Foreign talent is rising, but look out for Americans

Sporting News, The, Dec 14, 1998 by Mike Keenan

A poll of Swedish players recently ranked Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom and Toronto's Mats Sundin as the best Swedes in the league, with Colorado's Peter Forsberg a close third.

One of the biggest changes over the years in the NHL has been where the top talent comes from. In this decade alone, the number of players from countries other than the U.S. and Canada rose from 6 percent in 1989-90 to 22 percent in 1997-98. And with the arrival of these players, the game has received a boost in quality.

Sweden continues to be a major supplier of NHL talent, and the country's influence can be seen across the league. Sundin, Forsberg, Lidstrom, Daniel Alfredsson and Mattias Ohlund, plus Tommy Salo--that's a team of All-Star-caliber players. Remember, Sweden recently won the World Championships, and the country has solid developmental programs and a good national league.

But we shouldn't overlook the success of American hockey programs in providing more talented players each year. We are seeing young players like Vancouver's Bill Muckalt--who was born in British Columbia but played college hockey at Michigan-make an impact quickly.

Five of the league's top goal scorers are Americans. Also, they're all from the Northeast and have collegiate experience. What's not to like about talented players like Keith Tkachuk, John LeClair, Bill Guerin, Tony Amonte and Paul Kariya? These are all great offensive talents.

Excellent coaching and competition make college programs a great training ground. Players have more time to work on skills and have less wear and tear than you would see in minor pro programs.

Canucks coach Mike Keenan is in his 14th season behind an NHL bench and his second as an exclusive NHL analyst for The Sporting News. E-mail him at keenan@sportingnews.com and look for his weekly e-mailbag at sportingnews.com.