We're keeping an eye on the feeder leagues for you... here's an update on some of the key prospects, has-beens and other notables playing in the AHL, Canadian Junior, NCAA and Europe.
Highlights so far include:
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Hot starts in the pros for AHL rookies Tim Kennedy, Nate Gerbe, Claude Giroux and Oskar Osala.
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Some high profile goalies are struggling in the AHL.
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John Tavares and Taylor Hall, probably the #1 overall picks in the next two drafts, battle it out for the OHL scoring title.
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Colin Wilson and James Van Riemsdyk are two guys that could be playing in the NHL but chose to stay in school and will team up for Team USA at the World Juniors.
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In Europe... Florida's '08 2nd rounder, goalie Jacob Markstrom, is having a outstanding season in the Swedish Elite League and '09 lottery picks Victor Hedman and Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi are also acqutting themselves very well in the SEL.
Stats as of December 8th.
| Player | Pos | NHL Team | League | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | |
| AHL | |||||||||
| Zubov, Ilya | F | Ott | AHL | Binghamton | 20 | 10 | 15 | 25 | |
| Joensuu, Jesse | F | NYI | AHL | Bridgeport | 22 | 10 | 2 | 12 | |
| Hillen, Jack | D | NYI | AHL | Bridgeport | 15 | 4 | 5 | 9 | |
| Sterling, Brett | F | Atl | AHL | Chicago | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | |
| Leino, Ville | F | Det | AHL | Grand Rapids | 22 | 4 | 16 | 20 | |
| Pacioretty, Max | F | Mtl | AHL | Hamilton | 25 | 3 | 13 | 16 | |
| Anisimov, Artem | F | NYR | AHL | Hartford | 24 | 11 | 12 | 23 | |
| Sanguinetti, Bobby | D | NYR | AHL | Hartford | 24 | 2 | 13 | 15 | |
| Osala, Oskar | F | Wsh | AHL | Hershey | 26 | 16 | 6 | 22 | |
| Varlamov, Simeon | G | Wsh | AHL | Hershey | 12 | 10W | 2.29 | .908 | |
| Purcell, Teddy | F | LA | AHL | Manchester | 22 | 9 | 10 | 19 | |
| Bernier, Jonathon | G | LA | AHL | Manchester | 11 | 5W | 2.63 | .904 | |
| Giroux, Claude | F | Phi | AHL | Philadelphia | 26 | 12 | 12 | 24 | |
| Kennedy, Tim | F | Buf | AHL | Portland | 23 | 5 | 21 | 26 | |
| Gerbe, Nate | F | Buf | AHL | Portland | 21 | 14 | 10 | 24 | |
| Mancari, Mark | F | Buf | AHL | Portland | 16 | 11 | 16 | 27 | |
| Boychuk, Johnny | D | Bos | AHL | Providence | 23 | 6 | 19 | 25 | |
| Rask, Tuukka | G | Bos | AHL | Providence | 16 | 10W | 2.52 | .916 | |
| Matthias, Shawn | F | Fla | AHL | Rochester | 19 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Kontiola, Petri | F | Chi | AHL | Rockford | 23 | 7 | 17 | 24 | |
| Niemi, Antti | G | Chi | AHL | Rockford | 14 | 7W | 2.20 | .920 | |
| Montoya, Al | G | Phx | AHL | San Antonio | 12 | 1W | 3.93 | .862 | |
| Filatov, Nikita | F | Clb | AHL | Syracuse | 20 | 7 | 9 | 16 | |
| Pogge, Justin | G | Tor | AHL | Toronto | 18 | 9W | 2.91 | .892 | |
