Sleeper Watch

The regular season has drawn to a close, and for most fantasy owners, that signals a time to look back on the year that was, savor strong performances, and vow to do better next season in those leagues where things didn’t go quite according to plan. For dynasty and deep keeper owners, on the other hand, the end of the season means something completely different. For those owners, now is the time to plan ahead and begin shaping next year’s contenders.

As always, the NHL draft will provide plenty of opportunities to add both strength and depth to dynasty rosters. This year, with rising stars such as Phil Kessel, Jordan Staal, and Erik Johnson available, the focus will be firmly on skaters. That, however, doesn’t mean there won’t be solid goalies in the class of ‘06.

Perhaps the best of this year’s netminder crop is Jonathan Bernier. Selected by Lewiston with the eighth overall pick in the 2004 QMJHL draft, the 6-foot, 180-pound goalie spent his first campaign with the Maineiacs learning from Jaroslav Halek before coming into his own this season. In 54 games played for a team that finished with the 11th-best record in the league, the 17-year-old Bernier posted a 2.70 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. His smooth reflexes were a key reason that Lewiston reached the playoffs, and scouts were quick to pay attention and heap praise on the talented prospect.

With a strong possibility that no goaltender will be chosen in the top ten of this year’s draft, Bernier may be slightly undervalued in dynasty leagues. If your team needs help between the pipes or your keepers are getting up there in years, consider building for the future and stashing the talented Bernier on your roster.

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• Sean Burke by Hongfu Chen (posted on 01/19/2006 in Sleepers)
• Johan Hedburg by Thomas Allen (posted on 12/13/2009 in Sleepers)
• Matt Carle by Adrian Bell (posted on 08/24/2006 in Sleepers)