20 NHL prospects to stash for fantasy keeper leagues in 2026-27

Apr 10, 2026, 08:46 EDTUpdated: Apr 10, 2026, 08:47 EDT

Anton Frondell, James Hagens and Porter Martone (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)

Credit: Steven Ellis/The Nation Network

We’ve reached a fascinating, turbulent part of the hockey calendar.

The Stanley Cup playoff races and NHL Award races are winding down. The NCAA Frozen Four is in progress, and several top prospects’ decisions on turning pro hang in the air. In fantasy hockey, most championships have concluded or are about to, and keeper/dynasty league GMs must soon look ahead to declaring which players they protect for next season.

Some fantasy league formats make for easy keeper decisions if they allow you to hold unlimited players. But if you have a limit on keepers, you’ll have difficult calls to make in the coming weeks. Everyone knows to protect a superstar like Nikita Kucherov or Macklin Celebrini, but the real challenge lies in betting between veterans in decline and youngsters who haven’t yet made impacts in the NHL. Is it worth gambling on the rookie who could help you for years to come but might not even play in the big leagues next year or the safe veteran who may be boring at this stage of his career but is guaranteed to contribute for you next season?

If you want to keep the rookies, you need crucial intelligence on which ones are worthwhile. Does the player have a high-end pedigree? Will his skills translate to fantasy production or just real-life usefulness? Will he immediately be handed a large role, or will he have to work his way up his NHL team’s depth chart? Are we certain he’ll turn pro and/or play in the NHL next season?

If you make the right calls, you can profit massively getting the jump on your opponents by snagging high-upside prospects late this season while your league player pool is still accessible (assuming you aren’t locked from making moves). Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a slew of prospects from the NCAA turn pro, and they’ve only just been added to the waiver wire in most fantasy leagues. A few more big college names may still go pro between now and the end of this season and will soon be eligible for pickups in fantasy. Some other top prospects have recently earned NHL recalls from the AHL and still carry extremely low ownership numbers.

So which prospects should you snatch up? I’m here to help with a look at 20 keepers to stash for 2026-27 fantasy leagues, boosted by some vital background input from Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis.

First, some crucial disclaimers:

– This is NOT a comprehensive breakdown of the best prospects in the NHL. These players are ranked by how much I expect them to contribute in fantasy hockey next season. Bradly Nadeau, for example, is not a top-10 NHL-affiliated prospect in the game, but he has nothing left to accomplish in the AHL, and the Carolina Hurricanes have done a good job developing prospects in recent years.

– Yet-to-be drafted prospects such as projected top 2026 picks Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg don’t count. NHL-affiliated only for this exercise.

– A reminder that I’m looking purely at fantasy value here rather than projected real-life contributions.

– If an NCAA prospect who hasn’t yet gone pro makes this list, it means I project him to turn pro between now and next season.

– Prospects who have already broken through, accrued 10-plus NHL games, and/or appear to have permanently made their teams don’t qualify. Example: the Capitals’ Cole Hutson and the Blues’ Dalibor Dvorsky.

Let’s begin. Yahoo ownership number in brackets.

1. Anton Frondell, C, Chicago Blackhawks (10% owned)

The scouting reports had me won over before Frondell crossed the pond to join the Blackhawks for a late taste of the NHL a couple weeks ago: “He plays like a pro,” “He’s already a man” and so on. Frondell brings an imposing, NHL-ready game in a 6-foot-1, 198-pound frame at 18 years old. Just nine games into his career, he has eight points, he’s averaging a blocked shot and just less than a hit per game, and he has fired a whopping 24 pucks on goal. I fully expect Frondell to leapfrog Frank Nazar as Chicago’s No. 2 center next season – has it happened already anyway? – and I believe Frondell will be an immediate 60-point player and rank among the Calder Trophy frontrunners.

2. Porter Martone, RW, Philadelphia Flyers (9% owned)

Martone is just six games into his NHL career and has already forced his way into the Flyers’ top six while generating great play-driving numbers, averaging a point per game and bringing physicality. With his power forward build and intelligent all-around game, he should continue earning significant minutes under coach Rick Tocchet, and the Matthew Tkachuk career trajectory comparisons look accurate. A key advantage for Martone and the two names above him on this list: all three have relatively mediocre competition for playing time. Their paths to being high-impact rookies aren’t blocked.

