Finding a sleeper isn’t only about chasing the perfect breakout. The best late-round targets also provide enough of a floor that your pick won’t become a complete whiff if everything doesn’t go according to plan.

In this episode, we reveal 10 fantasy hockey sleepers who possess the underlying process, opportunity and upside to significantly outperform their 2026-27 draft positions.

We break down:

• Quinton Byfield’s post-Kopitar opportunity under Peter Laviolette

• Anton Frondell’s immediate role while Connor Bedard is sidelined

• Alexis Lafrenière’s path to PP1 without Artemi Panarin

• Matt Coronato’s outstanding microstat profile

• Egor Chinakhov’s breakout potential in Pittsburgh

• JJ Peterka’s upside alongside David Pastrnak

• Luke Hughes’ bounce-back case in New Jersey

• Why the Summer of Matvei Michkov is officially underway

• Viktor Arvidsson’s reunion with Todd McLellan

• Jackson Blake’s opportunity to replace Seth Jarvis on Carolina’s PP1

Which sleepers provide legitimate league-winning upside—and which still return value if their best-case scenarios don’t materialize?

Timestamps:

Byfield - 02:56

Frondell - 10:30

Lafrenière - 14:52

Coronato - 20:51

Chinakhov - 25:15

Peterka - 29:41

Hughes - 33:53

Michkov - 29:25

Arvidsson - 45:18

Blake - 49:42

Let us know your favourite sleeper in the comments!

All advanced statistics referenced in this episode come from Natural Stat Trick. Microstats come from Corey Sznajder’s All Three Zones project.

🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!

Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:

https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos

💬 Join the community:

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#FantasyHockey #NHLFantasy #HockeyAdvice #WaiverWire #NHL #FantasyHockeyTips #ApplesAndGinos

** Buy the 2026-27 Apples & Ginos Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide on Patreon!**

Create a free account and purchase this post:

https://www.patreon.com/applesginos/posts/2026-27-apples-168262832

In this episode, Nate talks through the #ZeroG draft strategy and walks through his goalie tiers and rankings for the 2026-27 season.

ZeroG Refresher - 2:58

Tier 1: Vasi - 6:32

Tier 2: Top Guys - 7:37

Tier 3: Big Potential - 10:50

Tier 4: Take Your Pick - 15:59

Tier 5: Roll The Dice - 21:24

Tier 6: Could Draft - 23:37

Tier 7: Don't Draft - 25:11

Tier 8: Yikes - 27:32

Tier 9: They Exist - 28:23

** Sign up for the Apples & Ginos Patron League HERE: https://applesandginos.com/apl/ **

🍎 Apples & Ginos Fantasy Hockey

Fantasy hockey projections, rankings, strategy, sleepers, breakouts and everything you need to dominate your draft.

🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!

Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:

https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos

💬 Join the community:

Discord: https://discord.gg/a3hZkJzK2a

Apples and Ginos on X: https://x.com/ApplesGinos

Blake Creamer on X: https://x.com/BlakeCreamerAG

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesginos/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesandginos

🎧 Listen to the podcast:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mVuWl51pWQ3SYGvXKuKe7?si=ebea8bc7c23046d0

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/apples-ginos-fantasy-hockey-podcast/id1592937637

All platforms: https://linktr.ee/applesandginos

#FantasyHockey #NHLFantasy #HockeyAdvice #WaiverWire #NHL #FantasyHockeyTips #ApplesAndGinos

The Hidden Gems series is back.

Blake is joined by friend of the show Louis Boulet of LB-Hockey to dig into eight Atlantic Division players who may not be obvious fantasy draft targets right now, but absolutely deserve to be on your radar.

We break down what the underlying data says, where the opportunity could come from, and what would need to happen for each player to become genuinely fantasy relevant.

This episode features:

Oliver Kapanen — MTL
Marco Kasper — DET
JJ Peterka — BOS
Jordan Spence — OTT
Dominic James — TBL
Josh Doan — BUF
Brad Marchand — FLA
Jack Roslovic — TOR

From Kapanen’s potential fit with Ivan Demidov, to Kasper’s rebound case, Peterka’s move to Boston, Spence’s hidden offensive ceiling, Dominic James’ transition numbers, Josh Doan’s chaos game, Marchand continuing to defy Father Time, and Roslovic potentially landing beside Auston Matthews — there is a lot bubbling under the surface in the Atlantic.

