Dustin Brown played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Kings, debuting for the squad in 2003 and playing in SoCal until 2022.

A natural leader, the native of Ithaca, New York, was L.A.'s 12^th Overall Pick in 2003, quickly making the team and consistently being one of the team's leaders in Hits.  However, he was not a stalwart in the Penalty Box.  Brown led by example, selflessly acting in the best interest of his team, and though he was not the most gifted scorer, he tallied 712 Points over his career.

Ascending to the captaincy of Los Angeles, Brown led his team to Stanley Cup Titles in 2012 and 2014 while individually winning the 2014 Mark Messier Leadership Award.

While representing the United States, Brown participated in two Olympics (2012 & 2014), capturing Silver in the former Olympiad.  

Already a Stanley Cup Champion (with Chicago) when Dustin Byfuglien was traded to the Thrashers in what would be their last year in Atlanta, he was moved back to his natural blueline position and essentially became a more valuable hockey player. 

In that lone year in Atlanta, Byfuglien scored 53 Points and was an All-Star.  As the team relocated to Winnipeg, the blueliner was cemented as their defensive star, reaching the 50 Point mark three times and cracked 40 another two.  Byfuglien was seventh in Norris voting in 2010-11, and he received Norris votes five more times.  A three-time All-Star as a Jet, Byfuglien is easily the best Defenseman in the young franchise's existence.  

Sadly, it was an acrimonious end for Byfuglien in Winnipeg as he had personal problems in 2019, and requested a leave of absence, which led to a suspension.  He was released in 2020, but his 525 career Points is an impressive tally.

Dave Christian is best known for being a member of the United States 1980 Olympic Gold Medal-winning team, but he was far more than just a member of the Miracle on Ice Team.  Christian was never a top-five finisher in any major individual award, but he was the recipient of the Lady Byng Trophy and Frank J. Selke Award voting, and he would have three 70 Point Seasons, two with the Winnipeg Jets and one with the Washington Capitals.  Christian scored 773 Points over his NHL career.

Joel Otto came from Elk River, Minnesota where he went starred for Bemidji State University.  Otto would go undrafted but after what must have seen like an eternity, he was signed with the Calgary Flames.  Otto would become a permanent fixture in the pro ranks in the 1985/86 season and found a niche excelling at the less than sexy aspects of the game.  He had size that he could use was an excellent faceoff man and he would become an excellent defensive Centre.  Otto never won the Frank J. Selke Award as the NHL’s best defensive Award but he finished 3^rd on two occasions, was in the top ten another two times and received votes another four seasons.

Bryan Smolinski could be considered a journeyman of sorts in the National Hockey League (he did play with nine teams) but his skill set was always coveted as every team can use a player who could score when needed and was adept at the penalty kill.  The Centre would score 651 Points over a 1,056 Game NHL career.

A member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, Scott Young quietly scored 756 Points over his 1,181-game career in the National Hockey League.  Young played for six NHL teams, had four 60 Point seasons, and was a role player on two Stanley Cup Championship teams, one with Pittsburgh (1991) and one with Colorado (1996).

Nearly a Point per Game player over his NHL career (751 Points in 760 Games), Craig Janney might very well claim one of the best players never to make an All-Star Game.  Janney was a brilliant playmaker who at times was one with the puck, and he would finish in the top ten in Assists four times, with a career high of 82 in the 1992-93 season.  Janney, who was with the St. Louis Blues at the time, would tally 106 Points that year. 

Falling six points shy of 800 over his NHL career, Ed Olczyk would play for six teams in the league, the best of which was when he would score 75, 90 & 88 Points respectively in his three full seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs (1987-88 to 1989-90). 

A veteran of 1,157 Games in the National Hockey League, Eric Weinrich provided solid defense for several clubs and was also a constant on the U.S. National Team.  Weinrich was an above-average blueliner who brought steadiness to every team he played for.  While he was never flashy or considered an All-Star, his long tenure in both the National Hockey League and internationally for the U.S. gives him a career worth celebrating, though more likely as a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

A three-time NHL All-Star and one-time Canada Cup player for the United States, Reed Larson had eight seasons where he had at least 60 Points.  Larson was never an All-Star, though the Calder Trophy runner-up had more than a good career in the National Hockey League.  Historically, Larson was the first American-born blueliner to score 200 Goals in the NHL.

Derian Hatcher was not the type of Defenseman who was going to light the lamp regularly, but he was the type of blueliner who was going to keep you from doing it.

Paul Martin may have played for some good and high-profile teams over his career (New Jersey, Pittsburgh, and San Jose), and the Defenseman was also chosen to represent the United States of America multiple times, but this is still someone for whom a case can be made that he was an underrated player.  Martin was a two-time champion with the University of Minnesota (2002 & 2003), and in the NHL, he scored 320 Points with two top ten finishes in Defensive Point Shares.

Sometimes people forget just how good Bill Guerin was.  Winning the Stanley Cup twice over his 18-year career, Guerin became the first player in NHL history to score over 20 goals in a season for seven different teams.  That shows us two things: one, he was quite the scorer, and two, that he was also quite the journeyman.

Arguably, Scott Gomez is one of the greatest players from the state of Alaska, and in his rookie year with the New Jersey Devils, he won the Calder Trophy and the Stanley Cup.  The Alaskan would win another Stanley Cup in 2003 and would have four 70 Point seasons in the NHL.  He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025.

One of the slickest playmakers ever to come out of the United States, Doug Weight reached the magical 1,000 career point mark predominantly with assists. Weight was a consistent offensive threat throughout his career and once reached a 100-point season with the Oilers. He achieved the ultimate in team sports, capturing the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006 and was awarded the King Clancy Award, which is given to the man who exemplifies leadership and humanitarian activities. A good man on the ice and off, Doug Weight may not make the Hall of Fame in Toronto, but we would not be surprised to see him make the version in the United States.