The Best NHL Players Aged 21-and-Under
With the development of youth hockey programs throughout North America and Europe, young players are entering the National Hockey League much more prepared for immediate playing time and impact. In celebration of these young stars, here are the NHL’s best players that are 21 or under. It is important to note that these players aren’t young prospects, but players who have already delivered strong performances.
Steven Stamkos: At the tender age of 20, Stamkos tied for a League leading 51 goals with Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009-10. The youngster also finished fifth in points with 91. Stamkos was also the NHL’s most impressive power play scorer with resounding 24 goals on the advantage (second place only had 18).
Stamkos had an average rookie season with 23 goals, but now looks like he will be a very important part of Tampa’s offence, alongside veterans Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.
Patrick Kane: Kane is entering his fourth NHL season, but will outgrow this distinction when he turns 22 in November. The Chicago Blackhawks’ right wing was drafted No. 1 by the Blackhawks in 2007 and has been overachieving since then. He won the Calder Trophy in 2008 and even scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Blackhawks this year.
Kane has already established himself as top-level talent and looks on pace to remain a team leader for years to come.
John Tavares: The 19-year-old Tavares was drafted No. 1 overall by the struggling New York Islanders in 2009. He started for the team immediately and had about as much offensive impact as anyone could on the League’s worst franchise.
In his rookie season, and with almost zero support, Tavares had 24 goals and 30 assists. He will be a cornerstone for the Islanders’ rebuilding efforts, but could soon outgrow the franchise if they do not give him proper reinforcement.
Drew Doughty: Doughty was the second pick after Stamkos in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old is currently the best defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings and has already been a Norris Trophy finalist. Doughty is an offensively oriented defender, and this season he had an impressive 16 goals and 59 points. Doughty was also the youngest player and a major part of the gold medal-winning Canadian Olympic ice hockey team in the most recent Winter Olympics.
Tyler Myers: Although only 20, Myers is an intimidating 6-8, 222 pounds. The Buffalo Sabres drafted the Canadian defenseman No. 12 overall, and have gotten themselves quite a steal. Myers won last year’s Calder Trophy for the best rookie performance and had 11 goals and 48 points while averaging 23:44 of on-ice time.
Matt Duchene: The 19-year-old was the third overall pick by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2009 Draft, but went on to be the first overall rookie scorer. Although he had a slight late-season slump, Duchene put up 24 goals and a rookie-leading 55 point while playing an almost full season of 81 games. The rookie was also a major part of the Avalanche’s turnaround from last in the Western Conference to a playoff team. Duchene even showed impressive playoff potential with three assists in six playoff games.
Josh Bailey: Bailey is perhaps Tavares’s best support and has played two impressive seasons for the New York Islanders since his selection in 2008. The forward certainly has some growing to do, but seems on pace to continue growing into a reliable starting player.
Bailey had 16 goals and 35 points in his second NHL season and could remain in Long Island for a long time with Tavares if the Islanders franchise rebuilds properly.
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