Friday, September 16, 2011

30 in 30: Top NHL Fantasy Sleeper Picks - Florida Panthers

It’s almost time for those annual fantasy hockey drafts. While most drafts feature the same players going in the first two rounds, it’s those players that you take in the mid-late rounds that will win you your league. Here’s the twelfth of the thirty players that could be great sleeper picks in your draft this year.

Scott Clemmensen – Florida Panthers
Position – Goaltender
Height – 6’3”
Weight – 205
Drafted – 8th Round, 215th Overall, 1997 NHL Entry Draft
2010/2011 Stats – 31GP, 8W, 11L, 7OTL, 1SO, .911SV%, 2.62GAA

Goaltending can be at a premium depending on your league settings. It seems like in most drafts when one person selects a goaltender there tends to be a run on them as most guys will panic and try and secure a legitimate number one goalie who will get the majority of starts for their team. In some cases you might need to take a team’s backup goaltender to fill some bench positions.  Scott Clemmensen could be the perfect guy for that role this year.

Last season Clemmensen served as the backup to Tomas Vokoun. Of course Vokoun got the majority of the starts with Clemmensen appearing in 31 games. He ended the season with an 8-11-7 record and a very respectable .911 save percentage and a 2.62 GAA. Those are some impressive stats for the backup goalie on one of the worst teams in the league.  

With Vokoun now playing for the Washington Capitals, the Panthers went out and signed veteran Jose Theodore. Theodore spent last season as a backup in Minnesota. It’s safe to say that Theodore will probably be names the team’s starter this season but look for him to be given a short leash. You could very well see him and Clemmensen split time between the pipes this year with the better goalie getting the call for most games. Both players had identical stats last year with Theodore appearing in 32 games and finished with a .916 save percentage and a 2.71 GAA. In most fantasy leagues players will probably be more willing to take Theodore who’s the bigger name but you could end up getting just as many starts this year out of Scott Clemmensen.

Previous Sleeper Picks:
Day 1 - Anaheim Ducks
Day 2 - Boston Bruins
Day 3 - Buffalo Sabres
Day 4 - Calgary Flames
Day 5 - Carolina Hurricanes
Day 6 - Chicago Blackhawks
Day 7 - Colorado Avalanche
Day 8 - Columbus Blue Jackets
Day 9 - Dallas Stars
Day 10 - Detroit Red-Wings
Day 11 - Edmonton Oilers

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