A second round pick in 2008, Zac Dalpe's stock has risen rather quickly in the Hurricanes organization over the last year. This has mainly been due to the near flawless transition into his first pro season. Where many prospects tend to struggle with an adjustment period, Dalpe has proven he is ready for the pro game.

Dalpe went the college route and played his hockey at Ohio State. There he proved he can be an offensive force by amassing 70 points in 76 games. Impressed by his play there, Albany called him up late in the 2009-10 season where he caught fire with 8 points in 9 games. He followed that up by notching 57 points in 61 games last season, in his first year with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. He also had a brief 15 game callup stint with the Hurricanes last season in which he was very impressive and also added 3 goals.

Another great strength of Dalpe's game is his abilities on special teams. He is very strong on the power play and finished with 7 goals on the man advantage last year with the Checkers, and despite playing in only 61 games that was good enough for third best on the team. Dalpe can also be an asset on the penalty kill as he also tallied two shorthanded goals which was tied for top spot on Charlotte this past season.

Dalpe's time on the penalty kill has shown he can be a complete player and not just focus on offense. He posted a plus-7 mark last season in the AHL and he was even in his 15 game run in the NHL. Often a weak defensive game hampers a player's ability to play at the NHL level sooner, but this doesn't appear to be an issue for Dalpe. At 6'1 and 195 lbs, he has decent size to fit into the pro game and shouldn't be muscled off the puck or be mismatched physically against his opponents. In addition he isn't afraid to shoot the puck as he recorded 170 shots in 61 games for the Checkers last season and 16 shots in just 15 games with the Canes. This is encouraging for poolies as a centermen who loves to shoot is not always easy to find.

His 15 game NHL run not withstanding, Dalpe has shown other signs he is a big-game performer and can handle the pressure of intense hockey. He was second on the Checkers in playoff scoring this spring with 13 points in 16 postseason games.

There is little doubt Dalpe will be with the Hurricanes full-time next season. Great news for those who already had him in keeper leagues or for those looking for a possible sleeper in upcoming drafts. He looks to be slotted behind Eric Staal and Brandon Sutter on the center depth chart for Carolina, but there is a chance he could find time on the second line and certainly in power play situations.

Dalpe is a player who has a great chance to make an impact as early as next season. With an exciting rookie class he may have a difficult time repeating Hurricane Jeff Skinner's Calder winning performance from a season ago, but he should be a productive player none the less. He can help you out in a number of categories and his youth means he should be a potent force for many seasons to come.

Nice article. I agree he is an excellent sleeper pick as he is sure to be in the NHL this season and may play a significant role soon.
Great job, keep them coming, my draft is Saturday!

__________________
Follow me on twitter: @pharling
Follow my blog at: http://fantasyhockeynerd.blogspot.com/

Dalpe is quickly become the sleeper pick turned favourite haha,

I think his day's of being a "sleeper" are long gone (especially on DH).

Good write up though.