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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 is the final group of my picks for each team (Ottawa through Washington):

Ottawa Senators: Brandon Bochenski, 24. This guy has had such a strong pre-season that he is no longer a 'sleeper.' Everyone in your draft will be gunning for him, and in all likelihood he'll be picked up too early. The best advise I can give you is be patient, and if he's still available late then grab him. Playing with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson could see him get as high as 60 points. He could also wind up with five or ten points and get sent to the minors. 

Philadelphia Flyers: Jon Sim, 28. Jeff Carter is not a dark horse, and Joni Pitkanen's 40 points (that I think he'll get) is runner-up to Sim's intriguing possibilities. He's putting the puck in the net left, right and center in exhibition play, and it looks like he'll make the team as a fourth liner with second line PP duties. He first cracked the NHL as a 20-year-old, but hasn't been able to stick for more than 48 games in one season. He scores more than a point per game in the AHL. Upside of 50 points this year, down side of 15. His career reminds me of Eric Boguniecki. 

Phoenix Coyotes: Oleg Saprykin, 23. Runner-up is Paul Mara, a rearguard who should approach 50 points. However, I've always liked Saprykin's skill, and if anyone can bring it out of him, it's coach Wayne Gretzky. TONS of talent, and though ice-time may be an issue – this team has some injury prone players that could wind up clearing a spot for him. He’ll still get at least 35 or 40 points, but 60 is possible.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Lasse Pirjeta, 30. I can't say Ryan Malone here, because I think he'll be picked in the middle to early rounds of your pool, so I'm going with Pirjeta. He's been demoted to the third line right now, but that could change. He had 12 points in 13 games as a Penguin last NHL season. I think he'll get 40, but he could explode to 60 with the right linemates.

San Jose Sharks: Nikos Dimitrakos, 26. Currently playing on the top line right now in San Jose. Coming off a 24-point year, he’ll be under everyone’s radar. He has 55 point potential.

St. Louis Blues: Petr Cajanek, 30. The pickings are slim in St. Louis, so I wouldn't really call Cajanek a "dark horse" per se. He'll be drafted in the middle to late round of your typical pool, coming off a 26 point year. The Blues have no choice but to give him top line ice time, and he'll use it to get 55 points (health permitting). 65 point potential. 

Tampa Bay Lightning: Ruslan Fedotenko, 26. This team is another one that boasts little in the way of potential dark horses. Fedotenko is another known commodity, and is the best bet to surprise with his offence this year. I have him for 52 points, but his upside is as high as 65.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Nik Antropov, 25. On a Pat Quinn team, even if Alexander Steen and Kyle Wellwood make it, they'll wind up with under 35 points. In pool terms, that's undraftable. Antropov is the best bet to surprise, and I actually have him up over the 50 point mark. Health permitting, he has the ability to get 60. 

Vancouver Canucks: Matt Cooke, 27. This team is cut and dried – all spots are known, and nobody new on the squad. I chose Cooke because of his contract. He held out for huge money, so the Canucks will expect more out of him. He is consistently good for 40 to 45 points, with that money on his shoulders he could pad ten more points onto that.

Washington Capitals: Alexander Semin, 21. Semin has yet to make his way over to North America, and has really given the Caps a lot of problems. As a result, most poolies will stay away from him. If you like risks, grab him in the last round. He'll either get you 45 to 55 points, or he'll get you a big fat zero. Another player to keep an eye on camp: Miroslav Zalesak. I really liked that free agent signing, but I haven't seen any offense in the preseason so far. If he cracks the lineup, he'll get 20 to 50 points.

More Dark Horse Notes: Detroit sent Jiri Hudler down to the minors – he was my dark horse pick last week. Change it to Mikael Samuelsson. Apparently, the Red Wings have him penciled in to play with Datsyuk and Zetterberg... My Minnesota pick Mikko Koivu is injured and will miss 15 games or so (knee). Pierre-Marc Bouchard is my new dark horse, poised for a 50 point breakout season... Jozef Balej was cut from the Rangers, so the new dark horse on this team is Marcel Hossa. Hossa’s streaky, so he could wind up with as little as 15 points or as many as 50.

Sept. 26, 2005 - More Late Picks to Put You Over the Top
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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