Frozen Fantasy: Best Time of the Year

It's my favorite time of the year. Not Christmas or Hanukkah. Or Kwanza.

It's World Junior's time – the greatest 11 days of the year.

There have been loads of remarkable performances and some real stunners, too. Like Team USA's ouster in the quarters – that felt like Canada's from last year.

Finland. They seem to do it every time.

Here are a few guys whose performances leapt off the page for me. They might not translate into a successful fantasy future, but they've been fun to watch.

Canada

Nolan Foote, LW, Tampa Bay – He has an Ovechkin-level shot. Seriously.

Liam Foudy, C, Columbus – Fastest guy on the ice. Wow.

Alexis Lafreniere, 2020-eligible – Skilled, strong and bull-headed. He would have pushed Jack Hughes for top spot last year. He's well above that now.

Quinton Byfield, 2020-eligible – Unremarkable. Still, the guy can skate like the wind, but wasn't asked to take a leading role with Canada. He'll be a stud in the NHL.

USA

Trevor Zegras, C, Anaheim – One part Elias Pettersson; one part Patrick Kane. His passes were some of the best I've seen.

Cole Caufield, RW, Montreal – Unremarkable, but he gets a pass. He scored 14 goals in the last U-18 international tourney.

Spencer Knight, G, Florida – Solid. One of the U.S.'s best players, despite the Canadians hanging five goals on him.

Shane Pinto, C, Ottawa – The Sens are drooling. Strong. Works really hard. Can score. Skating still needs work, but he'll be a responsible second-line pivot at his peak.

Sweden

Nils Hoglander, LW, Vancouver – The Orcas got a steal in round two – he was the tourney's top scorer heading into the semis (10 points in five games).

Samuel Fagemo, RW, Los Angeles – Tourney's top goal scorer. Late blooming sniper looks like a second-round steal.

Alexander Holtz, LW, and Lucas Raymond, RW, 2020-eligible – The Terror Twins are just as advertised – top-five talents delivering at a point-per-game pace on Sweden's second line. Holtz has sniper's hands; Raymond threads needles with his passes. 

Germany

Moritz Seider, D, Detroit – He's a man among boys. He may even have a Lidstrom-esque future. Get him now before others realize he's much more than his draft report.

Tim Stutzle, C, 2020-eligible – I've heard the Leon Draisaitl comps. I'm not sure about that, but he's looked really good. Maybe even top-five good. Skates better than Holtz and Raymond, so you never know.

Czech Republic

Jan Jenik, C, Arizona – The OHL's fourth-best scorer's tourney was cut short by injury. He looked great while he was out there, but still needs to work on his skating.

Finland

Justus Annunen, G, Colorado – He singlehandedly ousted the Americans. He's also delivering elite production in Liiga as a teenage rookie. Look out. He's calm, driven and talented.

Russia

Yaroslav Askarov, G, 2020-eligible – Most-hyped goalie since Carey Price. He lost his job, but won it back. Top-10 pick. Guaranteed.

Now, let's take a look at who caught my eye in the NHL this week.

Samuel Girard, D, Colorado (13 percent Yahoo! owned) – Girard is a talent, but rookie Cale Makar has overshadowed him. But Thursday night, he rang up four helpers, three of which came in the third period alone. And he has 10 assists in his last 10 games. That's half of his total output in 41 games. Girard's plus-minus sure is queasy in the same span (minus-9), but maybe your league doesn't count that stat. He's a worthy add.

Nick Leddy, D, NY Islanders (5 percent Yahoo! owned) – Early in December, Leddy missed time due to a lower-body ouch. It took a couple games to get back up to game speed, but since Dec. 21, he has delivered. Leddy has six points (one goal, five assists) over his last six games heading into Saturday against the Leafs. And he's running the second power-play unit. He's delivering on a mid-40s pace, just like he did for several seasons. Five percent owned? That's just crazy.

Matt Martin, LW, NY Islanders (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – It's a testament to Martin's skill that he's still in the league – no other pugilist even dresses anymore. He doesn't play every game, but when he does, Martin delivers big. In his last three games, he snagged a goal and assist to go with 15 hits. And he's put up 49 hits in his last 10 games (131 in 27 on the season). That makes him a difference maker in leagues that count that stat.

Elvis Merzlikins, G, Columbus (22 percent Yahoo! owned) – Elvis has stepped into the spotlight and delivered two huge wins since Joonas Korpisalo went down. It's about time – he'd gone winless until that point and the Blue Jackets surely doubted his ability to fill Korpisalo's skates. I've been a big fan of his game ever since he starred for Latvia at the World Championship in 2016, '17 and '18. Merzlikins was considered the best goalie not in the NHL heading into this season and he's finally starting to show those skills. Go get him – his ownership jumped 20 percent in a couple days this week. I snagged him in the Yahoo! Friends and Family league on Friday night. I'm hoping for good things for both of us.

Connor Murphy, D, Chicago (6 percent Yahoo! owned) – I'll keep this short because I've talked about him before. The Hawks' blue line has been decimated and there are opportunities a-plenty. Murphy is stepping up – he has six points (two goals, four assists) in his last nine games, including a point in each of his last three games. The Hawks aren't great, but he could prove his mettle quickly.

Tanner Pearson, LW, Vancouver (25 percent Yahoo! owned) – Pearson is at it again. He has six points in his last two games and 30 (12 goals, 18 assists) in 41 games. Sixty-point wingers with 200 shots, 110 hits and some power-play production should not be available in three of every four Yahoo! leagues. Just saying.

Sami Vatanen, D, New Jersey (23 percent Yahoo! owned) – There are warm winds blowing in New Jersey and Vatanen is riding them hard. He has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his last eight games heading into the weekend. Vatanen also has 11 blocked shots, 15 hits and 13 shots during the same span. He was the best blueliner over the last seven days in the Yahoo! Friends and Family league. And 24th overall. Not bad for a guy thrown to the curb in a lot of leagues.

Jake Virtanen, RW, Vancouver (13 percent Yahoo! owned) – Virtanen is a single point from tying his career mark in points. And with nine points (five goals, four assists), 21 shots and 16 hits in his last nine games, he's on pace to flirt with 50 points. Virtanen might as well be earning them on your roster, especially in deep leagues.

Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Edmonton (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – He has two points in two games since his call up. Yes, I'd love to see Yamamoto skating with Connor McDavid, but he's riding with Leon Draisaitl so far. The Oil is desperate for wingers that can put up points. Yamamoto can – he just needs the chance. Jump on board now, just in case they actually use him appropriately.  

Back to the World Juniors.

We'll see how the semis go on Saturday. Canada is up against Finland and that will be a test for my boys. Finland plays hard as a team, whether they have stars or scrubs. It's a testament to their commitment to their flag and jersey.

Russia and Sweden will be interesting. The former could come through if Askarov plays like he has in every other international competition.

So, you know where to find me this weekend. I hope you catch a live stream. Or worst case, stream the radio broadcast.

These kids all play for the right reason. Pure love of the game and their country.

It's what's hockey is all about. And it's damn beautiful.

Until next week.