3. James Hagens, C, Boston Bruins (3% owned)

Yes, Hagens fell to seventh overall in the 2025 Draft after spending the earlier part of the season ranked first, but the fact he was held in such high regard early last season reminds us of what his ceiling is. He has potential to become a dominant all-around center and doesn’t have elite competition atop Boston’s depth chart, meaning it’s not inconceivable he spends much of next season alongside David Pastrnak. Rookie Fraser Minten has done so at times this season, after all, and Hagens possesses a much higher ceiling as a scorer. Hagens ripped up the NCAA with 47 points in 34 games at Boston College this season, he hasn’t looked out of place so far with AHL Providence and, now that he’s signed his entry-level deal with the Bruins, he will see time with them before this season is up. But look how low that ownership tag is. Grab him while you still can.

4. Ilya Protas, C, Washington Capitals (1% owned)

He’s a big monster of a forward who absolutely scalded the OHL last year with a 50-74-124 stat line in 61 games, then made it look easy in the AHL with 28-34-62 as a first-year pro before earning a late-season call-up to the Capitals. Protas has progressed so quickly and made it seem so easy that he looks like a huge steal for the Caps, who took him 75^th overall in 2024. He also has the advantage of playing with his brother Aliaksei, who should help Ilya, just 19, make a smooth transition to the NHL. Protas just has so much going for him and arguably has a higher ceiling than his brother’s.

5. Konsta Helenius, C, Buffalo Sabres (1% owned)

What a stud. Helenius is better than a point-per-game player in the AHL this season. He’s an excellent facilitator who projects to pick up a lot of points as a playmaker at the NHL level, making him fantasy-relevant, particularly because he’ll be a power-play weapon eventually. The only thing holding him back is the same thing keeping him out of the NHL right now: the Sabres’ roster depth. When Josh Norris is healthy, they are pretty deep down the middle. Helenius is also one NHL game away from burning year 1 of his entry-level contract, so there’s motivation to slow-play him, and playoff games count toward the ELC slide rule. Still, it seems like Helenius will force the issue soon enough, and the Sabres could always break him in on the wing if they want to keep him in the NHL full-time next season. He has little left to show in Rochester.

6. Sebastian Cossa, G, Detroit Red Wings (2% owned)

He was chosen 15^th overall in the 2021 Draft – an extreme rarity in today’s era for a goalie, reflecting how highly regarded he was. He’s been one of the AHL’s top netminders, even with his recent slump factored in. He really should be in the NHL already, but he’s been blocked by John Gibson and Cam Talbot. With Talbot set to walk as a UFA, expect Cossa to form a tandem with Gibson next season. A realistic expectation would be Cossa performing like Jesper Wallstedt has in Minnesota this year as an excellent 1B who plays less than the veteran starter. But the ceiling would be Cossa outplaying Gibson and taking the No. 1 job. Either outcome makes Cossa appealing in fantasy for 2026-27 and beyond.

7. Tij Iginla, LW, Utah Mammoth (2% owned)

Iginla is a risky name to place this high, given he hasn’t competed in any form of pro hockey yet. But I’m playing a hunch here. He’s been close to a goal-a-game player with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, taking a huge step forward this season, and will earn additional big-game experience starring for the host nation at the 2026 Memorial Cup. He’s such a dynamic and intelligent talent that he may break camp on the Mammoth roster, leaving them no choice but to give him a look next fall.

8. Roman Kantserov, RW, Chicago Blackhawks (not yet added)

Can you say…KHL goal scoring leader? First under-23 player to do so since Kirill Kaprizov? And Kantserov is 21? Yep, he’s going to be special, his KHL contract is up after this season, and he’s yet another exciting Blackhawks prospect who could make a major impact right away in 2026-27. I might have him five spots too low on this list. Of course, he hasn’t been added to Yahoo yet. If you don’t get a chance to grab him now, be sure he’s on your 2026-27 fantasy draft board.

