SMC 12/23/2018 With the holiday break coming up after today, time to catch up with family and friends with some coffee and dessert.  I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Boxing Day and a very healthy, happy and prosperous 2019! Some of the teams that were holding up nicely at the beginning of the year are starting to fade like the NY Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and the Detroit Red Wings. One team that hasn’t is Montreal. And the reason is Carey Price. Time to sell high on some of the aging veterans on those teams and re-stock your fantasy squad for the second half and beyond. I have never seen so many starting goalies have so much difficulty in one season.  Must be the shrinking pads.  Fantasy teams are just having fits trying to get starting goalies in their lineups. Pittsburgh is starting to rise up in the rankings.  I’m expecting Florida to start creeping its way back to relevancy. Mark Scheifele and the Winnipeg Jets are starting to go full throttle. Nikolaj Ehlers is finally getting his opportunity.  You knew it was only a matter of time. I don’t know how Chicago is going to do without Corey Crawford, out with another concussion. Vegas baby!  Coming around after a slow start. Is anybody else waiting for the fire sale in Los Angeles?  Maybe that was a poor choice of words. ALERT!  The Los Angeles Kings have won 2 games in a row.  May be too far behind now to catch the teams above them.  They are on fire!  Again, a poor choice of words. What’s all this fuss about Carter Hart? All the 20-year old has done is get 2 wins in three starts with a 2.36 GAA and a .904 SP.  He’s going be a good one! If a 4-point game on his return from the IR tell you that Patrice Bergeron is someone special, then I don’t know what to tell you.  And he just makes everyone around him that much better. Can the St. Louis Blues salvage this season that was supposed to see them compete for the Stanley Cup with the off-season acquisitions that they made? Not unless Jake Allen becomes superman in net. The Maple Leafs had 5 goals against the NY Rangers and Auston Matthews didn’t record a single point.  And not surprisingly, neither did William Nylander.  Rusty, are we, from the holdout? The Coyotes outslugged the Avalanche last night 6-4?  WOW! That trio of MacKinnon-Rantanen-Landeskog is the most dangerous line in hockey IMHO. Lightning-Jets for the Cup unless something drastic happens.  I know, duh! Scheiiiiiiiiiiii-fele! May all your fantasies come true! And ...

PRIMEPUCKS UPDATE: FORWARD RANKINGS & GUIDE UPDATED PRIMEPUCKS UPDATE: MORE UPDATES! PRIMEPUCKS UPDATE: MORE RANKINGS & GUIDE UPDATED PRIMEPUCKS UPDATE: RANKINGS ARE HERE! MID-AUGUST UPDATE PrimePucks Draft Guide & Spreadsheet Updates PrimePucks Draft Guide & Spreadsheet Updates PrimePucks Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide & Spreadsheet Samples 2017-2018 PrimePucks Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide available today, August 1st PRIMEPUCKS FANTASY HOCKEY DRAFT GUIDE & SPREADSHEET PRIMEPUCKS FANTASY HOCKEY DRAFT GUIDE & SPREADSHEET PRIMEPUCKS WILL BE BACK FOR 2017 ADD'EM: LAST CHANCE SALOON! ADD'EM: HEADING SOUTH FOR THE SPRING ADD'EM: DON'T YOU, FORGET ABOUT US! SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! MARCH 12, 2017 SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: SEASON DWINDLING DOWN MARCH 5, 2017 ADD'EM: P AS IN PREVIOUSLY ADD'EM: THE HEAT IS ON! SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: QUICK RETURNS AT TAX TIME! FEBRUARY 26, 2017 .ADD'EM: PANIK, EDLER, LEE... ADD'EM: CAP IT OFF, ITS MILLER TIME! SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: CATS REVIVAL! FEBRUARY 12, 2017 ADD'EM: HUBIE RETURNS EARLY SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: COFFEE TALK! FEBRUARY 5, 2017 ADD'EM: CRAZY EIGHTS ADD'EM: A CAT, A PEN AND A BLUE NOTE SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: OLDIES BUT GOODIES! JANUARY 22, 2017 ADD'EM: SMORGASBORD, A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: HEATING UP! JANUARY 15, 2017 ADD'EM: CALL OF THE WILD PENGUINS? SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE: HAPPY 2017! NEW BEGINNINGS.. JANUARY 8, 2017 ADD'EM: IT'S A BLUE PERIOD, JACKET REQUIRED ADD'EM: HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL! UNDER THE RAYDAR: NIKOLAJ EHLERS  11/1/15  PRIME+PLUS ONLY BETWEEN THE PIPES: BACKSTOP TO THE FUTURE  10/31/15  PRIME+PLUS ONLY IN STEVE'S DEFENSE: FIVE PLUS THOUGHTS  10/28/15  PRIME+PLUS ONLY BETWEEN THE PIPES: KEEPING THE FAITH  10/24/15  PRIME+PLUS ONLY IN STEVE'S DEFENSE: FIVE PLUS THOUGHTS 10/21/15  PRIME+PLUS ONLY STOCKY HOCKEY 101  10/19/15  

