Mario Ferraro

Ferraro has quietly become a key contributor for the Sharks, playing a ton of minutes (exactly 23:00 per game last season) and throwing the body around consistently. The 24-year-old has never been much of a scorer -- his career high in points is 17 -- but Ferraro added 140 hits and 151 blocks in just 63 games in 2021-22, numbers that are more than plentiful enough to give him late-round value in fantasy leagues which reward such statistics.

Few players in the NHL saw their responsibilities increase a season ago as much as Ferraro. He averaged a whopping 22:26 of ice time per game, after averaging just 15:53 per night a during the previous campaign. Ferraro -- a UMass-Amherst product -- managed just one goal and 17 points in 56 games, along with a minus-six rating, although the latter number is actually quite impressive given the lack of talent on the San Jose roster at the moment. Ferraro should push for 200 hits and 150 blocks over the course of a full year, but that's pretty much the only positive here from a fantasy perspective.

Ferraro earned an everyday role with the Sharks in 2019-20, posting 11 points, 120 hits and 63 shots on goal in 61 outings. By the latter part of the season, he was consistently seeing 20 minutes per game. The second-round pick from 2017 will likely be a leading blueliner for the Sharks' rebuild, and he may even unseat Marc-Edouard Vlasic for a top-four job in 2020-21. Ferraro still needs to clean up his defense a bit, and his physical playing style could lead to injuries for 5-foot-11 blueliner, but he may be worth a look in deep formats as a depth option. Just don't count on him to improve his plus-minus rating much from the minus-15 mark he carried last year.

Ferraro has been beaming with confidence since the Sharks called his name in the second round (49th overall) of the 2017 NHL draft. Regarded as a supremely athletic defenseman, he posted 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) to go with a plus-6 rating through 41 games for UMass-Amherst last season, and Ferraro upped the ante on his career honors by claiming alternate captain responsibilities before making his way onto the 2018 Hockey All-Rookie team. Keep the 5-foot-11, 179-pound skater in mind for the future knowing the ink is still drying on his three-year, entry-level contract.