Connor McDavid. Dylan Strome. Jack Eichel. Mitch Marner.
What do those three have in common? They’re all future NHL superstars.
There is no question that there’s been a ton of attention on the projected top four prospects heading into the draft. But what about the guys who don’t get the media attention? Each year, there are a handful of sleepers that fall below what their true value may be, partly because of a variable in their game that may put them in a disadvantage at times. Whether it be Pavel Datsyuk going 171st overall in 1998, Henrik Lundqvist getting called at 205 in 2000 or Pekka Rinne going to the Predators at (the now defunct) 258th pick in 2004, you can almost always count on some great prospects coming from the later rounds of the NHL Draft.
Sleepers can come in any capacity. Forwards, defensemen, goaltenders, short, tall, speedy, skilled, slow developer, somehow forgotten, etc. Every year, there could always be a ton of players that can fit any of those terms. With the amount of talent this year, there’s no exception this year. Let’s take a look at 35 potential stars just waiting to make to prove to the world that every other team was wrong in passing over them.
Click below for some information on some of the sleepers included in the list.
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Steven is a junior hockey reporter for the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, and also focuses on international hockey for his website, TheHockeyHouse.net. You can follow Steven on twitter @StevenEllisNHL.
Photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images
