Ten Young Players to Watch in the NHL

With the NHL season underway, the crop of good young players seem to be endless. Evgeni Malkin has finally come from Russia and made a huge impact on the league. In Denver, the latest son of hall-of-fame forward Peter Stastny is looking like his father, even wearing his number. Matt Careland is shoring up San Jose’s blue line with his prowess. Don’t forget about the sophomores. Guys like Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Marek Svatos are genuine superstars, and are making an impact on their teams. With all this young talent in the league, here are ten players to watch in the years to come. Evgeni Malkin – Center, Pittsburgh Penguins

    If there is a loose puck in front of the net, Evgeni Malkin will make sure that he embarrasses a goalie with it. In the history of the national hockey league, there has only been three players who have scored at least one goal in their first six games, Montreal’s Joe Malone scored in his first fourteen games in 1917, Ottawa’s Cy Denneny scored in his first twelve games, and Malone’s teammate Newsy Lalonde lit the lamp eight times in the game season. Think about it, Malkin is doing something that hasn’t been done in almost ninety years.

 Still not impressed? His six-foot-three frame gives him the reach of Mats Sundin, and his near 200-pound frame will give him an advantage over the bigger players in the league. Many people would have loved to see Malkin in his prime drive the net versus Scott Stevens in his prime. Also, he is going to be a second line center for a few years, he is a teammate with that Sidney Crosby kid. The only knock on this kid is the fact he is still raw. If that’s the only downside, grab your popcorn; we’re watching the next Mario Lemeiux.

Marek Svatos – Forward, Colorado Avalanche

    Speed kills, and Svatos have plenty of it. As a puck hawk, Marek is a master of finishing plays. Another factor that doesn’t hurt, he gets to learn how to play in the NHL from Joe Sakic and Milan Hedjuk. Already in his second year, Svatos is looking like a masterful passer. He was an outside contender for the Calder, until a shoulder injury ended his season with nineteen games to go. The major rubs against Svatos are his small stature, and his injury risk. Svatos has to protect his right shoulder, which has cost him parts of two seasons. Also, his small frame is a major problem for him when charging the net. He is only five-foot-ten and weighs 170 pounds, which means he’s a ping-pong ball for the bigger defensemen in the league. Svatos should also think about working on his defensive game if he wants a Hall-of-Fame career.

Petr Prucha- Center, New York Rangers

    Prucha proved it possible that you can play in New York and come out of nowhere. With all the talk of Crosby and Ovechkin, Prucha started last season on fire, until injuries and a cold streak hit him. This year, he’s off to prove that he is not a fluke. Prucha might only be six-feet and 170-pounds, but he won’t back down from anyone. The kid owns a great pair of hands and feet, and he knows how to use them to embarrass defenders. The main problem is, he’s small for a forward, and needs to beef up a little. Also, he’s very questionable on his defensive game. However, watch this kid become a franchise player.

Dion Phaneuf – Defense, Calgary Flames

    Phaneuf is a defensive genius. Oh, did I mention that he’s also the quarterback of their power play? He’s already drawing comparisons to Rob Blake and even Ray Bourque. In just his second season, Dion has found his way to the first pairing with Robyn Regehr, and don’t be surprised in 2010 if he’s quarterbacking Canada’s power play as well. His shot has to be in the top ten right now. He would be a killer in a skills competition, especially because his shot is not just hard, it’s accurate. Dion isn’t shy about taking shots either. His only struggle, if you want to call it that, is in zone coverage. He needs to trust his teammates more, and not do so much himself. That’s something that will be cured with over time. This kid is the total package, and will become a threat to all of Ray Bourque’s records.

Ryan Miller – Goalie, Buffalo Sabres

    Last season, Buffalo had a three-headed monster in goal. It didn’t matter who they had, they kept pucks out of the net. Miller just happens to be the most talented of the three, sending Mika Noronen to Vancouver. Miller is currently the biggest threat to Rick DiPetrio to backstop team USA in the 2010 Olympics. This season, he’s on pace to win sixty games, which is mind blowing. He’s one of the most aggressive goalies in the game, and has the ability to dominate. He can pick up a shooter’s tendency quickly, and can adjust. If he can add more bulk, and keep his quickness, he will be a legit threat to Patrick Roy’s goaltending wins record, and could quite possibly be the backbone of a dynasty in Buffalo, cementing him as the greatest goalie of all time. Sabres fans should count themselves as extremely lucky to be watching such a talent.

