Frozen Fantasy: World Junior Keepers

I love the World Juniors. Everyone knows that. It's my favorite 10 days of the year. But this tourney, the hockey was passable at best. At least the gold-medal game was excellent.

And not just because Canada won.

The gold-medal game was the first – perhaps the only – game that showcased end-to-end action and elite hockey played by both teams.

It was the first game I couldn't look away. Or go get nachos. It's rare I have FOMO. That was tough.

Poor competition aside, there was plenty of eye candy for keeper owners.

Here are the truly elite players that caught my eye. The ones who will reap serious fantasy benefits. Most are already drafted; a couple are special talents who will go in the top-three come June.

Rasmus Dahlin, SWE – Half Erik Karlsson and half Nicklas Lidstrom? Drool. This kid is a generational talent who is 2018 eligible. Go trade for this pick in keeper leagues.

Jordan Kyrou, CAN (St. Louis) – Draft-day steal (35th?). Elite hands turn defenders inside out, then outside in. And those passes. Sigh. There's a little Mitch Marner in this guy.

Cale Makar, CAN (Colorado) – Effortless skating, elite hockey sense, great hands. He could easily be the next Duncan Keith.

Casey Mittelstadt, USA (Buffalo) – Elite toolkit and smarts, plus excellent speed = meet Jack Eichel's point-per-game (minimum) wingman for the next 12-15 years.

Elias Pettersson, SWE (Vancouver) – May end up being the best player from the 2017 draft. Seriously. His offensive talents are off the charts.

Eeli Tolvanen, FIN (Nashville) – Another steal at 30th overall. He's having a better age-18 KHL season than Evgeny Kuznetsov and Vladimir Tarasenko. Pure sniper.

Filip Zadina, CZE – Another pure sniper – think Phil Kessel, but willing to go to the dirty areas. Can you imagine?! #Elite. Another 2018 eligible.

Now let's take a look at the NHLers who caught my eye this week.

Louis Domingue, G, Tampa Bay (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Domingue got his get-out-of-jail-free card – OK, Arizona – in mid-November. Now, he's back in the NHL, courtesy of a bad leg injury to Bolts' backup, Peter Budaj. Andrei Vasilevskiy is fantastic, but he can't (and shouldn't) play every night. Enter Domingue. The Bolts play the Sens and Wings on Saturday/Sunday and then the Hawks/Preds in two weeks. And then there's another back-to-back on Feb. 12 and 13. Domingue might make more starts than just the back-to-backs if he proves he can play behind the best team in the NHL. The desert – and Domingue's struggles there – are a speck in the rearview mirror. I snagged him in two leagues on pure speculation. You should, too, if you are desperate for goaltending help.

Samuel Girard, D, Colorado (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Girard is smart, slick and skilled, and that's just what the Avs desperately need on their blue line. His future is bright; his 'right-now' looks good, too. He has four power-play assists in his last four games. Girard's plus-minus will hang like a noose, but if you're like me, you can afford the hit. I'm buying.

Vince Hinostroza, LW/C, Chicago (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Hinostroza is living the dream right now. The little guy has been promoted to the Hawks' top line alongside Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad, and he's riding a four-game, six-point scoring streak (two goals, four helpers). Hinostroza had 22 points in 23 AHL games prior to his call-up and that total was good enough to earn him an All-Star berth, even though he's in the NHL. He has speed and skill, and plays with energy. And that means he should continue to roll on a scoring line.

Brandon Manning, D, Philadelphia (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – There's nothing special about Manning's game – he's not the most talented player nor is he overly physical. But this undrafted defender (both in junior and the NHL) IS one of the hardest workers on the ice, game in and game out. And that has resulted in a three-game, three-point scoring streak (one goal, two assists) in three games since returning from a hand injury. Manning may be a short-term filler for your last spot on the blue line.

Timo Meier, RW/LW, San Jose (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Meier has brilliant offensive skills that can flourish with his two new linemates – Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Yup, he's landed a plum gig with the best San Jose has to offer. Meier's overall numbers – 13 points in 38 games – don't impress. But in 10 games since mid-December, Meier has seven points, including five goals, and he's fired 27 shots. His value is tied to his role. Be prepared to drop him if he suddenly goes Joe-less.

Jordan Oesterle, D, Chicago (5 percent Yahoo! owned) – Oesterle sat out 25 of the Hawks first 30 games as a healthy scratch. But opportunity knocked with Cody Franson's injury and this former Oiler prospect (go figure) has never looked back. Oesterle describes himself as a 'fourth forward' in the offensive zone and he can play both sides. And that has made him a great fit with none other than Duncan Keith. Yep. He's skating with one of the best. Oesterle went into Friday night on a three-game, four-point scoring streak (two goals, two assists). His plus-minus will be variable given his approach and inexperience. But he's one of the few, truly offensive defenders on the wire. That's enough for my desperate team.

Nick Schmaltz, LW/C, Chicago (16 percent Yahoo! owned) – Since Christmas, Schmaltz has been on a tear. He has three goals and four assists in his last five games and 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his last nine games. Schmaltz is skating with Patrick Kane and seeing time on the power play. Do I need to say anything else?

Antoine Vermette, C, Anaheim (6 percent Yahoo! owned) – Vermette's limited positional qualification is tough to swallow, but look past that. He's skating with Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell on the Ducks' top line. Anaheim looks like it could overwhelm the competition in the second half of the season. And Vermette should get plenty of offensive opportunities in the team's patented flying-V.

Cam Ward, G, Carolina (35 percent Yahoo! owned) – Wardo has suddenly become the de facto starter in Raleigh, courtesy of an 8-0-2 streak and .920 save percentage since the start of December. Scott Darling has shrunk in that span – he has a 1-5-1 record and .874 save percentage, and that has earned him a bird's-eye view from the end of the bench. Enjoy the ride with Ward – he'll soon come back down to earth. But until then, he's a must-own and must-start, especially after shutting out the Penguins on Thursday.

Back to the World Juniors.

Maybe my expectations for this tourney are too high. But there's much about this tourney that needs to change.

Attendance is down. Way down. Rather than accept responsibility for oversaturating the same market area three of four years AND charging NHL prices for a junior product, organizers blamed the cold weather and poor driving conditions for half-empty arenas.

I still don't quite understand how the weather 'made' the outdoor experience, but prevented people from getting to other games. But I digress.

Like I said earlier, there were still plenty of exceptional individual performances, even if games weren't overly competitive.

And now you know who I'll be targeting in trades or drafts in my keeper leagues. I hope my competitors aren't reading this.

Until next week.