Saturday's Notable Pre-Season Players

The Flyers played one last game in the Spectrum in Philadelphia and leading the memory march was forward Mike Richards, who made the most of the game with two shorthanded goals.  Richards, who also played on a line with Daniel Briere and the recovered winger, Simon Gagne, should be leading the charge for the Flyers and should generate a lot of interest in the higher picks of the late first round or early second round. Richards shouldn't disappoint this year.

The Devils upended the Rangers in pre-season play on Saturday, 4-2, led by enigmatic winger, Patrik Elias, who sported a pair of goals and added an assist.  Elias has been one tough nut to crack for poolies, as he hasn't provided a very consistant career to analyze.  Last season, he did appear in 74 games for the Devils, scoring 20 goals, but he has been better.  It is probably best to keep your expectations low on Elias when drafting him, because there is a good chance he won't see 80+ points again.  There are several reasons why he possibly could, but his own numbers suggest that it would be a major bonus if he does.

Capitals forward, Chris Bourque, scored the winning goal against Boston and added an assist in the game to be the most notable player in the 4-3 Washington win.  Bourque, 22, played in four games for the Caps last season, not registering a point, is looking to finally crack the team on a full-tiime basis this year.

The New York Islanders continued their tour of Eastern Canada against a Florida team that has been on the road for this whole pre-season as well.  The Islanders dominated the game, winning 4-2.  Frans Neilsen was the most notable player for the Islanders scoring two goals and adding two assists.  A very impressive outing for the youngster.  Nielsen played in 16 games for the Islanders last season, scoring two goals and adding an assist.  He could be a good addition to the Islanders this year.

The Senators used everyone in their win against the Canadiens on Saturday, as they close out their North American pre-season.  The Sens cleaned up their roster after the game and were heading off across the pond.  Of note, the Sens were not afraid to put the big three (Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza) back together for a shift or two, where they actually scored the insurance marker in the third period.

The Sabres snuck past the Maple Leafs on Saturday night, 3-2 in overtime, as Maxim Afinogenov was the catalyst of the win, with three assists.  Afinogenov is coming off an injury-plagued season, where he only saw 56 games and scored a sub-par 10 goals.  The Sabres will need him to pick his game back up to a place where he was before to be completely successful.  It's hard to say whether or not he'll have a full rebound season, so try and make him a sleeper pick in your pool, rather than trying to bank on his old form.

A name to look for in your hockey pool draft would be Patric Hornqvist from the Predators. Hornqvist, 21, is a name that the Predators have wanted to get in their line-up for some time now and it looks like they will try and insert him in their line-up for a couple more pre-season games to make sure he's ready for the big time.  His career projection, according to the Forecaster, is a top six winger, so keep an eye out for him.  He'll be a good sleeper pick.

The Canucks had a bright spot in their pre-season game, as Jannik Hansen made a push for a forward spot in the line-up with a goal and an assist in the game against San Jose. The Canucks won 3-2. Hansen, a late round pick in 2004, has had a long look in the past couple training camps, but has fallen short in each of them.  On a team that needs some offense, it's Hansen's time to pick up his game.