Article from USA Today
Forward Colten St. Clair is considered one of the top 1992-born players in the U.S. and maybe even in the world. When he was 14 he committed to play college hockey at Colorado College.
"Colten reminds me of a European player," said his coach, Jim Johnson, a former NHL defenseman. "He skates very low to the ice. He has a great skating stride, with determination. He is direct in his movements. There is no fluff to his game. He plays hard, and he's just explosive."
But here's the most surprising aspect of his resume: He's from Gilbert, Ariz.
St. Clair's rise through the Arizona youth hockey system is symbolic of the changing face of American hockey. Although there is still debate in the hockey world about the success of NHL's expansion to the Sun Belt region, there is no denying that it helped expand the American player pool and created interest where none previously existed.
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