UNDER THE RAYDAR: NIKOLAJ EHLERS-LW-Winnipeg Jets It may be a tad late to call this quick rising star an Under the Raydar candidate but somehow he may still be overlooked in some pools as the top line in Winnipeg of Ladd-Little-Wheeler is grabbing the most attention as well they should be.  That top line occupy the top three spots on the stats chart for Winnipeg with Wheeler the most prolific at 14 points in 11 games.  But everyone knows about those three and this is about prospects or rookies who will make a major impact in the NHL one day, so more on Ehlers. Ehlers was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets and has spent the past two seasons in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads where he had two 100+ point seasons scoring 205 points in 114 games.  He also wasn’t shy in the playoffs soring 28 in 16 games in 2013-2014 and 31 in 14 the following season.  The talent was plainly obvious, the only concern was if he’d be able to handle the rigors of the NHL schedule.  Most people thought that he would be sent to the AHL for a year of seasoning but he turned enough heads in training camp and made such an impact that the staff had no choice but to create a slot for him.  And not just any old slot like a third or fourth line get acquainted kind of role.  He was placed on the second line with another up-and-coming star in Mark Scheifele and veteran Mathieu Perreault.  Perreault was on his way to a breakout year last year after signing on as a free agent but missed 20 games due to injury, or he would have smashed his previous high of 43 the year before, falling 2 points short. So how is this second line fairing in Winnipeg?  Well they have provided consistent secondary scoring and the young Ehlers has 8 points in 11 games with an even split between goals and assists.  HE is getting solid minutes and is even getting a fair amount of power play time.  That’s how much faith the Jets have in, not only Ehlers, but the whole line. There is no doubt that Nikolaj Ehlers will be a star player in the NHL one day, so grab him in your dynasty leagues if you can because he may reach that level sooner rather than later.   ICE POPS:   WELCOME BACK –Look for a few players production to increase as star players are soon to return to the lineup from injuries.  In Edmonton, Jordan Eberle is close to returning while Pavel Datsyuk is about 2 weeks from starting his season with the Detroit Red Wings....LIVING UP TO THE BILLING—With 12 points in ...

Nikolaj Ehlers F, Winnipeg- The "Great Dane" is off to a quick start in his NHL career playing on Winnipeg's second line, collecting 3 points in 5 games. The youngster is a solid sleeper pick who could continue paying fantasy dividends given his top six status. Just beware of the rookie wall, but the elite ones often avoid hitting it. Could Nikolaj be one of them ?    Max Domi/Anthony Duclair F, Arizona- The young guns have taken hold of the offense early in Arizona as Max and Anthony are making the Coyote offense look much less putrid as expected. The duo have combined for 10 points over the first 5 games, making them very intriguing sleeper picks to consider. They hold more value in dynasty league formats but they could have 40-50 point upside this season.    Ales Hemsky F,  Dallas-Before you get too excited with the winger's point streak to start the season- 6 points in 5 games-, he is currently getting third line minutes and not getting big power-play time. However, Hemsky has the talent to be productive in the short term. It's a matter of time before injuries and inconsistencies start to creep up in his game.    Francois Beauchemin D, Colorado-Being partnered with Erik Johnson has done wonders early on for this vet's fantasy value as he has collected five assists in four games. With Tyson Barrie set to miss 3 games, expect Beauchemin to keep contributing for a little while longer. But make no mistake about it- his scoring will come to a screeching halt at some point soon.    Mike Smith G, Arizona- For those who were ready to proclaim Smith a fantasy stud as a scorching start, reality has already begun to set in. He has allowed 8 goals over the last two as he even he can't overcome a porous Arizona defense. With the offense coming mostly from up and coming youth, wins could be hard to come by. Having said that, Smith looks focused and could serve well as a goalie depth option in most fantasy formats. 

Ehlers, 18, was selected ninth overall in the draft this summer. He has tremendous speed and an excellent wrist shot. He posted 49 goals and 55 assists (104 points) in 63 games with the Halifax Mooseheads last season. Ehlers was named the CHL's rookie of the year. He stands in at 5-foot-11, but needs to fill out (163 lbs.) to play in the NHL. He will probably return to juniors for one more season.