*NHL.com identifies the most valuable players and biggest surprises at each position in fantasy hockey from the 2022-23 season.***MORE FANTASY COVERAGE:**[Top 250, next season](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-fantasy-hockey-top-250-200-rankings-drafts-players-big-board/c-281505474?tid=277729150)|[DFS picks](https://www.nhl.com/news/dfs-nhl-expert-picks-fantasy-hockey-daily-fanduel-draftkings-targets-props-tonight-today/c-306672908?tid=277729150)[Playoff pool rankings](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-playoffs-pools-fantasy-hockey-players-rankings-postseason-2023/c-317145132?tid=277729150)|[Keepers](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-fantasy-hockey-keeper-dynasty-league-rankings-players-prospects/c-291137298?tid=277729150)**Overall & forward MVP:**Connor McDavid, EDM (average draft position: 1.0)**Defenseman MVP:**Dougie Hamilton, NJD (ADP: 101.4)**Goalie MVP:**Linus Ullmark, BOS (ADP: 146.3)**Biggest forward steal:**Tage Thompson, BUF (ADP: 141.4)*-Honorable mention: Andrei Kuzmenko, VAN (ADP: 170.2)***Biggest D-man steal:**Josh Morrissey, WPG (ADP: 165.0)*-Honorable mention: Brandon Montour, FLA (ADP: 156.6)***Biggest goalie steal:**Filip Gustavsson, MIN (undrafted on average)*-Honorable mention: Vitek Vanecek, NJD (ADP: 173.0)***Bounce-back player of the season:**Erik Karlsson, SJS (ADP: 133.5)*-Honorable mention: Jamie Benn, DAL (ADP: 163.4)***Breakout player of the season:**Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM (ADP: 140.0)*-Honorable mention: Clayton Keller, ARI (144.0)***Top rookie:**Matty Beniers, SEA (ADP: 160.8)*-Honorable mention: Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR (182.2)**---***Listen: ["NHL Fantasy on Ice" podcast](https://audioboom.com/channel/nhl-fantasy-on-ice)**