50 KIDS TO WATCH THIS YEAR NOT NAMED CROSBY, OVECHKIN AND MALKIN

The NHL is in full swing and right away the league’s youth movement is making its presence felt in a big way. The game is getting younger and faster and the kids are recharging a product that desperately needed a shot of adrenaline to the heart. I do hope that the league takes notice of the fact that there are some amazing kids playing today and contributing early and often. This is the perfect time to start promoting these kids to help carry the flag and put the NHL back on the tongues of sports fans and the media. There is a ton to get excited about in these kids and the league’s future looks bright with them on board, so I can’t help but feel like the league should tap into its youth movement and package it as a must see product. Look beyond Crosby, Ovechkin and Malkin and see what today’s youth has to offer. So far it looks damn good.

Only problem is this is the NHL I’m talking about and the league has a history of “missing the boat” when it comes to opportunity to promote itself. So, with that said, I’m going to give you a list of 50 kids (in order of age) to watch this year NOT named Crosby, Ovechkin and Malkin, because I'm not sure the league will.

50. Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning – 18
49. Colton Gillies – Minnesota Wild – 19
48. Jakub Voracek – Columbus Blue Jackets – 19
47. Brandon Sutter – Carolina Hurricanes – 19
46. Kyle Turris – Phoenix Coyotes – 19
45. Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks – 19
44. Mikkel Boedker – Phoenix Coyotes – 19
43. Kyle Okposo – New York Islanders – 20
42. Bryan Little – Atlanta Thrashers – 20
41. Milan Lucic – Boston Bruins – 20
40. Wayne Simmonds – Los Angeles Kings – 20
39. David Perron – St. Louis Blues – 20
38. Peter Mueller – Phoenix Coyotes – 20
37. Patrik Berglund – St. Louis Blues – 20
36. Nicklas Backstrom – Washington Capitals – 20
35. Jordan Staal – Pittsburgh Penguins – 20
34. Jonathon Towes – Chicago Blackhawks – 20
33. Viktor Tikhonov – Phoenix Coyotes – 20
32. Phil Kessel – Boston Bruins – 21
31. Devin Setoguchi – San Jose Sharks – 21
30. Sergei Kostitsyn – Montreal Canadiens – 21
29. Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings – 21
28. Guillaume Latendresse – Montreal Canadiens - 21
27. Marc-Edouard Vlasic – San Jose Sharks – 21
26. Vladimir Sobotka – Boston Bruins – 21
25. Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens – 21
24. Derick Brassard – Columbus Blue Jackets – 21
23. Tyler Kennedy – Pittsburgh Penguins – 22
22. Wojtek Wolski – Colorado Avalanche – 22
21. Brandon Dubinsky – New York Rangers – 22
20. Kris Versteeg – Chicago Blackhawks – 22
19. Paul Stastny – Colorado Avalanche – 22
18. David Krejci – Boston Bruins – 22
17. Patrick Kaleta – Buffalo Sabres – 22
16. Blake Wheeler – Boston Bruins – 22
15. Lucas Kaspar – San Jose Sharks – 23
14. Kyle Quincey – Los Angeles Kings – 23
13. Steve Bernier – Vancouver Canucks – 23
12. Ryan Suter – Nashville Predators – 23
11. Mike Richards – Philadelphia Flyers – 23
10. Milan Michalek – San Jose Sharks – 23
9. Fabian Brunnstrom – Dallas Stars – 23
8. Jeff Carter – Philadelphia Flyers – 23
7. Mike Green – Washington Capitals – 23
6. Robert Nilsson – Edmonton Oilers – 23
5. Patrick O’Sullivan – Los Angeles Kings – 23
4. Shea Weber – Nashville Predators – 23
3. David Booth – Florida Panthers – 23
2. Andrei Kostitsyn – Montreal Canadiens – 23
1. Dion Phaneuf – Calgary Flames - 23