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Call them "dark horses," "sleeper-picks," or "breakout candidates" – whatever term you prefer, if you successfully pick enough of them, you're in line for some money. These are the guys that win pools. 

Here are the next group of my picks for each team (Detroit through NY Rangers):

Detroit Red Wings: Jiri Hudler, 21. Diminutive winger is loaded with talent, and the Wings have the least depth at forward as they've seen in years. However, coach Mike Babcock preaches defensive responsibility and work ethic, something that Hudler needs to work on. He may not make the team, and is a weaker dark horse. I have him for 23 points and his upside is 40, but I don't expect him to impact the club until later in the season after some further maturing. 

Edmonton Oilers: Rob Schremp, 19. Mainly offensive player taken later in the 2004 first round than experts expected. Schremp tore it up for the London Knights in the OHL, and is impressing Edmonton brass with his offensive ability in camp. Enough to scare them off sending him back to junior. If he makes the squad, he will log tons of powerplay minutes (because in the new NHL, tons will be available), but will be used little else. I have him for 11 points in 30 games, but if he sticks and plays 70 games or more, 50 points is possible.

Florida Panthers: Stephen Weiss, 22. Florida has a number of players that could get zero points, or wind up with 50 or more. Nathan Horton, Anthony Steward, Juraj Kolnik, Vaclav Nederost, Rostislav Olesz, and Weiss. My choice is Weiss – his injury history is reliable, his talent is high, and he can be used in all situations. With the exception of Olesz, none of the other four can say that, and Olesz is still a little young. Fifty-one points for Weiss, with 60 point upside this year.

Los Angeles Kings: Dustin Brown, 20. He is overshadowed by teammate and fellow prospect Michael Cammalleri's impressive AHL season last year, but the reality is – he too posted impressive numbers in the AHL. Throw in the fact that he is 'wowing' LA brass in camp this year, and he's a solid bet to make the team and contribute. Twenty-five points minimum, 55 points maximum this year.

Minnesota Wild: Mikko Koivu, 22. Saku's younger brother will never have the upside that he does, but Mikko still has decent upside. Currently clicking in camp on a line with Brian Rolston and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Koivu will stick with the team and should hit the 30 point mark. He has a shot at 50 this year, though on a defensive team that might be a long-shot. 

Montreal Canadiens: Alexander Perezhogin, 22. Yes, Tomas Plekanec is leading the Habs in pre-season scoring. Granted, Marcel Hossa is putting the puck in the net with regularity. And I know the Habs fans really like Guillaume Latendresse... but Perezhogin all but had a spot sealed up for him before camp even started. There are about three spots available up front, and Perezhogin will have one of them. He will get 41 points, and he'll be a 70-point player down the road. 

Nashville Predators: Martin Erat, 24. A lot of the hockey pool books have this guy in the low forties this year, which is why people won't rank him as a 60 point player, and that would make him... you guessed it... a sleeper. Twenty-two-year-olds that get 49 points generally don't regress. He will improve those numbers of two years ago, especially in the new NHL. My prediction is 56 points, but he could garner as much as 65.

New Jersey Devils: Paul Martin, 24. In pools where you need to choose a certain number of defensemen, here is an up-and-comer that you can choose late. Martin will be behind Brian Rafalski and Vladimir Malakhov in powerplay time, but he'll definitely see some. He'll get between 30 and 40 points this year.

New York Islanders: Robert Nilsson, 20. He seems destined to make the team - GM Mike Millbury is very high on him, and he's impressed in camp. He's a decent bet to fall in the 30-50 point range this year, with more to come down the road. A second dark horse on this team is forward Jason Blake. Blake's career high is 55 points, but playing a line with Alexei Yashin and Miroslav Satan (as he's doing now) will see him surpass that number.

New York Rangers: Jozef Balej, 23. His low offensive numbers in the AHL last season would indicate a step backward, but there are some that say he was merely working on (and improving) the other parts of his game. There is TONS of room up front on the Ranger's squad, and he's poised to easily take a plum spot on the second line. He should easily rack up 30 points, but he somehow finds himself a regular linemate of Jaromir Jagr, than you can double that.

This week's "stay away from" list: Ramzi Abid, my Atlanta "dark horse" recommendation of last week, was cut from the big club. Ditto for Pavol Brendl, my Carolina "sleeper." For every ten sleepers I pick, I figure four will be busts (at least for this year), four will wind up with 30 or 40 points, and two will pull through as solid picks. Hey – that's why they're called sleepers! ... Nashville's Kris Beech is losing the battle for the second-line center's job, and he's losing it pretty badly. Yanic Perreault will be the second line center, and Greg Johnson will be third line center. This puts Beech in the minors.

Sept. 19, 2005 - Late Picks to Make or Break Your Pool Team

Dobber's Fantasy Tips exclusively appear Monday's at TheFourthPeriod.com.
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