Nashville Predators general manager David Poile has earned a reputation as an astute hockey executive with a knack for plucking and developing talent from the NHL draft.
One of Poile's latest such finds is rising Finnish star Eeli Tolvanen.
Tolvanen was selected by the Predators with the second-last pick in the first round of the 2017 draft, 30th overall. He's been playing in Finland this season with KHL side Jokerit, making him eligible to compete for the Finns at the 2018 Olympics.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Through the first two games of the men's tournament, Tolvanen has easily been the best forward at PyeongChang, racking up three goals and three assists - good enough for the tournament lead in points at six.
Obviously, this edition of the Olympics lacks current NHLers, but Tolvanen's early performance is impressive all the same - he is, after all, just 18 years old.
Tolvanen cut his chops in the USHL for the Sioux City Musketeers, and is a proven producer at every level he's played at. He followed up 92 points in 101 games for the Musketeers with 17 goals and 17 assists in 47 games for Jokerit this season.
While his two-game showing at PyeongChang 2018 is sure to drive up demand to have him playing in North America sooner than later, it's Tolvanen's sensational season in the KHL that should have Predators fans lining up to get his name stitched on their jerseys.
Tolvanen become the youngest player in the KHL to register a hat trick at 18 years and 123 days old, and for an encore, notched his second trick a few games later.
Back-to-back rookie-of-the-month honors cemented the teenager as a prospect with legitimate NHL potential.
World Junior Championship, KHL, Olympics - Tolvanen has turned heads everywhere he has played this year. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 187 pounds, he may have limited size, but he more than makes up for it with quick feet, pinpoint accuracy, and slick hands.
If Team Finland has a medal by the end of next week, Tolvanen will assuredly be a big reason.
In the third running of theScore's NHL Player Power Rankings, editor Craig Hagerman orders the top players from around the league this season - with extra consideration given to their performances this month.
Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in the NHL and Ovechkin continues to prove he's among the best at it.
The Washington Capitals captain still tops the league in the category with 34 and is on pace to finish with 48, so it's not out of the question he could hit the 50-goal mark for the eighth time in his career.
Regardless, he's already matched his goal total from last season and is four points back of last season's output.
While he might rank slightly behind his two Pittsburgh Penguins teammates on this list, Kessel's stellar season certainly shouldn't be overlooked.
The 30-year-old is having by far his most productive year since being dealt from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's four points away from hitting last season's total of 70, and his 24 goals are just two shy of his 2016 tally.
Kessel has been arguably the team MVP this season, seeming to find great chemistry with Evgeni Malkin, and is just another reason you can't ever count out the Penguins.
The NHL is a better place when Stamkos is healthy, just not for opposing goaltenders.
The Tampa Bay Lightning captain is enjoying his most productive season since the 2011-12 campaign when he put up 60 goals and 97 points. He won't hit nearly the same amount of goals this season, but with 67 points in 58 games, he is on pace for 94, the third-highest total of his career.
It pays to have the likely Art Ross Trophy winner playing on your wing, particularly when he's fully fit.
If you're not convinced the Nashville Predators are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, consider the facts: the club has arguably the best defense corps and one of the best netminders going.
Rinne has been a stud this season after putting up respectable numbers last year. The 35-year-old has recorded just two fewer wins in 42 games than he did in 61 appearances last term.
He's rocking a .925 save percentage - good enough for sixth league-wide - and ranks second in shutouts with five and ninth in goals-against average with a 2.36 mark.
Gaudreau may have fallen from his peak at No. 1 on this list, but you'd better believe he's still lighting it up.
With an assist against the Predators on Thursday night, Gaudreau pushed his current point streak to eight games. He's now just 10 points off his career high of 78, set back during the 2015-16 season
The Calgary Flames are hanging on to a playoff spot but will need more of this kind of production from Gaudreau if they are to stay there.
Crosby jumped out of the gate this season with 10 points in eight games, before hitting a slight lull between mid-October and into early November when he put up just three points in 11 outings.
Then he erupted.
Recently, Crosby's been his usual dangerous self, especially since the calendar flipped. In the New Year, Sid has gone pointless just three times in 19 games, while tallying a whopping 31 points in that span.
Kucherov refuses to concede his lead on the NHL points race.
