Unsung hockey pool heroes

For every big-name player who has lived up to the expectations of the majority who selected them in their entries—Evgeni Malkin and Hendrik Lundqvist come to mind—there are those players, sometimes only selected by one lone entry, that come up with huge performances.

Here are the top surprise performers of the pool so far:

Second Line: Patrick Marleau (SJS)

Marleau’s stellar play has led the San Jose Sharks to the top of the NHL standings, as his nine goals in eight games (as of Feb. 3) leads all players. Marleau leads the players in the second line category with 17 points, with only six points coming from penalty minutes. Marleau was only selected in one pool entry.

Fourth Line: Wayne Simmonds (PHI)

To be fair, it really made no sense to select Simmonds in a box that featured such up-and-coming talent like Evander Kane, Jeff Skinner, and Taylor Hall. And yet, the Flyers winger somehow leads all players in that box with 18.5 fantasy points. Unlike Marleau, the majority of his points come from his 27 PIMs, good for 13.5 pool points. Simmonds was only selected in three entries.

Enforcers: Jared Boll (CBJ)

When picking the enforcers and grinders category, you’re basically looking to select the roughest goon of the bunch. So far this season, Jared Boll has lived up to that reputation. He leads all but one skater with 23 pool points, all but one of those coming via 44 PIMs. Boll was only selected in three entries.

Grinders: Ryane Clowe (SJS)

On the opposite end of the spectrum from his teammate Marleau, Clowe leads his category with 23.5 points. Like Boll, most of them have come from penalties. But, more interestingly, 35 of his 39 penalty minutes came in one game against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 27. That 17.5 point haul pushed him well ahead of all other players in his category. Clowe was only chosen in one entry.

Top 25 (as of Feb. 4):

1. cptwish 144.00

2. 1960 yankees 141.50

3. Beautiful Bettman 141.50

4. HoneyNutChelios 141.00

5. Obie 140.50

6. The Whale Tale 139.00

7. Puckeaters 137.00

8. Bombers 134.50

9. Team Baldo 134.00

10. Return of the Kings 133.50

11. heydiddlediddlerayriceupthemiddle 132.50

12. Winnipeg Unchained 132.50

13. Teemu’s Salami 131.50

14. Team Blue Ivy 130.00

15. Don’t cry, I was Olli Jokinen 129.50

16. Crusty Muffins 128.50

17. Wardo’s Winners 128.00

18. Beans 127.50

19. Tastes Like Burning 127.50

20. Team Discovery Channel 127.50

21. The Jack N’ Hoff Team 127.50

22. Malkin in the Middle 126.00

23. Three Mile Corner 124.50

24. Captain Morgan’s Booty 124.00

25. Oil Lube 123.00