| Pesonen, Janne | F | Pit | AHL | WB-Scranton | 20 | 5 | 16 | 21 | |
| Lemieux, Claude | F | FA | AHL | Worcester | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| CHL | |||||||||
| Grachev, Evgeny | F | NYR | OHL | Brampton | 27 | 17 | 16 | 33 | |
| Hodgson, Cody | F | Van | OHL | Brampton | 23 | 20 | 22 | 42 | |
| Beach, Kyle | F | Chi | WHL | Everett | 22 | 7 | 16 | 23 | |
| Benn, Jamie | F | Dal | WHL | Kelowna | 27 | 24 | 21 | 45 | |
| Boychuk, Zack | F | Car | WHL | Lethbridge | 19 | 10 | 13 | 23 | |
| Esposito, Angelo | F | Atl | QMJHL | Montreal | 20 | 14 | 10 | 24 | |
| Pietrangelo, Alex | D | StL | OHL | Niagara | 9 | 5 | 10 | 15 | |
| Tavares, John | F | '09 | OHL | Oshawa | 31 | 25 | 27 | 52 | |
| Del Zotto, Michael | D | NYR | OHL | Oshawa | 26 | 6 | 22 | 28 | |
| Eberle, Jordan | F | Edm | WHL | Regina | 33 | 23 | 19 | 42 | |
| Hickey, Thomas | D | LA | WHL | Seattle | 25 | 6 | 10 | 16 | |
| Bowman, Drayson | F | Car | WHL | Spokane | 27 | 14 | 18 | 32 | |
| Tokarski, Dustin | G | TB | WHL | Spokane | 26 | 15W | 2.05 | .936 | |
| Pickard, Chet | G | Nsh | WHL | Tri-City | 27 | 18W | 2.50 | .914 | |
| Blum, Jonathan | D | Nsh | WHL | Vancouver | 25 | 14 | 24 | 38 | |
| Hall, Taylor | F | '10 | OHL | Windsor | 30 | 23 | 31 | 54 | |
| Ellis, Ryan | D | '10 | OHL | Windsor | 30 | 15 | 33 | 48 | |
| NCAA | |||||||||
| Wilson, Colin | F | Nsh | NCAA | BU | 15 | 7 | 13 | 20 | |
| Nash, Riley | F | Edm | NCAA | Cornell | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | |
| Colborne, Joe | F | Bos | NCAA | U of Denver | 17 | 3 | 12 | 15 | |
| Palushaj, Aaron | F | StL | NCAA | U of Mich. | 18 | 8 | 17 | 25 | |
| Schroeder, Jordan | F | '09 | NCAA | U of Minn. | 14 | 7 | 12 | 19 | |
| McBain, Jamie | D | Car | NCAA | U of Wisc. | 18 | 3 | 16 | 19 | |
| Van Riemsdyk, J. | F | Phi | NCAA | UNH | 15 | 8 | 13 | 21 | |
| Europe | |||||||||
| Emery, Ray | G | FA | KHL | Atlant | 20 | 12W | 1.92 | .935 | |
| Shirokov, Sergei | F | Van | KHL | CSKA | 33 | 11 | 14 | 25 | |
| Morozov, Alexei | F | FA | KHL | Kazan | 26 | 21 | 22 | 43 | |
| Nikulin, Ilya | D | Atl | KHL | Kazan | 33 | 6 | 14 | 20 | |
| Jagr, Jaromir | F | FA | KHL | Omsk | 34 | 17 | 21 | 38 | |
| Makarov, Igor | F | Chi | KHL | St.Petersburg | 21 | 3 | 5 | 8 | |
| Radulov, Alexander | F | Nsh | KHL | Ufa | 32 | 13 | 16 | 29 | |
| Yashin, Alexei | F | FA | KHL | Yaroslavl | 33 | 10 | 13 | 23 | |
| Markstrom, Jacob | G | Fla | Swe | Brynas | 24 | NA | 2.19 | .926 | |
| Axelsson, Dick | F | Det | Swe | Djurgardens | 18 | 5 | 7 | 12 | |
| Eller, Lars | F | StL | Swe | Frolunda | 25 | 5 | 3 | 8 | |
| Hedman, Victor | D | '09 | Swe | Modo | 23 | 2 | 6 | 8 | |
| Svensson-Paajarvi | F | '09 | Swe | Timra | 29 | 3 | 7 | 10 | |
| Hjalmarsson, Simon | F | StL | Swe-1 | Boras | 25 | 10 | 11 | 21 | |
| Soderberg, Carl | F | Bos | Swe-1 | Malmo | 24 | 10 | 25 | 35 | |
| Tedenby, Mattias | F | NJ | Swe-1 | Oskarshamn | 13 | 2 | 9 | 11 | |
| Backlund, Mikael | F | Cgy | Swe-1 | Vasteras | 17 | 4 | 4 | 8 | |