Vincent Lecavalier was saddled some lofty expectations when he entered the National Hockey League and while that level of excellence may not have been met (from the view he was seen at age 19), this is still a player who had one hell of a career.

An excellent two-way forward, Simon Gagne starred for years with the Philadelphia Flyers and was one of the “glue guys” on Canada’s International wins in the 2002 Olympics and 2004 World Cup. Gagne, however, has only appeared in two All-Star Games and has never been considered for a postseason NHL Award.

A capable two way player, Shawn Horcoff was an All Star in 2008 and helped the Edmonton Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. As solid a career as Horcoff is not a player that will gain a lot of attention and frankly will struggle to make our ranked list once Hall once eligible.

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.