9. Michael Hage, C, Montreal Canadiens (2% owned)

Hage is playing in the Frozen Four right now but could turn pro in the coming days after his tournament with Michigan is done. He’s a mature, hyper-competitive playmaker poised to establish himself as Montreal’s No. 2 center in the coming years. Per my colleague Steven Ellis, the scouting report likens Hage’s game to Robert Thomas’. Hopefully, Hage gets a late-season taste of the NHL just like Ivan Demidov did with the Habs last season; Demidov arrived for this season ready to make an impact after that, and Hage could benefit similarly.

10. Sergei Murashov, G, Pittsburgh Penguins (2% owned)

Stuart Skinner should depart Pittsburgh as a UFA this summer, as there’s little chance the Pens want to block Murashov any longer. Between Skinner and Arturs Silovs, the Pens have struggled to get even .900 goaltending this season. Murashov has arguably been the AHL’s second-best goaltender this season behind only Providence’s Michael DiPietro. Murashov may already be better than Skinner and Silovs, but it made sense to hold Murashov in the minors for most of this season to give him lots of starts and take advantage of his waiver-exempt status. Next season, it’s presumably wheels up for him in the NHL.

11. Bradly Nadeau, C, Carolina Hurricanes (<1%): He’s been one of the AHL’s top forwards two years running. Time for Carolina to take the training wheels off and make him a full-time NHLer. The Canes need more goal-scorers, and Nadeau has a deadly shot.

12. Carter Yakemchuk, D, Ottawa Senators (2%): Think fantasy-friendly skill set. It remains to be seen if Yakemchuk will play above-average actual defense in the NHL, but he loves to shoot the puck, he scores a lot, and he plays with an edge. He could develop into a multi-category monster in hockey pools.

13. Nate Danielson, C, Detroit Red Wings (<1% owned): The Wings’ refusal to include Danielson in a win-now trade is a vote of confidence. He’s gotten 28 games in the NHL this year and is almost a point-per-gamer in the AHL. Detroit could certainly use an impactful young center.

14. Trevor Connelly, LW, Golden Knights (<1%): Will we finally see a top prospect win a meaningful role with the Golden Knights before they trade him? Connelly has dazzling mitts and has lit it up in the AHL. Even if he isn’t the most complete player, Vegas badly needs an injection of youthful upside. His skill set could make him more valuable in fantasy than in real life.

15. Charlie Stramel, C, Minnesota Wild (not yet added): He doesn’t have the highest ceiling, but his size and two-way mind drastically up his chances of being a full-time NHLer right away. His offense has also developed excellently at Michigan State, so maybe he will become a scorer after all.

16. Victor Eklund, LW, New York Islanders (<1%): Great intensity and scoring ability, and he’s transitioning at a lightning pace since coming from the SHL to the AHL. A sleeper to be one of the NHL’s best rookies if he can make the Isles for 2026-27.

17. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Detroit Red Wings (<1%): Not only does he have solid upside as a goal-scorer, but he’s a potential banger-league beast. In his 12 NHL games this season, playing 12:17 a night, he had 36 hits.

18. Isak Rosen, RW, Winnipeg Jets (<1%): He has logged close to 50 games in the NHL but still makes the list as he’s not a secure full-timer. It hasn’t clicked between the Jets and Sabres, and he’s risking Quad-A status at 23, but he truly has nothing left to accomplish in the AHL, where he had 25 goals in 37 games this season.

19. Andrew Cristall, LW, Washington Capitals (not yet added): This guy is an absolute wizard with the puck. Video-game scoring numbers in junior and very productive as a first-year pro in the AHL. Just a matter of whether he gets his skating up to NHL-caliber.

20. Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, Vancouver Canucks (<1%): The Canucks sold off some pieces and might trade a couple more veterans this offseason as they rebuild. In theory, Lekkerimaki should have a clearer path to playing time. He has 32 goals in 57 games across his past two AHL seasons; time to give him a look longer than 13 games in Vancouver next season. He had shoulder surgery in February but should be ready for camp.

Also considered:

Caleb Desnoyers
Cole Reschny
Radim Mrtka 
Jack Devine
Emil Hemming
Brady Martin
Roger McQueen
Seamus Casey 
Cole Eiserman 
Eric Pohlkamp

Exciting, but not their time yet:

Dean Letourneau
Trey Augustine
Liam Greentree
Braeden Cootes 
Sacha Boisvert 
Jake O’Brien

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POST SPONSORED BY bet365

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