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SURPRISES
Paul Postma
If you’re looking to dig deep in an attempt to find the ultimate sleeper, you may have just found him.
Paul Postma is going to see plenty of ice time this season for him to become an offensive machine
especially with Zach Bogosian missing time. For those who don’t know, Postma is known for his
offensive prowess at the defensive position. The challenge will be for him to convert his production to
the NHL level.
Postma was a seventh-round draft pick in 2007. However, he was drafted from the Swift Current
Broncos of the WHL after coming off of a 24-point season. It wasn’t until he was traded to the Calgary
Hitmen the following year which propelled him to break out. Postma scored 14 goals and 42 points in his
first year with the Hitmen. In the ensuing year, Postma set single-season team records for goals and
points by a defenseman, scoring 24 times and posting 84 points. He’s been a consistent 40-point getter
in the AHL as well as 12 to 15 goals a season.
Bryan Little
I don’t know how much of a surprise it would be because Bryan Little is an already established player,
even when it comes to fantasy hockey, but expect a solid season here. Little is a one-time 30-goal
scorer, and last season, Little found his way back into the 20-goal territory for the first time in two years
as he netted 24 goals. For the past two seasons, Little’s been hovering around the high 40s in terms of
points.
Little’s overshadowed by other players on his line and team, but he cannot be forgotten about. If there
were to be a surprise 30-goal scoring coming out of Winnipeg, look for it to be Little.
Ondrej Pavelec
Is this the year Ondrej Pavelec becomes a full-fledged fantasy stud? He’s usually a part-time stud with a
good stretch of games here and a good stretch of games there. But he’s always a full-time competitor
and anchor for the Jets. His compete level cannot be questioned even if the numbers don’t add up. It’s
not exactly a great situation as far as defense goes in Winnipeg. Many times Pavelec had to be up to the
task with little help in front.
When looking at his numbers, they don’t resemble
that of even a fantasy starter let alone a top-20
fantasy goalie. It’s an odd situation because
Pavelec is one of the promising young netminders
in this league. He won’t be able to do it all by
himself, but with never really having any help in
front, he’s groomed to be a goalie without much
reliance on defense. Obviously, he’s going to need
some help, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see
Pavelec take the next level in 2012-13, especially
after signing a new contract in the offseason.
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