The Colorado were the biggest surprise team of the 2013-14 season. While their season certainly didn’t end the way they would have liked, they exceeded the preseason expectations by a mile, or several.

Rookie coach Patrick Roy’s return to the NHL was impressive as he led the Avs to a Central Division title, overcoming mighty Chicago and St. Louis along the way. Roy took home the Jack Adams Award given to the top coach in the NHL as a result of his team’s fine form.

Roy seemed to get the most out of a talented bunch that had underachieved under Joe Sacco. The no-nonsense intensity that Roy displayed during his playing days translated well to his new role with Colorado behind the bench. Particularly impressive was how well the goaltenders responded knowing they had arguably the greatest goaltender in history watching their every move.

Colorado will look to build on the success of the previous year by making some more noise in the playoffs. A seven-game upset at the hands of the Minnesota Wild will serve to motivate the team heading into 2014-15. Here are five players that will certainly have fire in their bellies and worth grabbing for your fantasy roster.

Matt Duchene, C

The top statistical player and most dangerous player up front is Duchene. He showed what he could do when he gets a (relatively) full season to play. Averaging almost a point per game through 70 games, Duchene won’t last through the first few rounds of your fantasy draft.

Nathan MacKinnon, C

NHL players don’t seem to have sophomore slumps anymore, which means you can expect even bigger things from the reigning Calder Trophy winner. MacKinnon seemed light years ahead of the learning curve last season as an 18-year old. More will be expected of MacKinnon this year and he’s a lock to be drafted in the first three rounds.

Ryan O’Reilly, C

Contract negotiations haven’t seemed to bother Colorado’s second line center who also took home some hardware as the Lady Byng recipient. The 23-year old had a solid statistical showing with 64 points in 80 games. He typically draws the top defensive assignments but is still a quality selection as a center in the later rounds.

Gabriel Landeskog, LW

Lest we forget that the Avalanche captain is only 21, turning 22 in November, when we remember that he has already been in the NHL for a few years. One season removed from a dizzying couple of concussions, expect Landeskog to turn it up to the next level as a premier NHL power forward. As his young body starts to pack on the pounds of muscle, Landeskog can be looked at as a possible 40-45-goal scorer that finishes checks. He won’t last past the third round.

Semyon Varlamov, G

I still consider Varlamov a bit of a wildcard if only because of his history of injuries. Last year despite facing serious criminal charges, a young and struggling (at times) defense in front of him, and a tempestuous former all-world goaltender as a head coach, he put up his best numbers ever. I wouldn’t bet on the same numbers again for the 26-year old Russian, then again, no one thought he would be that good last year. I wouldn’t put Varlamov in my top five and he’d be a stretch in the top ten goaltenders overall. He’s a clear-cut starter on a good team though, so he’ll rack up wins, as long as he stays healthy.