The Lightning sniper has held the baton for the better part of the season and with a five-game point streak that has yielded 10 points, it seems he doesn't plan on giving up his spot.
In the meantime, he is now just nine points back of the career-high 85 set last season and is on pace to conclude the year with 107.
Move over Stamkos and Kucherov, as the title of "best line in hockey" has been re-awarded to the trio in Boston. Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak have been electric for the better part of two months, and Bergeron has been the best of the three.
His offense has been off the chart and he remains as steady in his own end as ever, as well as one of the best faceoff men in the league.
If his current pace keeps up, he should easily surpass his career high of 32 goals and could very well become the first player since Sergei Fedorov in 1994 to win both the Selke Trophy and the Hart Trophy in the same season.
1. Evgeni Malkin
Previously unranked
GP
G
A
P
P/PG
5-on-5 CF%
55
32
34
66
1.20
51.51
Malkin vaults into first place largely thanks to a monstrous January.
The 31-year-old went off for 12 goals and 19 points in 12 games and followed that up with another six goals and eight points in three outings in the first week of February.
The scoring onslaught has pushed Malkin into a share of fourth in the Art Ross Trophy race, 10 points back of Kucherov for the league lead. His production has also helped the Penguins jump back into a playoff spot, where they will soon begin their quest for a third straight Stanley Cup.
Honorable Mentions
Taylor Hall- Hall has put up a 16-game point streak and is quietly starting to enter the Hart Trophy conversation. His 60 points in 52 games are already more than the 53 he put up all of last season, and with four more goals, he'll surpass his personal best scoring tally of 27.
Claude Giroux- Like Hall, Giroux has already eclipsed last season's production. His 66 points in 57 games have him on pace to set a new career best above the 93 set back during the 2011-12 season.
Tuukka Rask - Rask will most certainly be in the Vezina Trophy conversation at the end of the year, barring a major collapse. The 30-year-old has gone 23-9-4 in 37 games and sits comfortably with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. If Bergeron wasn't playing so well, it could be argued he's been the team's MVP this season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins grinder, who is black, followed through on a prediction to Willie O'Ree, who broke the NHL's color barrier about 60 years ago.
"I met Ryan for the first time (Thursday) in the dressing room, and he told me he was going to get a goal for me, (and) he got a goal for me," O'Ree told Penguins TV's Celina Pompeani, not long after Reaves opened the scoring against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
Here's O'Ree being interviewed at the game, and eventually confirming that Reaves predicted he'd light the lamp for the hockey icon.
Reaves on his goal: "With Willie O'Ree in the house, it was pretty special. He's a pioneer for players like me and it was nice getting him one."
"I don't know if you've seen my scoring touch," Reaves added jokingly. "But I said I was going to have a good game for him, hopefully get him one, and I did."
O'Ree is an official ambassador for the NHL's Hockey is for Everyone Month.
The 32-year-old turned away all 50 shots thrown his way as the Islanders bested the New York Rangers 3-0. For Halak, the 50-save performance was just one save shy of Glenn Healey's 51-save shutout on Jan. 16, 1990 for the most saves in an Islanders shutout win.
Meanwhile, it marked the first shutout for Halak since Apr. 6, 2017, when he turned away all 29 shots against the Carolina Hurricanes.
As for the workload, it was nothing new for the goalie, who has now faced 50 or more shots in two straight games. He was peppered with 51 shots in the team's 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
It's been a night of firsts for a couple of players who were recently dealt for each other.
Both of the principals in Tuesday's trade between the Ottawa Senators and the Los Angeles Kings paid rather instant dividends in their respective debuts.
The streak is now the longest in franchise history, according to NHL Public Relations.
During the streak Hall has picked up 11 goals and 24 points, giving him 60 points on the season, putting him clear of the 20 goals and 53 points he had all of last season.
The 28-year-old has one year left on his contract after this season with a $4.7-million cap hit, making McDonagh more than merely a rental player.
That being said, the Rangers' front office appears ready to sell its assets after releasing a statement notifying fans that they can expect many moves as the club looks to rebuild.
McDonagh is in his eighth season with the Rangers where he's put up two goals and 26 points in 49 games.
The 36-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent next season so the Panthers may look to collect some assets rather than let him walk for nothing.
In saying that, it's unlikely Vrbata will be able to garner much in any potential deal since he's managed just five goals and 13 points in 36 games this season.
