It’s easy sometimes to get hung up on draft order and value players taken in the first round while ignoring those hidden gems in the next six rounds.  They’re usually hard to spot right away unless you happen to have some inside information and even that can be a little suspect at times.

What seems toughest for some fantasy GMs to get their heads around are undrafted players.  They often come out of nowhere and they are often dismissed way to easily as second, third, or fourth line guys because we have no point of reference.

The experts keep referring to Tyler Bozak as a second line centre because he’s not that big and, let’s face it, he’s kind of untagged merchandise.  It’s like finding something in the bargain bin, but despite the obvious quality you just know somehow that it’s not grade ‘A’ stuff.

Bozak was hurt in his last year of college hockey and as such flew well under the radar.  The fact he wasn’t drafted really doesn’t change his skill set except of course to potentially make him hungrier (no first round-itis).

A few college kids were surveyed during that season (2008-09) and when asked who the best player in the country was, his name kept coming up.  At the time he was listed on some programs as 6’0” and 165 lbs.  At one time he was that slight, but like many kids, he’s filled out and has gained an inch too.

There are no real deficits to Bozak’s game making him an easy choice for coaches and his speed is stunning – probably top quarter of the league.  His hands are very soft and he sees the ice extremely well, finding his man and threading the needle with his passes.

In his last year of college hockey Bozak had eight goals and 15 assists in just 19 games, so the sample size was a bit small.  The same can be said for his eight goals and 19 assists in 37 NHL games.  Those numbers prorate out to 17 goals and 42 assists for a full season.  Just as impressive is how his hits prorate to 115.  Bozak will never be accused of being a power forward, but the combination of skill and willingness to get dirty makes him a player to watch.

He’s arrived fashionably late, but oh what an entrance.  For this undrafted pivot the party’s just getting started.