NHL Power Rankings: Is Steven Stamkos Really The Next One?

Happy birthday Steven Stamkos! Today he turns 21. The quiet Canadian from Ontario will likely have a low-key celebration tonight. He's never been flashy.

Maybe that's why Steven Stamkos has often gotten lost in the shuffle. He came into the NHL in 2008, to a league already dominated by top superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. After Crosby and Ovechkin, there were many other stars next in line for the spotlight.

Stamkos also entered the league into a dismal Tampa Bay Lightning team, at the height of their dark days. If anyone on the Lightning received attention, it would have been captain Vincent Lecavalier or Marty St. Louis.

But Stamkos worked tirelessly, seemingly out of the public eye. Perhaps that's what helped him prosper, outside of intense media scrutiny. Last season, in just his second year in the league, Stamkos tied Crosby with 51 goals to win the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the league in goals.

Crosby has been touted as "The Next One" ever since "The Great One" himself anointed Crosby "The Next One" when Crosby was just 14. One can't help but think that maybe that honor should be bestowed upon Stamkos instead of Crosby.

Yesterday, over halfway through the season, Stamkos scored his 40th goal of the year. It was lost in the shuffle of Super Bowl Sunday and overshadowed by the NHL's biggest story: the Capitals-Penguins rivalry.

Since the beginning of this year, Stamkos has been vying with Crosby for league leader in goals and points. With Crosby's injury taking him out of the lineup, Stamkos has been able to overcome Crosby for sole lead. Stamkos still has 28 games left to play in the season. It's very likely that he will surpass his career-best 51 goals soon.

He's only 11 shy of tying it.

Perhaps Stamkos hasn't received as much attention because the Lightning haven't been playoff contenders the past few years.

That will change this year. The Lightning lead the Southeast division, a division that has been dominated by the Washington Capitals the past couple seasons. They are four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Stamkos has already been shining in Tampa, quickly becoming a fan favorite and face of the franchise. 

By next year, he may be a face of the NHL as well.