gold star for USAHOF

5. Aaron Ekblad

Aaron Ekblad did as much as you could ask for in his rookie year, as the number one pick from the Barrie Colts scored 39 Points and won the Calder Trophy.  Ekblad never slowed down, showing exemplarart two-way hockey and a helathy Plus/Minus on a team that for the most part has not been usually on the winning side of the ledger.  

Entering his ninth season of professional hockey, Ekblad is slghtly over a .5 Point per Game player, a great number for a blueliner in the modern era.  Ekblad has now gonw to two All-Star Games and is certainly capable of a third, as he showed by last year's career-hugh of 57 Points with a sixth-placeNorris vote.  He has it in him, and it does not hurt that the Panthers have been getting better, and even if he doesn't, he is still a phenomenal choice to crack the top three on this list.