The Coming Thing: Down and Back

Prospecting can be frustrating; our ideas of what constitutes a valuable player or viable NHLer may be different from a coach's criteria, which can make fantasy owners quick to give up on players who are just learning how to play a two-way game in the world's fastest-paced hockey league. Several of the players in this week's edition fit that mold, and it's worth exercising patience with them if you own them; we've all been that guy who dumped or traded an exciting prospect shortly before he broke out. I'll make you a deal, dear readers – you try not to be that guy, and so will I. Let's get into it.

Comings and Goings

Christian Dvorak, C, ARI – Should I start with a mention that this isn't Radek Dvorak's son? Let's just get that out of the way now. Alright. Sent down to the AHL on Halloween after an inconsistent start that saw him record three assists in seven games while seeing his ice time slowly fade away, injuries opened a spot right back up for Dvorak. He got recalled Thursday and responded with his first NHL goal against no less a netminder than Nashville's Pekka Rinne. Moreover, the 20-year-old's ice time also rebounded to 15:20 with 2:34 on the power play, so fantasy owners in search of a youngster who might be The Next Big Thing should look no further. The Illinois native racked up a purely nasty 230 points over just 125 games over his final two junior campaigns.

Shea Theodore, D, ANA – Theodore's bounced up and down between the AHL and NHL in the early going, but his production in the big leagues hasn't been as forthcoming as it was last year – though it must be mentioned that a consistent role certainly helps in the interest of settling in and putting up points. For now, he'll continue working at AHL San Diego, where he's got two assists in two games, but the No. 26 pick in the 2013 draft has tremendous offensive upside. Unfortunately, with Hampus Lindholm soon to return from a visa issue, it could take a couple injuries to open up a spot for Theodore's return.

Mikko Rantanen, RW, COL – Since my last edition of this column, Rantanen has returned to the NHL and played four games, but he has no points and a minus-5 rating to show for that action despite strong ice time: 16:59 on average, including 3:08 on the power play. On the bright side, he's put 10 shots on net, so he hasn't been invisible out there – but we're still looking for more.

Danton Heinen, RW, BOS – A training-camp darling, Heinen was unable to put any points on the board in seven games with Boston, which got the 21-year-old sent to the AHL. He's off to a good start there, netting a pair of assists in as many games. Considering Heinen produced at better than a point-per-game pace with the University of Denver over the past two seasons, there's plenty of offensive upside here, and if he continues showing it in the AHL, he'll earn another look from the big team. After all, the Bruins' bottom six is far from set in stone.

Teemu Pulkkinen, LW, MIN – Still 24 years old, at least until the calendar turns to 2017 (his birthday's Jan. 2), Pulkkinen is only two seasons removed from an absolutely absurd AHL campaign: 34 goals and 61 points in 46 games. That was his second 30-plus-goal season in the minors, which only serves to highlight just how much upside the young sniper possesses. However, he's never been able to break in as a full-time player either in Detroit during past seasons or this year with the Wild – he managed only a lone goal on four shots in eight games spent on the fourth line. Thus the 2010 fourth-rounder will turn his attention to dominating in the AHL ranks again as he awaits a recall that might (with luck) yield some more ice time.

Prospect of the Week

Sam Steel, C, ANA – Say hello to Anaheim's very own Man of Steel. The Ducks took a shot on Steel at the back end of this year's first round despite him being a rather mediocre performer by the lofty standards of junior-hockey scoring over the past two seasons. He did score 70 points last year, but they came in 72 games; I generally like my prospects to significantly exceed a point-per-game pace. Well, that's exactly what the 18-year-old is doing this season with WHL Regina – he's averaging a goal per game over his first dozen, with 13 assists helping him to a spectacular early scoring pace and the second-most points in the circuit. Steel foreshadowed this a bit with a strong playoff showing last year, but perhaps only Ducks management saw an outburst like this coming. The Edmonton native is known for his speed, hands, on-ice vision and leadership, but has been knocked for his size. Well, there are plenty of players in the NHL who are his size or smaller, so don't worry about that. Just go out and snatch him up in your dynasty formats.