One Exciting Youngster from Each NHL Team to Watch out for Next Season

The NHL is a young man's game right now, and with so many young stars giving fans so much excitement each night, the quality of the NHL product is only going to improve in the near future.

That doesn't mean there aren't many veteran stars, but the game is being dominated right now by young players such as Claude Giroux, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Quick.

Let's look at one exciting young player from each NHL team to watch out for next season.

Anaheim Ducks: Emerson Etem

Emerson Etem is going to be an offensive star next season and should be with the Anaheim Ducks for the full 2012-13 year.

He's a talented goal scorer who can make defensemen's lives miserable with his great speed. He will add much needed scoring depth to the Ducks.

Boston Bruins: Dougie Hamilton

Dougie Hamilton is an elite defenseman prospect with great size and a strong two-way game. He led the OHL in points among defensemen this season and was named OHL Defenseman of the Year.

Expect him to be with the Boston Bruins next season.

Buffalo Sabres: Tyler Ennis

Buffalo Sabres forward Tyler Ennis played very well this season, reaching 34 points. At 22 years old, he is one of the best young players on the Sabres.

Expect him to hit 50 points next year.

Calgary Flames: Sven Baertschi

Sven Baertschi is the Calgary Flames' top prospect and scored three goals in just five NHL games this season. 

Expect him to be a big part of the team's future success, starting next season.

Carolina Hurricanes: Zac Dalpe

Zac Dalpe will establish himself next season as a legitimate second- or third-line center for the Carolina Hurricanes and give the team some needed playmaking skills.

Chicago Blackhawks: Brandon Saad

Brandon Saad is one of the Chicago Blackhawks' top prospects and is a big power forward with the ability to score goals and impact the game with his physical play.

Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog

Gabriel Landeskog should win the Calder Trophy this season, but it will be really interesting how he performs in his sophomore season. Will he have an OK year or break out into a legitimate star?

If I were to predict right now, I would lean more towards him being a star.

Columbus Blue Jackets: No. 2 Pick in 2012 NHL Draft

The Columbus Blue Jackets have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft, and will select an exciting young player to lead the team into the future.

The two most likely picks for the Blue Jackets are Canadian defenseman Ryan Murray or Russian forward Mikhail Grigorenko.

Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn

The 22-year-old winger scored 63 points in 71 games this season and should definitely reach point-per-game status on a Dallas Stars team that is strong offensively.

Detroit Red Wings: Gustav Nyquist

Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist is just 22 years old and is going to be a star player in the NHL because of his speed and goal-scoring ability.

I expect him to double or triple the amount of games he played this season (18) next year.

Edmonton Oilers: Jordan Eberle

Jordan Eberle will become a superstar next season and is one of the very best young players in the NHL. There's no reason he can't reach 40 goals next season for the Edmonton Oilers.  

Florida Panthers: Jonathan Huberdeau

Jonathan Huberdeau is one of hockey's elite prospects and will be an offensive star for the Florida Panthers next season with his tremendous goal-scoring and playmaking abilities. 

He has superstar potential.

Los Angeles Kings: Tyler Toffoli

Tyler Toffoli led the OHL in scoring this season with 52 goals for the Ottawa 67s. He will bring a ton of offensive prowess to the Los Angeles Kings next season.

Minnesota Wild: Mikael Granlund

Mikael Granlund projects to be a superstar player with his speed and ability to score goals consistently. He will be a star player in the near future for the Minnesota Wild.

Montreal Canadiens: Louis LeBlanc

Louis LeBlanc is a talented young center with a lot of promise. He had 10 points in 42 games last season and will only get better with more experience.

Nashville Predators: Gabriel Bourque

Nashville Predators winger Gabriel Bourque is just 21 years old and is currently second on the team with five points in the playoffs thus far.

New Jersey Devils: Adam Henrique

Adam Henrique was one of the top rookies this season, scoring 16 goals and dishing out 35 assists. The 22-year-old New Jersey Devils forward will be a legitimate star next season.

New York Islanders: Ryan Strome

Ryan Strome was the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft and will be a great NHL player very soon. His ability to dominate with his superior speed, skating and scoring is remarkable.

New York Rangers: Chris Kreider

Chris Kreider joined the New York Rangers from Boston College at the start of the playoffs and already looks like a veteran star.

He looks very comfortable at the pro level and will be an elite power forward in the next few years.

Ottawa Senators: Kyle Turris

Kyle Turris will break out next season and become a legitimate star next season for the Ottawa Senators. If veteran winger Daniel Alfredsson retires, Turris will be counted on to be a top-tier player next season.

Phoenix Coyotes: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is a future Norris Trophy winner for the Phoenix Coyotes and will become a superstar defenseman next season.

There are a lot of similarities between his game and that of another Swedish d-man, Nicklas Lidstrom.

Philadelphia Flyers: Sean Couturier

Sean Couturier did a wonderful job of defending Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin in the first round of the playoffs and is going to be a two-way star for a long time in Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Simon Despres

Since the Pittsburgh Penguins' biggest weakness is on defense, they need Simon Despres to establish himself as a top-four defenseman over the next two years.

So far, he's headed in the right direction.

San Jose Sharks: Logan Couture

Logan Couture is already a star player, but with the San Jose Sharks needing to get younger next season, I expect him to become the new face of the franchise and reach 40 goals scored.

St. Louis Blues: Alex Pietrangelo

Alex Pietrangelo is arguably the best young defenseman in the NHL and will be a legitimate star for a long time.

His ability to dominate at both ends of the ice is quite impressive for a young player on an elite team.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman

Victor Hedman has slowly developed into a No. 1 defenseman, and next year could be the time when the Lightning d-man becomes a legitimate star.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Joe Colborne

Joe Colborne will be a very good NHL player and needs to be on the Toronto Maple Leafs full-time next season.

He will be a very good power forward if he uses his size and strength to his advantage.

Vancouver Canucks: Nicklas Jensen

Nicklas Jensen will give the Vancouver Canucks exactly what they need; more scoring depth and young offensive talent.

Washington Capitals: Braden Holtby

Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby hasn't played like a rookie during this year's NHL playoffs and has established himself as the future netminder for the team.

His poise and composure for a young player is remarkable.

Winnipeg Jets: Mark Scheifele

Top prospect Mark Scheifele will be the top-line center the Winnipeg Jets franchise has been looking for over the past decade.