In hockey, franchise cornerstones can come in different shapes and sizes. Skilled scorers, big-minute defensemen, rock-solid goaltenders and born leaders can all evolve into the types of players who ignite crowds, sell merchandise and become captain material someday.
Franchise cornerstones aren't always high draft picks, either. Think of players like Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom, a six-year captain and three-time Stanley Cup winner who was drafted in the third round in 1989, or 13-year captain Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators, who was chosen in the sixth round in 1994.
Mark Giordano was an undrafted defenseman who has played his best hockey since being named captain of the Calgary Flames at the beginning of the 2013-14 season.
Who will be the next generation of players to make themselves unforgettable to fans of their franchises? I've defined "rising stars" as players whose NHL careers to date have been played on their entry-level contracts.
We've seen a significant sample of what they can do at the big league level but, for the most part, they're not yet established as top-line stars.
Here are the top 10 young guns ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Carol Schram
Rising NHL Stars Most Likely to Develop into Franchise Cornerstones
September 5th, 2015 by Carol Schram Leave a reply »
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