Fantasy Hockey Players with Hot Starts: Pavel Dorofeyev, Zack Bolduc and More

Hey folks! Today, we are going to dive into five players who have either exploded in their first few games, achieving higher than expected fantasy points per game, or are performing at an all new level for them based on career statistics.

It's a small sample size, so you should hedge your bets. That said, these players are worth keeping an eye on, grabbing if still on your waiver wire, or targeting in your early season trades.

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Pavel Dorofeyev - Vegas Golden Knights

Dorofeyev started the season with a bang. And by bang we mean with a hat trick. He has continued this trend in all three of his games, and has scored a goal in each one.

Starting the season on the top line with Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner was a pipe dream for owners to keep this deployment, and as last year Dorofeyev finds himself up and down the lineup, ending game three on the third forward line.

Luckily, the one constant that he has is his cemented spot on the top powerplay line, where he has scored four of his five goals. There will be nights where Dorofeyov is up the lineup, and there will be nights he slides down to a bottom or middle six role, but his powerplay deployment isn't going anywhere and is something you will be able to count on all season long.

Dorofeyev has five goals, zero assists, and four powerplay points in three games played as a forward. He also has 12 shots on goal, zero hits, and one blocked shot.

Shane Pinto - Ottawa Senators

Pinto is looking like his return from his 40+ game suspension, where he tore up the league having nearly 30 points in 40 games after missing the first half of the season. Last year, he only had 10 more points over a full season, but so far is having a great start.

One of the most added players in week one, he is killing it with linemates Claude Giroux and Ridly Greig. He is firing at the net at an elite level, and though he hasn't scored on the powerplay yet, he is also enjoying some special teams on the top unit with Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and Jake Sanderson. We'll see if that sticks.

Pinto has four goals, one assist, and zero powerplay points in three games played as a forward. He also has nine shots on goal, two hits, and two blocked shots.

Dmitri Voronkov - Columbus Blue Jackets

Another player slated to start the season on the top line but has slid down into the middle six is Voronkov. He is also holding a firm spot on the powerplay, but is bouncing between the top and second unit. Voronkov has been deployed up and down the lineup and is averaging just over 15 minutes of TOI per game.

This hasn't stopped his production, though as he is playing at a point per game pace. The low risk, high reward for this mostly undrafted or late-round pick is worth it though. While the Blue Jackets still seem to be a gamble as a whole, nobody can really pinpoint what they are yet. They had a very successful season last year, and will either go back to being a bottom feeding team, or keep the momentum they gained last year. 

My bet is more success than failure, especially having their young core, including Voronkov, take another step forward with a season more experience behind them. Columbus is trying to propel their team forward like cannon fire, so let's see how they fare until the Christmas break.

Voronkov has two goals, two assists, and zero powerplay points in three games played as a forward. He also has eight shots on goal, six hits, and one blocked shot.

Zachary Bolduc - Montreal Canadiens

The former St. Louis Blue who just last year split the season between the NHL and AHL has entered Montreal on a mission. This middle six forward has earned a spot on the top powerplay unit with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson and is out performing his ADP by a country mile.

Bolduc has a goal in every game he has played and scoring at an elite level, also adding physicality to his game. Is this likely to continue? Probably not. But right now, he is a firm hold, as long as he is getting top unit powerplay time with the young superstar core in Montreal.

Bolduc has three goals, one assist, and two powerplay points in three games played as a forward. He also has 10 shots on goal, four hits, and zero blocked shots.

For now, ride this wave of success and see where it ends up over the next month of two. If he is on your waiver wire still, he should be an immediate grab and holds more than a streamer value.

Brent Burns - Colorado Avalanche

Clearly the altitude in Colorado is too high for father time to get to. Burns, albeit a small sample size, has seemingly turned back the clock and has evolved his game quickly to fit the needs of his new squad.

Less the powerplay specialist shooting from the point and hammering home goals like Alex Ovechkin, and more an even strength defensive defenseman, Burns is picking up a lot of peripheral value while settling into a supportive role.

He has no special teams time on this absolutely stacked hockey club, but is still finding a way to contribute at 40 years old.

I would be wary of his shot blocking rate to continue throughout the season, as it does take a toll on his aging body, coupled with his lack of special teams deployment. Don't be fooled by this overachieving fantasy point stacking early on here, but if you've grabbed him as a streamer you are seeing early season success here.

If possible, move Burns on his early-season point streak and use his name brand as added value and capitalize on some nostalgia against one of your opponent general managers.

Burns has zero goals, two assists, and one powerplay point in four games played as a defenseman. He also has 10 shots on goal, one hit, and six blocked shots.