The Kids' Table: My Prospect Valentines

The Kids' Table: What Is Love?

True love is hard to find. Sometimes you think you've found true love and you catch the early flight home from San Diego to find your girlfriend... well, you know how the rest goes. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, it's important to remember two things: 1, It's pretty much a made-up holiday. And 2, At least you get to eat as much chocolate as you want without anyone judging you.

In all seriousness, though, I've got nothing against V-Day. I know I sound like a bitter old man, but that probably has more to do with what day of the week it is. Fact is, the more time you spend living your life, the less you care about celebrating (or not celebrating) Valentine's Day on Feb. 14. Instead, you learn to celebrate your love for more important (or less important) things. Celebrate your love for movies with a marathon featuring nothing but sappy rom-coms from the '80s. Or try hitting up some food spots you've heard about, but haven't tried yet (because everybody loves food, right?).

This isn't to assume that you don't have a significant other to celebrate V-Day with. If you do, that's awesome; if you don't, that's awesome too.

Since we're here to talk hockey, the most logical way to celebrate Valentine's Day is to remember the prospects we've loved and lost. Throw on some afternoon puck Sunday -- it's the first time this year (no football) that we've got some NHL games early on -- and see what youngsters may be up to help your team in the near future. If you're having trouble, that's where I come in. Here are some prospects I'm currently crushing on.

Travis Konecny, C/LW, Sarnia Sting

I've had the hots for Konecny since he was drafted in the first round last year by the Flyers, and I just can't help but mention him first here. He spent 89 games over the past two seasons as the captain of the Ottawa 67's before being dealt to Sarnia, where he's really flourished.

Konecny-PHI has been one of the best players in major junior since being dealt to Sarnia. 27 points 63 SOG in 15 OHL games.

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) February 7, 2016

On top of that, Konecny has 10 goals and 23 points in 13 games with the Sting, who are fighting to make the playoffs in the OHL. The feisty forward is one of those players who Flyers fans are going to absolutely love, but everyone else is going to hate with a burning passion. Not only is Konecny going to be good for plenty of points, he'll also be a contributor in both hits and shots on goal at the next level.

Michael Dal Colle, LW/C, Kingston Frontenacs

Dal Colle, like Konecny, is a first-round pick (No. 5 in 2014 by the Islanders) and top prospect who was traded out of a miserable situation and into a much more appealing one in the junior ranks. The captain of the Oshawa Generals prior to being dealt, he's been a completely different player with Kingston.

Let's compare, shall we?
With Oshawa before the trade: eight goals, 17 assists and a minus-13 rating in 30 games.
With Kingston and sharpshooter Spencer Watson on his line: 15 goals, 16 assists and a plus-14 rating in 14 games.

I'd like to think that nobody was starting to doubt Dal Colle, considering he's such a special talent, but when scouts and fans start to see a dip in offensive production at the junior level, they usually begin to panic. Hush now, Isles fans and fantasy owners; there's no need to worry about Dall Colle.

Samuel Girard, D, Shawinigan Cataractes

I wanted to talk about Girard a bit in last week's column, but never got the chance because there were so many players to cover. Well, my feelings towards Girard haven't changed much in a week.

The 2016-eligible Girard may be small in stature (5-foot-9), but he's got so much love to give, especially if you're scouting him for your dynasty team. With the Cataractes this season, Girard has six goals and 44 assists over 50 games, leading all QMJHL defensemen in points. He may be a liability on defense right now, but that won't matter as much as he progresses and gets to the next level.

The NHL game has been changing over the last decade and a half from a league centered around containment and defense to one that welcomes speed and offensive skill. This fits Girard to a T, and I fully expect whichever team lands him to fall in love with his creativity and playmaking ability. I'm not going to say he's going to be the next Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang, but if not Girard, then who?

Julius Honka, D, Texas Stars

Let's get away from the junior level for a second and head up to the AHL, where there are plenty of young prospects to be excited about this season. Overshadowed by all the forwards having success is Honka, who ranks sixth among AHL defensemen in points with 32 in 51 games this season. That already matches last season's total by the 2014 No. 14 overall pick, with plenty of games to spare.

If you're targeting young D-men for your dynasty squad, there may not be a better option than Honka. He's pretty much proven himself at the AHL level, so his chances are landing on the Stars' loaded offensive roster next season are incredibly high. On top of that, he's got a shot to be paired with John Klingberg, who's currently tied for second in the NHL for points among defensemen (44). Even if Honka doesn't start the season with Klingberg, his offensive ability is way too good to keep him from getting time on the power play; the Stars have the fifth-ranked man advantage this season, converting at a 21.2 percent clip.

Honka may need the... wait for it... Stars to align in order to make a fantasy impact next season, but once they do, you'll be falling in love with him just like all the fans in Dallas.

Matt Murray, G, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

There hasn't been a more lovable goaltender in the AHL this season than Murray, a third-round pick by the Penguins in 2012. WBS is currently in first place in its division and likely wouldn't be there if not for Murray standing on his head most nights. He's struggled a bit lately, but that hasn't diminished his overall stats at all. In 27 games this season, Murray is 18-8-0 with a 2.05 GAA and .932 save percentage. He also made a short stop in Pittsburgh, going 2-1-1 with a 1.72 GAA and .938 save percentage in four starts.

The AHL resume is sparkling and the cup of coffee in the NHL shows that Murray's ready to take on more responsibility. The Penguins situation is still hard to predict at this point because the team is starting to get it together and is back in the thick of the playoff race in the Metropolitan Division. Sidney Crosby is playing out of his skull and it doesn't appear that Pittsburgh will go through a gigantic roster overhaul. Starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't been spectacular this season, but he remains under contract until 2019.

Chances are Murray will be the backup to Fleury next season and should slowly take over a larger share of the workload as the veteran closes in on his mid-30s. This could potentially line Murray up to be the Penguins' goaltender during a period of time when the team is legitimately competing for the Stanley Cup. If your dynasty team is in need of goalie help, Murray may take some patience, but will definitely pay dividends in the next three seasons or so.