When it comes to winning fantasy hockey championships, quality depth is just as important as securing stars. With the season around the corner, here are five sleepers to target late in the draft that can push your team over the top.

Average draft position and lineup eligibility courtesy: Yahoo!

5. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Panthers

2020-21 stats: 6 G, 30 A, 3 PPP, 101 SOG, 118 HIT, 83 BLK
ADP: 111.5

Weegar broke out in a big way for the Panthers last season, posting career bests across the board while taking on a larger role in the club's top four. He's not a power-play cornerstone you can build a team around like Cale Makar, but there's a lot to like about what Weegar brings to the table.

The 27-year-old led all defensemen with 31 even-strength points last season, and his sterling underlying metrics indicate he likely won't regress. Additionally, Weegar provides steady hits and blocks if you participate in a banger league.

4. Cal Petersen, G, Kings

2020-21 stats: 35 GP, 9 W, .911 SV%, 2.89 GAA
ADP: 170.8

Petersen's numbers from last season don't exactly scream "No. 1 fantasy goalie," but he could be a perfect late-round target to stabilize the second half of your tandem in the crease. The 27-year-old is taking the reins as Los Angeles' top goalie with a better team in front of him following the Kings' quality offseason. In theory, L.A.'s new roster, along with playing in a weak Pacific Division, should prop up Petersen's win totals.

When considering Petersen, take into account he's posted a .916 save percentage across 54 career appearances for a Kings team that's been rebuilding his entire career. There's lots of potential here.

3. Drake Batherson, RW, Senators

2020-21 stats: 17 G, 17 A, 15 PPP, 111 SOG, 102 HIT, 29 BLK
ADP: 175.1

Now's the time to invest in Batherson's stock after he finally showed signs last season of being the player the Senators have been hoping to see. The 23-year-old was Ottawa's third-most prolific scorer in 2020-21, and he's going to be a staple in the club's top six going forward. In fact, he was one-third of an impressive top line, featuring Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk, that managed a 54.9% expected goals rate in 247 five-on-five minutes together.

Additionally, Batherson throws his weight around a fair amount, which bodes well for his value if your league includes hits. His shot totals are also decent, and they're likely to increase considering he averaged only 16 minutes per contest last season.

2. Conor Garland, LW/RW, Canucks

2020-21 stats: 12 G, 27 A, 10 PPP, 135 SOG, 26 HIT, 19 BLK
ADP: 174.1

Garland has been hiding in the desert in recent years, but he now has a chance to break out in his debut season with the Canucks. A skilled, play-driving winger, Garland has an opportunity to play with better players than ever before following Vancouver's blockbuster trade with the Coyotes this summer.

Whether he's stapled to Elias Pettersson's flank - provided Pettersson signs soon - or Bo Horvat's, Garland is a strong candidate to produce career highs this season. He won't bring much in terms of hits and blocks, but his boxcar stats and shots should be enough to warrant your attention.

1. Jack Hughes, C/LW, Devils

2020-21 stats: 11 G, 20 A, 7 PPP, 142 SOG, 15 HIT, 15 BLK
ADP: 143.1

Consider us aboard the Hughes hype train. The 2019 No. 1 pick saw a significant boost in ice time last season and ended up second on the Devils in scoring. He also showed signs that his newfound footing in the big leagues is sustainable, finishing on the positive side of goal share, shot attempts, and expected goals at five-on-five.

Perhaps most importantly from a fantasy perspective, New Jersey got significantly better this offseason. Hughes - who should share major minutes with Dougie Hamilton and potentially Tomas Tatar - now has the supporting talent he's been missing during his career. Some eager general managers may be willing to take a risk on Hughes early in the draft, but if he slides in your league, be sure to pounce.

Honorable mentions:

• Jonathan Toews, C, Blackhawks
• Josh Norris, C, Senators
• Neal Pionk, D, Jets
• Ilya Sorokin, G, Islanders
• Sam Bennett, C/RW, Panthers

Advanced Stats Courtesy: Evolving-Hockey

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Men's rosters for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing will be finalized in early January, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Competing countries have until Oct. 15 to submit their long list - roughly 50 players - so they can be subject to drug testing, LeBrun adds.

The NHL, IIHF, NHLPA, and IOC struck an agreement to return to the Olympics in September. The NHL sent players to the games from 1998-14, but sat out the 2018 tournament in PyeongChang.

The men's tournament is scheduled to run from Feb. 9 to Feb. 20.

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The last six Norris Trophy recipients have all been first-time winners, and today we're looking at three other defensemen who are good value to extend that run.

Only listing players with odds 40-1 or shorter.

Dougie Hamilton (+1200)

Hamilton doesn't get enough credit for how good he is. Over the last three years at five-on-five, he's led all defensemen in Corsi For rating and expected goals for percentage. He also posted a strong plus-38 goal differential in that span. He's as good as there is in terms of driving play and tilting the ice in his team's favor.

Hamilton is also a remarkably consistent offensive producer. He has scored at least 10 goals in seven consecutive seasons. His overall production has quietly reached new heights, as he's averaged 66 points per 82 games over the last two years.

He is walking into a pretty nice situation in New Jersey, where he'll be the undisputed No. 1 defenseman and play a ton of minutes in all situations. There's plenty of talent to move the puck up to, headlined by former first overall picks Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. And the system is tailor-made for a player like Hamilton; Lindy Ruff is all about playing with pace and will give the green light to Hamilton when it comes to jumping into the play.

If Hamilton has a big offensive season and can help the Devils sneak into the playoffs, he'll garner real consideration for some hardware.

Aaron Ekblad (+2000)

Ekblad was the talk of the town in the first half of the COVID-19-shortened 2021 season. He was logging more than 25 minutes per night for the surprisingly good Panthers and scoring goals at a torrid pace, finding the back of the net 11 times in just 35 games.

His season ended prematurely due to injury, but the level at which Ekblad was playing was extremely high, and people were taking notice. He received a lot of the credit for Florida's eye-opening season.

The Panthers are now firmly on everyone's radar and, on paper, could be even better than a year ago. A full season of Sam Bennett - who was fantastic following a change of scenery - and newly acquired Sam Reinhart will make Florida more potent up front. Ekblad's return makes them that much better on defense.

If the 2021-22 version of Ekblad is anything like the guy we saw prior to his injury, he could become the first Panthers player to win the Norris.

Darnell Nurse (+4000)

Personally, I think Nurse is a little overrated. That doesn't matter, though because I'm not the one voting on the awards.

On the surface, it's easy to see why so many voters love him. Nurse is a big, strong defender who isn't afraid to throw his weight around, which endears him to a lot of people; so does his ability to handle extreme workloads. Nurse played upward of 26 minutes per game a season ago. Logging big minutes, playing physical, and producing points are all things that get you noticed. Nurse meets the criteria.

While Dave Tippett would probably like to lessen the burden on Nurse - 25-plus minutes is a lot to play over an 82-game season - I'm not sure the Oilers have the horses on defense to make that happen.

Nurse is likely heading for extreme usage once again. Whether he's efficient or not, he's going to put up a bunch of points. Doing so, while playing the physical style many traditionalists gravitate toward, makes him a great value to win the Norris.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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