Young American players energizing league

TAMPA, Fla. — Steven Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, P.K. Subban, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Henrik Lundquist, Marc-Andre Fleury.

Most of the biggest names in hockey will be center-stage Sunday in the NHL All-Star game.

So will Auston Matthews and a wave of other young American players energizing a league benefiting from an infusion of speed and skill.

Matthews, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, is just 20 years old and already a twotime All-Star.

Jack Eichel, the second pick in 2015, is a first-time All-Star at age 21. Noah Hanifin, 21, and Conner Hellebuyck, 24, are making their debuts as well, while 20-year-old Brock Boeser is the lone rookie joining the party at Amalie Arena. All are Americans.

“It’s crazy. ... This is my 10th year, I’ll be 28 in the next couple of weeks, and I feel like an old guy,” said Stamkos, a Canadian who is a five-time All-Star and was voted captain of the Atlantic Division team for a winnertake-all, three-game tournament played in a three-on-three format.

“It’s pretty amazing to see how young the league has become, but even more amazing to see how good these kids are coming up,” Stamkos added. “It just goes to show you the skill, and just how ready these 18-, 19-year-old kids are right away to step into this league, where 10, 15 years ago, it was unheard of to do that.”

Matthews, of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was the first U.S.-born player drafted No. 1 overall since Patrick Kane in 2007. Boeser leads all rookies with 24 goals and 43 points for the Vancouver Canucks, while Eichel has 20 goals and 49 points for the Buffalo Sabres.

“Really impressive. The quality of USA hockey, we have a lot of young players that are developing fast, coming into the league and having a ton of success. It’s pretty cool to see,” said Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler, a first-time All-Star at 31.

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