from John Kreiser of NHL.com,

Hockey in the United States tends to be defined by big events, including the gold-medal game at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics, the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" gold-medal game in Lake Placid, and the championship win at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. There were also silver medals at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics.

The next era in U.S. hockey may be defined by the young talent already making their mark in the NHL. The emergence of players from the Sunbelt and other non-traditional hockey areas should continue to add to that talent base.

Here are the top 10 U.S.-born NHL players who are 25 and under:

Goaltender

John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks

Age: 23

Born: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2016-17 stats: 25-16-9, 2.22 goals-against average, .924 save percentage

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