Sidney Crosby – Center, Pittsburgh Penguins

    What is there to say about “Sid the Kid” that already hasn’t been said? Here’s something, he makes the players around him better. He is already one of the elite passers in the league, thanks to his strong lower body. He’s also smart as a whip with the puck, and can do things that not very many elite players can do with the puck. If you really want to know how good this kid’s going to be, just look at his awards in juniors, they take up about half a page. Yet, Crosby does have some flaws, he needs some major work on his face-offs and his defensive game is questionable at best. Both of these can be overcome with Crosby’s work ethic. For all of his press coverage, he is a very down-to-Earth kid. The pressure will not get to him, and in ten years, Wayne Gretzky will be just another guy on the all time points list. In a few years, the NHL will have a great rivalry with Ovechkin and Crosby.

Alexander Ovechkin – Forward, Washington Capitals

    If you want a safe bet for the 2010 Olympics, it’s on Russia. There is only one Russian that Ovechkin can even be put in the same class with, Pavel Bure. The kid is huge, and will look to terrorize the front of the net. Like Bure, Ovechkin has major offensive flair. His shot has to be one of the most accurate in the league. Confidence is defiantly not a problem for him either. He always talks a huge game. However, like Steve Spurrier found out with the Redskins, a few years in Washington will humble a man. There might not be a better place to test one’s mental toughness then in Washington, but if the team doesn’t start turning it around soon, Ovechkin’s time in the nation’s capital will be limited, and he will take his show to some place where he can win Stanley Cups.

Paul Statsny- Center, Colorado Avalanche

    Hockey fans might know his father well, especially those of the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Satsny is a Hall-of-Fame forward who played to the Quebec Nordiques, and was one of the first European players to make the NHL. Like his father, he is one of the better two-way players in the league. He also uses his smaller six-foot frame to his advantage, and plays like a big man. Thanks to his father being a Hall-of-Fame member, his maturity is well beyond his years. Unlike his father, Statsny is not a natural goal-scorer, which may come in handy when he’s promoted to the first line to center Svatos and Hedjuk. He is a great face-off man, which is something that will help him on the penalty kills. Paul could end up being just a second line center, but if he works hard on his scoring touch, he could be a franchise player.

Henrik Lundquist- Goalie, New York Rangers

    He’s already a Veznia finalist. Lundqust was a star even before he came to Broadway, outplaying Tommy Salo and became the starter for the Swedish Olympic team. He makes saves he has absolutely no business saving. His athleticism allows him to overcome his small size, but he still has problems with getting beat upstairs. He excels extremely well under pressure, winning the gold for Sweden this past Olympics, and made thirteen saves in New York’s thirteen round marathon shootout. Lundquist could backstop the Rangers into an Eastern Conference finals meeting with Buffalo, and Ryan Miller. We could be watching the greatest goalie duel since Patrick Roy and Martin Broudeur. In the end, with Lundquist between the pipes, Rangers fans might not have to wait fifty-six more years for a Stanley Cup.

Anze Kopitar – Center, Los Angeles Kings

    Everyone in Hollywood was busy talking about the return of Rob Blake this off-season. However, with the eleventh pick in 2005, they may have found their franchise. Kopitar has amazing size at six-foot-four and 220-pounds. He’s a monster in front of the net, and is an elite face-off man. His work ethic allows him to improve game by game, especially on the offensive side.  He also has amazing skating power and balance. His defensive play needs to improve, if this kid wants to be the franchise for the Kings, also he needs to trust his line mates a bit more, but that will be improved over time. Another positive for this kid is the fact he can eat ice time. Kopitar is already averaging twenty-two minutes per game, if that keeps up; he will be a top ten center in the NHL.

    Those are just ten of the players you need to keep on the lookout for in the new NHL. You could really go to about twenty or thirty players, especially with guys like Cam Ward of Carolina, Ryan Craig of Tampa, Kyle Wellwood of Toronto, and Kari Lethonen of Atlanta. The new look NHL is really for the kids, and it’s showing.