DFS: 5 NHL Rookies to Wrangle

Plenty of rookies make a name for themselves in the NHL year-in and year-out - it's a young man's game. Players like Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Stone and Filip Forsberg virtually came out of nowhere and were key components in their respective teams' surprise playoff runs.

Rookies can be fairly inexpensive in most DFS formats to begin the year until they prove their worth among the big boys. Jump on these guys before their prices sky-rocket.

C Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames

Bennett was selected fourth overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2014 draft, and even had a shot at cracking the Flames' opening day roster last season before injuring his shoulder in training camp.

The injury limited him to 11 regular-season games with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. However, the 6-foot-1, 181-pound center made the most of them - scoring 11 goals and 24 points while also adding three assists in four playoff games.

His junior success forced the Flames to call him up late in the season where he notched an assist in his only regular season game. He then proved his worth to the club by netting three goals and one assist in 11 games during Calgary's remarkable playoff run.

While Bennett skated on the wing in his brief call up last year, he's expected to shift back to the middle and skate on the Flames' second line behind Sean Monahan.

Bennett is an extremely gifted play-maker with outstanding speed, acceleration and hockey IQ. His high-energy, competitive nature should sit well with head coach Bob Hartley. Many scouts have compared his style of play to Doug Gilmour, the present GM of the Frontenacs

Although he struggles in the faceoff circle as many young centers do, Bennett's two-way game could eventually earn him time on the penalty kill and generate those coveted short-handed points for savvy DFS players.

C Max Domi, Arizona Coyotes

Let's make this clear - the only thing Tie Domi passed on to his son Max is his last name.

Domi was selected 12th overall in 2013 by the Arizona Coyotes. He spent the last four seasons with the London Knights of the OHL, amassing an incredible 331 points in 244 games. Domi also proved himself as a clutch performer with 60 points in 58 playoff games.

Any hockey fan who watched last year's IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships has to be ecstatic about the 5-foot-10, 194-pound forward's arrival to the NHL. He plays the game with energy and excitement, and - as many undersized players do - plays with his heart on his sleeve.

He was named the tournament's best forward after registering five goals and five assists in seven games. He helped Canada capture gold while skating on a line with Anthony Duclair and Sam Reinhart.

As you can see in the GIF below, Domi has exceptional skill and hand-eye-coordination.

Arizona is clearly in a rebuilding stage which could lead to plenty of ice time for Domi. This could not only lead to points, but also plenty of shots, which is a valuable stat in some DFS formats.

LW Anthony Duclair, Arizona Coyotes

Duclair and Domi could continue their great World Junior chemistry as linemates in the desert. Throughout the preseason, the two youngsters have skated on the top line centered by veteran Antoine Vermette.

Despite playing 18 games in the pros last season, Duclair is still considered a rookie by NHL standards. Duclair held his own with the New York Rangers in his brief stint with one goal and six assists before being sent back to the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL; his value skyrocketed after his impressive WJHC and was traded to Arizona as a part of the Keith Yandle trade.

While only standing at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Duclair plays much bigger than the numbers indicate. He's a powerful skater who loves to drive to the net, piling up 50 goals and 49 assists in 59 games with the Remparts in his last full season of junior.

Duclair and Domi could provide and extremely inexpensive combo-play worth drafting in tournaments.

C Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres

Eichel or McDavid? McDavid or Eichel?

That was the topic of conversation heading into last season among scouts, teams and fans alike. It's not that Eichel did anything to lose top position, but McDavid did everything in his power to blow everyone out of the water.

Eichel could be the best consolation prize since Evgeni Malkin was picked behind Alexander Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

At 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, Eichel has good size, and will only bulk up with age. He has exceptional speed for a big man with hands as soft as butter. As exemplified in the GIF below, he also has great patience and hockey IQ.

The Massachusetts native was the lone bright spot on USA's back-to-back fifth-place finishes at the 2014 and 2015 WJHC with nine points in 10 combined games as a 17- and 18-year-old. He added seven points in 10 games with Team USA at the 2015 IIHF World Championships.

Eichel's 71 points in 40 games were good enough to win him the Hobey Baker Award for the nation's top NCAA hockey player; the last player to win the award as a freshman? Paul Kariya.

Eichel will get every chance to be the focal point of Buffalo's offense, likely playing on the top line with Evander Kane and Tyler Ennis. There's no doubt he faces an adjustment period, but once he hits his stride - look out.

C Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

The hype surrounding McDavid is electric.

Scouts have said McDavid is better than Sidney Crosby - the best player in the NHL for the past decade. Even Wayne Gretzky has said McDavid is "as good as I've seen in the last 30 years, the best player to come into the league in the last 30 years" in an interview with the Edmonton Journal.

So just how good is he? The evidence suggests he'll be an instant star.

He carried the OHL's Erie Otters - practically saved their franchise, in fact - with his 285 points in 166 games played. Here's how McDavid's final junio season compares with other can't-miss prospects:

Gretzky and Lemieux are two of the best to ever lace them up, but they also played in an era with much more scoring. It's also worth noting that both Lemeiux and Crosby played in the QMJHL, while Gretzky and McDavid played in a more consistently competitive OHL.

Stats aside, McDavid has everything you want in a franchise player: Toughness, intelligence, skill, will and passion. Many scouts rave about his speed and puck-handling ability, but his ability to do magical things with the puck on his stick at top speed is what separates him from the pack.

In case you were wondering, no, this GIF is not on fast-forward.

To expect McDavid to crack the 100-point-mark in his rookie season like Crosby did is unreasonable. Crosby's rookie season was the first year after the lockout where new rules and concepts created ridiculously high-scoring games. Expect McDavid to wind up in the 65-85 point range.

From a DFS standpoint, McDavid should see ice time in every situation, meaning power-play points and short-handed points are on the horizon. He also dramatically increases the value of his linemates due to his gifted play-making ability. Taylor Hall could have a career year as well as Teddy Purcell, Leon Draisaitl, Nail Yakupov or whoever has the privilege to play on his line.

Pay up for the kid, he's the real deal.