Freddie Hamilton

Hamilton may be the next San Jose forward prospect to crack the lineup. He worked his way into 11 NHL games last year, but didn't manage to get a point and finished the season with a minus-5 rating. However, he made a significant impact with the club's AHL affiliate in Worcester, sniping 22 goals and adding 21 assists over 64 games. He has a good chance of breaking into the lineup and remaining there for a while. But he's more of a top-nine type, and that limits his fantasy upside.

Brother of Dougie -- don't you just love names that end in vowel sounds? -- is going to have a long and productive NHL career. No, he won't put up bushels of points. But his talent and intelligence will make him an exceptional third-liner who will get a few shots at second-line duty. Heck, he's the best prospect in the league's worst prospect pool. but he can play both wing and center and he'll start in the AHL in 2012-13. Don't be surprised to see Hamilton as one of the first call-ups in the event of injury, and he won't look out of place when he gets there. He's that solid of a prospect. Every team needs those.

The Sharks welcomed another scorer to its organization by drafting Hamilton in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and subsequently inked him to an entry-level deal in May of 2011. He’s amassed 73 goals and 93 assists for the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL over the past three seasons. Despite his offensive upside, it’s too early to be associating Hamilton with the NHL.