Fantasy Hockey 2014: Dark Horses Who Will Exceed Projections

With the NHL preseason in full swing, it’s time to shift the attention to the new year and fantasy projections. The regular season is only a few weeks away, and it’s never too early to prepare for your upcoming fantasy draft.

Of course, everyone likes to discuss the top players in the league and who will be selected in the first round. However, the real difficult task is to find gems in the later rounds who will put rosters over the top.

Let’s take a look at some of the fantasy dark horses who will surprise owners this season.

Ryan O'Reilly, C, Colorado Avalanche

The first player to discuss is the Colorado Avalanche’s forward Ryan O’Reilly. The center had a very good season a year ago with 28 goals and 64 points.

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

The 23-year-old is coming into his own as an NHL player, easily having his best season last year. His 28 goals were 10 more than his previous career high.

The youngster will continue to grow this upcoming year for several reasons, the first being experience. O’Reilly started playing really well with linemate Matt Duchene in 2013, and their chemistry should only expand.

Another aspect that will grow is his average time on the ice. If his line can continue to score points, O'Reilly should average more than 20 minutes per game for the first time in his career.

Lastly, the addition of someone like Jarome Iginla, Daniel Briere or Alex Tanguay to his line could potentially make 2014 truly a breakout season for O'Reilly. Look for the Avs forward to score close to 70 points and significantly raise his minus-one rating from a year ago.

Jaroslav Halak, G, New York Islanders

A goalie primed to exceed expectations is Jaroslav Halak of the New York Islanders. The 29-year-old spent last year with the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals before signing with the Isles this offseason.

The goalie has never really had a starting spot locked down, but that should change in 2014. He is the Islanders' guy barring something crazy happening. Halak ranked 17th in games started last year with 50. He should be closer to 60 with New York.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Halak had a solid save percentage of .921 a year ago. Although it will be tough to top that, the Islanders have a lot of young players who are improving and coming into their own. It’s possible he could have a very solid unit in front of him, allowing him to post something similar.

People might not view Halak as a No. 1 fantasy option; however, he has the talent to record impressive numbers and prove many wrong.

Jaromir Jagr, RW, New Jersey Devils

The last dark horse on the list might be better referred to as a dark dinosaur. The 42-year-old Jaromir Jagr is still one of the better players in the NHL and is someone you should be able to steal in fantasy drafts.

In his first year with the Devils, Jagr was arguably the team’s best forward. He led the Devils in points with 67 and had a staggering plus-16 rating, 13 better than anyone else.

Age is clearly a non-factor for the veteran, who continues to plug away and add good numbers to his Hall of Fame career. He’s proven to be quite consistent and durable heading into his 20th NHL season.

Even though fantasy owners will be skeptical on drafting Jagr high, he’s worth the risk. The Devils offense should be better with some new additions, making Jagr’s ceiling limitless. It wouldn’t be crazy if he scored close to 70 points.