These aren’t necessarily sleepers. They’re players of interest — names to keep on your watchlist before the rest of your league catches up.

The 2026-27 Apples & Ginos Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide is also available now, featuring 230 pages of team previews, projections, sleepers, injury analysis, draft strategy and more.

And there’s still time to join the APL before the season gets underway.

Let’s get to BIZ.

🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos💬 Join the community:Discord: https://discord.gg/a3hZkJzK2aApples and Ginos on X: https://x.com/ApplesGinosBlake Creamer on X: https://x.com/BlakeCreamerAGInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesginos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesandginos

Join the Trade Talks Trio as they navigate a live mock draft to get ready for the Apples and Ginos Patron League, the most competitive fantasy hockey league in the world! Let's get to Biz!

** Buy the 2026-27 Apples & Ginos Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide on Patreon!**Create a free account and purchase this post:https://www.patreon.com/applesginos/posts/2026-27-apples-168262832In this episode, Nate talks about what needs to align for a player to become a league winner and how continually evaluating the best-case scenario for players helps him unearth these gems. Seven players are touted as potential league-winners for 2026-27:Matthew Schaefer - 4:12Dylan Guenther - 6:32Dylan Holloway - 8:37Brandt Clarke - 10:25Ivan Demidov - 14:21Gavin McKenna - 16:49Cole Hutson - 19:08** Sign up for the Apples & Ginos Patron League HERE: https://applesandginos.com/apl/ **🍎 Apples & Ginos Fantasy HockeyFantasy hockey projections, rankings, strategy, sleepers, breakouts and everything you need to dominate your draft.🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos💬 Join the community:Discord: https://discord.gg/a3hZkJzK2aApples and Ginos on X: https://x.com/ApplesGinosBlake Creamer on X: https://x.com/BlakeCreamerAGInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesginos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesandginos🎧 Listen to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mVuWl51pWQ3SYGvXKuKe7?si=ebea8bc7c23046d0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/apples-ginos-fantasy-hockey-podcast/id1592937637All platforms: https://linktr.ee/applesandginos#FantasyHockey #NHLFantasy #HockeyAdvice #WaiverWire #NHL #FantasyHockeyTips #ApplesAndGinos

Sign up for the Apples & Ginos Patron League HERE

The finish line is here. Nate and Blake wrap up the annual Apples & Ginos projections series with the final four teams: the Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets.

They break down every fantasy-relevant player on each roster, including projected lines, power-play deployment, coaching changes, offseason additions and departures, projection disagreements and their favourite draft targets.

Can Manny Malhotra get Elias Pettersson and Vancouver back on track? Is Zeev Buium ready to take over PP1? What changes under Ryan Craig in Vegas, and how high can Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore climb? Washington suddenly has one of the deepest forward groups in hockey — but who actually gets the premium deployment? And in Winnipeg, are Cole Perfetti and Gabriel Vilardi being overlooked behind the established stars?

Eight episodes. All 32 NHL teams. The projections are officially complete.

Next stop: draft season. Let's get to BIZ!

🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos💬 Join the community:Discord: https://discord.gg/a3hZkJzK2aApples and Ginos on X: https://x.com/ApplesGinosBlake Creamer on X: https://x.com/BlakeCreamerAGInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesginos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesandginos

Join Brian as he walks you through some off-night player draft targets and shares some strategies when you’re torn between two players and the clock is ticking.🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos📧 Sign up for our free fantasy hockey newsletter:https://mailchi.mp/applesandginos/welcome-to-apples-and-ginos-fantasy-hockey – get exclusive content, tips, and player breakdowns straight to your inbox.💬 Join the community:Discord: https://discord.gg/a3hZkJzK2aApples and Ginos on X: https://x.com/ApplesGinosBlake Creamer on X: https://x.com/BlakeCreamerAGInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesginos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesandginos🎧 Listen to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mVuWl51pWQ3SYGvXKuKe7?si=ebea8bc7c23046d0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/apples-ginos-fantasy-hockey-podcast/id1592937637All platforms: https://linktr.ee/applesandginos#FantasyHockey #NHLFantasy #HockeyAdvice #WaiverWire #NHL #FantasyHockeyTips #ApplesAndGinos

