In case you don’t know, “sleepers” are players who could be picked in the later rounds of the draft (or even not at all) but could break out for a terrific season and provide a valuable asset to your fantasy team. Hockey has no shortage of these “sleepers”, as every year there are quite a handful that either break out or are not covered enough to become household names. Here are some guys you may want to keep an eye on and snag late in the draft.

Starting off with forwards, Dallas Stars Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn are your perennial sleepers. The two could possibly be referred to as the most underrated players in the league, as they get little media coverage yet still put up big numbers. With an improved Stars roster this season, look for these two to improve even more.

Other forwards that are similar to Eriksson and Benn are Dave Bolland of Chicago and Teddy Purcell of Tampa Bay. Bolland is usually overshadowed by stars like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but he is a huge part of the talented Blackhawks’ roster and could be very valuable to your team. Purcell is the same story, overshadowed by names like Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier; however, Purcell is possibly the most underrated player in the league and can really put up some big points night in and night out.

Forwards that could be poised to have breakout years are Valtteri Filppula or Detroit, Cody Hodgson of Buffalo, and Mikkel Boedker of Phoenix. Filppula had a big year in 2011-12 playing with Henrik Zetterberg and should be expected to increase his production even more in 2012-13. Hodgson was a big prospect in the Canucks organization and had an outstanding rookie campaign before being dealt to Buffalo. His production could take off this year. Lastly, Boedker had a great playoff run with the Coyotes, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that success carried through this season.

Next up are defensemen, three of which stand out. Niklas Kronwall of Detroit, Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Phoenix, and Roman Josi of Nashville may be guys to keep your eyes on. First of all, Kronwall moves in to the No.1 defense spot in Hockeytown due to Nicklas Lidstrom’s retirement. He could put up some big numbers (especially hits) with more ice time.

Ekman-Larsson, like his teammate Mikkel Boedker, had a great postseason run and could be poised to break out this season as well. Roman Josi is an interesting selection, but he will likely be Shea Weber’s defense partner this season. It is easy to see how Weber’s skill could have padded Ryan Suter’s numbers; it could be the same story with Josi.

Lastly, there are three goalies that stand out as sleepers: Craig Anderson of Ottawa, Kari Lehtonen of Dallas, and Jonas Hiller of Anaheim. Anderson may not be your guy for Goals-Against Average, as the Senators tend to give up a lot of shots; however, if your league counts saves, Anderson could really help you out.

Also, Kari Lehtonen may not qualify as too much of a sleeper, but expect him to have a great year in Dallas with an improved Stars team and consider picking him earlier than you would want. Finally, Jonas Hiller has shown terrific skills in the past, but he had a lackluster 2011-12 after missing a lot of the 2010-11 season with vertigo. If he regains his form from before, he is one of the top goalies in hockey.

It’s impossible to tell how all of these guys will pan out, but they could be safe bets that have a lot of potential to overachieve. If you get them before others do, you may have a surprisingly good fantasy hockey team.