, and is surrounded by some great players in Colorado. He'll rebound.

 

4. Ryan Johansen, 22

Why does Johansen rank so high over many of his supposedly-better leaguemates? Simple. Johansen is an underappreciated beast in many fantasy categories. He's scored 59 goals and 134 in the last two seasons combined. He's taken 200-plus shots in each of the last two seasons, and is good for about 40 penalty minutes. He won 851 faceoffs this season, good for 10th best in the NHL. And that's not accounting for the fact he plays both power play and shorthanded.

 

3. Vladimir Tarasenko, 23

He's one of the most exciting guys in the league, and his upside leaves poolies salivating. Personally, I get concerned by the fact that he won't get more ice time until St. Louis hires a new coach. Tarasenko was tied for fifth on the team in average ice time per game last season, although he was second in power play time per game. But look at his pros: we now know he's capable of 30 goals, 70 points, 250-plus shots, and a high plus-minus. Unfortunately, he doesn't contribute anything in faceoffs, shorthanded play, penalty minutes, hits or blocked shots. But we can overlook all that for now.

 

2. Taylor Hall, 23

Taylor vs Tyler. That debate was the rage five years ago at the NHL draft (and among many poolies), and it hasn't really gone away. Seguin was immature, Hall was often-injured. Both have struggled at times, and both have been top-10 offensive players in the NHL. Seguin has more career points, Hall has a better points-per-game average. Twenty years from now, these two will still be the topic of many a debate. But Hall, provided he isn't dealt this offseason, will now get to play with Connor McDavid, who is expected to be the next Crosby. He's already been in the top 10 in points twice in his five-year career, takes plenty of shots and isn't scared to hit. Hall has a future that is much brighter than what he's already delivered. Now, if only he can stay healthy, he'd be number one on this list.

 

1. Tyler Seguin, 23

Seguin gets the nod over Hall for one main reason: He's a lot more resilient than Hall (Seguin has missed a total of 22 games in his career, some of them due to being a healthy scratch as a rookie, Hall has three seasons where he's missed at least 17 games due to injuries). And Seguin has been lights out since being dealt to Dallas two summers ago, where he's playing on the top line and the top power play. And there's no real weakness in his fantasy game. His minus-one could be attributed to shoddy goaltending, but except for that, he's a beast in pretty much every offensive category, and his points-per-game was actually second in the league, trailing only Sidney Crosby

 

 

Top 10 defensemen under the age of 23      
Top 10 players entering their fourth season      
Top 10 Players you should sell (2015)      
Top 10 UFA’s (2015)      

 

 

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