Ryan and Evan are on the mic for a deep dive into one of fantasy hockey’s trickiest questions: are injuries actually predictable, or are we just building narratives after the fact?They break down the difference between chronic injury concerns and plain bad luck, how much weight fantasy managers should put on recent games played, and why IR+ can completely change the value equation by allowing you to replace injured production from the waiver wire.Then they put the theory to the test with some of fantasy hockey’s biggest injury-risk names, including Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, Mark Stone, Matthew Tkachuk, Shea Theodore and Dylan Holloway. Which players have legitimate recurring concerns? Which injury histories are mostly a collection of unrelated events? And where is the market potentially discounting players too heavily because of the “injury-prone” label?It’s data, history and risk — with the injury narrative put under the microscope. Let's get to BIZ!

** Sign up for the Apples & Ginos Patron League HERE: https://applesandginos.com/apl/ **

🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos💬 Join the community:Discord: https://discord.gg/a3hZkJzK2aApples and Ginos on X: https://x.com/ApplesGinosBlake Creamer on X: https://x.com/BlakeCreamerAGInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesginos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesandginos🎧 Listen to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mVuWl51pWQ3SYGvXKuKe7?si=ebea8bc7c23046d0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/apples-ginos-fantasy-hockey-podcast/id1592937637All platforms: https://linktr.ee/applesandginos#FantasyHockey #NHLFantasy #HockeyAdvice #WaiverWire #NHL #FantasyHockeyTips #ApplesAndGinos

Nate live streams Drafters best ball drafts and takes questions from viewers.** Sign up for the Apples & Ginos Patron League HERE: https://applesandginos.com/apl/ **🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos💬 Join the community:Discord: https://discord.gg/a3hZkJzK2aApples and Ginos on X: https://x.com/ApplesGinosBlake Creamer on X: https://x.com/BlakeCreamerAGInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesginos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesandginos🎧 Listen to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mVuWl51pWQ3SYGvXKuKe7?si=ebea8bc7c23046d0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/apples-ginos-fantasy-hockey-podcast/id1592937637All platforms: https://linktr.ee/applesandginos#FantasyHockey #NHLFantasy #HockeyAdvice #WaiverWire #NHL #FantasyHockeyTips #ApplesAndGinos

** Sign up for the Apples & Ginos Patron League HERE **

The penultimate episode of our annual projections series is here! Nate and Blake break down every fantasy-relevant player on the St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs and Utah Mammoth.

We discuss projected lines, power-play deployment, coaching tendencies, offseason movement, breakout candidates and our favourite draft targets. Can McMichael and McTavish unlock St. Louis’ secondary scoring? Will John Carlson quarterback Tampa Bay’s top power play? How quickly can Gavin McKenna earn premium deployment in Toronto? And are Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther ready to explode in Utah?

Timestamps:

2:42 – St. Louis Blues

46:21 – Tampa Bay Lightning

1:24:36 – Toronto Maple Leafs

2:08:02 – Utah Mammoth

Advanced statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. Microstats courtesy of All Three Zones. Let's get to BIZ!

🏒 Welcome to Apples and Ginos – Your Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Edge!Every week we dive deep into fantasy hockey insights, player analysis, waiver wire pickups, trade targets, lineup tips, and more to help you dominate your league. Hosted by Nate Groot Nibbelink and Blake Creamer, this channel is dedicated to giving you the tools you need to make smart, informed decisions all season long.🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos, rankings, and updates:https://www.youtube.com/@applesginos💬 Join the community:Discord: https://discord.gg/a3hZkJzK2aApples and Ginos on X: https://x.com/ApplesGinosBlake Creamer on X: https://x.com/BlakeCreamerAGInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/applesginos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applesandginos