Sidney Crosby and the Top 10 Players Under 25

It is hard to say that players under 25 years old in the NHL are the next big thing in hockey.  We have already seen Sidney Crosby become a superstar and Alex Ovechkin was the best player in hockey even before he turned 23.

The current stage of hockey is as young as any sport in the world.  And not just young, but also extremely talented.

There is no other sport with this much youth dominating the game.

Even in baseball, we will not see Bryce Harper play for the Washington Nationals for another couple of years at age 20.

At 20 years old, Matt Duchene is already making a name for himself with the Colorado Avalanche.

Hockey's future is bright with these crop of players under 25 already taking the talent-level in the NHL up several notches.

Here are the top players under the age of 25 in the NHL.

10. Logan Couture

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  32

Assists:  24

Points:  56

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If it is not enough to fight for offense with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley on one of the best teams in the Western Conference, then Couture's runner-up finish for the Calder Trophy should be.

The 22-year-old put up 56 points in his first full season in the NHL and played a key part in the Sharks' run to the Western Conference Finals.

There is a need for more assists from him, being that he is a center, but his natural sense for the game should give him a long and productive career in the NHL.

9. Claude Giroux

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  25

Assists:  51

Points:  76

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Giroux really came onto the scene in just his second full season in the NHL. 

Earning ice time around the likes of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, the 23-year-old proved he can produce in the NHL by tallying 76 points in 2010.

Now with Richards and Carter gone, 2011 is the year Giroux fully opens up and shows what talent he really has as he takes his young career to the next level.

8. Matt Duchene

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  27

Assists:  40

Points:  67

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Duchene has averages just under 20 minutes of ice time per game, but at such a young age, he has totaled 55 and 67 points in two seasons in the NHL.

Duchene is the next big thing thing in hockey, and at 20 years old, he proved it with a bid to the All-Star Game last season.  Also, he is already one of the best in the face-off circle.

The sky is the limit for this kid.

7. Anze Kopitar

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  25

Assists:  48

Points:  73

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Kopitar has produced since entering the NHL in 2006.  His point totals in his first three seasons read 61, 77 and 66.

However, it is his last two seasons that have really separated him as one of the best in the game, even at 23.

Kopitar put up 81 points last season and followed that up with 73 points this past season in only 75 games.  His absence from the playoffs sue to injury put a shot in the Kings' Stanley Cup hopes in 2011.

With the Kings adding Mike Richards to the mix, along with a talented young core on offense and defense, Kopitar is poised to take this team to the top of the Western Conference next season.

6. Nicklas Backstrom

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  18

Assists:  47

Points:  65

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The fourth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, Backstrom has lived up to the hype of being dubbed the next offensive weapon next to Alex Ovechkin.

His 2011 season was a sheer disappointment, though, as many saw his 2010 101-point season and immediately thought superstar.

The 23-year-old  is one of those players that just gets it on the ice.  He understands his role with Ovechkin playing, and that was displayed in his final assist total of 68 in 2010.

The Ovechkin/Backstrom show is only just beginning in Washington.

5. Jonathan Toews

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  32

Assists:  44

Points:  76

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There is something to be said for a 21-year-old becoming the captain of the Stanley Cup champions.  Toews did just that back in 2010 when he led the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup victory.

Now at 23, Toews is still the captain and producing more than ever.

With Patrick Kane and Toews, the Blackhawks have a solid core built to win games for the next several years.  Toews leads that charge.

Scoring 76 point sin 2011, it seems that Toews' best days are still ahead of him.

4. Drew Doughty

2010-11 Stats:

Goals: 11

Assists: 29

Points:  40

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The best young defenceman in the NHL today, Doughty can do just about everything on you can possibly want a blueliner to do.

There is a lot to be said for a defenceman that can put up points, defend and get physical when needed to, and the 21-year-old does all of that.

Those are just some reasons why you cannot blame the Kings for wanting to lock up Doughty for the next decade.

3. Patrick Kane

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  27

Assists:  46

Points:  73

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Chicago got the extra push they needed to win the Stanley Cup when they drafted Kane with the No. 1 overall pick in 2007.  Three years and 230 points later, Kane and the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.

Also, it is good to have an American-born hockey player this close to the top this list, meaning the future of hockey is bright in the U.S.

The duo of Kane and Toews will have the Blackhawks in contention for the next several years.

2. Steven Stamkos

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  45

Assists:  46

Points:  91

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Blame Barry Melrose for Stamkos' slow start to his career, not the kid's adaptability.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2008 took just two years to eclipse the 90-point mark in the NHL.  He has yet to look back.  In three seasons, the 21-year-old has had had seasons of 46, 95 and 91 points.

Although he was rare to be found in the 2011 playoffs, it is hard to blame such a young and talented player this early in his career.

Expect his point totals to only increase in the years to come.

1. Sidney Crosby

2010-11 Stats:

Goals:  32

Assists:  34

Points:  66

Plus-20

*(41 games played in 2010)

It is hard to believe that Crosby is still only 23 years old the way he has dominated the game.  It is easier to believe when you realize that Crosby has scored over 100 points in four of his first six NHL years.  That includes his first two seasons of 102 and 120 points respectively.

Can we even call Crosby the "next big thing" in hockey, when he has been just that for the past six seasons?

His recent injury may set him back just a tad, but expect Crosby to return to triple-digit point totals sooner than later.