Sharks, Gas, & Lottery Tickets - The Rise of the most recent Sleeper batch

Fantasy hockey is a lot like drinking alcohol – if you’re not careful you’ll knock yourself out before the real fun and games begin. Every season there’s a fresh batch of “sleepers” – those players we get in the late rounds of the draft or who we scoop off the waiver wire when our league mates are watching the newest Leafs documentary Shanahanagans: The Lost Years.

In this article we will highlight 3 players who standout to me as they were all undrafted in my 12 team, 17 round fantasy hockey draft. Ok that’s slightly misleading – 2 were undrafted and 1 holds the title of “Mr. Irrelevant” aka the last player drafted. Let’s dive in before these sedated sleepers wake up all of your league mates!

WILLIAM EKLUND 17G 41A -7 SOG 151 Yahoo ADP 185.9

Eklund reportedly had some very unconventional training methods this offseason. He didn’t spend it skating back home in Sweden. Nor did he spend the time working out at the San Jose team facilities. What we are hearing out of camp is that this Shark…trained with actual sharks this offseason. While living amongst the marine predators he has perfected his underwater toe drag and is said to have deked a tiger shark so badly that it’s still at the bottom of the tank looking for that puck. Perhaps that is why he was drafted last overall in my league?

When we look a little more closely there is a lot to like about this player who will cost you little to nothing on draft night. He is a skilled forward who is turning 23 in two weeks time. He plays on the Sharks, which will likely be one of the weaker teams in the league. So his +/- may be bad? Who cares? I don’t draft players based on that stat. He is going to play in the Sharks top 6 and could have regular exposure to guys with talent – Celibrini, Smith, Toffoli, and Michael Misa. The Sharks also added offenseman John Klingberg in the off season so there is someone on the back end who can hopefully get the biscuit to these skilled forwards. He also had 16 powerplay points and 3 shorties so he’s getting deployed in all situations, with a 19:33 average time on ice last year. If you draft him, you’re basically betting on a guy who’s already stared down apex predators and skated away smirking.

FRANK NAZAR 12G 14A -11 SOG 91 Yahoo ADP 187

Frank Nazar isn’t just “fast.” Legend says he accidentally ingested jet fuel, mistaking it for an energy drink, chugged it, and set a University of Michigan practice on fire when he skated a lap in three seconds flat. NASA has reportedly asked to borrow him for wind tunnel experiments.

Now he’s in Chicago, where Connor Bedard hogs the spotlight, but Nazar is the perfect sidekick. The Hawks’ depth chart is so empty that Nazar could trip walking into the rink and land in the top-six.

He’s slippery, fearless, and can skate like the wind. The Hawks aren’t stacked, but that’s the beauty: Nazar is going to get top-six minutes and secondary power-play time almost by accident. Chicago literally has no one else to fill those spots unless they dig up Marian Hossa’s equipment bag.

The Hawks should hopefully improve this season and as a result everyone’s point production will take a step forward. Nazar also racked up 24 points in 21 AHL games last season. The year prior he was a point-per-game forward for the Michigan Wolverines. When opportunity meets skill there’s fantasy orange juice to be had. Let’s hope it’s you enjoying that nice cup of grovestand orange juice and not your sadistic league mates.

UKKO PEKKA LUKKONEN 24-24-5 3.20 GAA .887 SV% 2 SOs Yahoo ADP 171.8

I know what you’re thinking here – why am I recommending a goalie with a below .900 SV% who plays for the Sabres? And I’m hoping that you have at least a stud tender and ideally a reliable 2^nd option to pair with this lottery ticket. The goalie with the best nicknames in the game (UPL, 6K) had a terrible season in 2024-2025, as did the Sabres as a whole. However, he had an encouraging 2023-2024 season with 27 wins, 2.57 GAA, and .910 SV%. There’s not too much competition in Buffalo with Alex Georgiev & Devon Levi also battling for a spot on the opening night roster.

He’s still a bit raw and can be inconsistent, but if Buffalo makes a legit playoff push — and yes, stop laughing, it might actually happen — UPL is going to be a 30-win goalie with upside for more. Obviously, this take may age as well as blue cheese left out on the counter on a warm summer’s day – but there is potential with little to no investment cost. Cut bait if things go south over the first few weeks, but keep an eye on the waiver wire. 6K is liable to go streaking at any point.

Stay sleeping zzz