The Year of the Teenaged Defenseman

Steven Stamkos was the NHL's pre-assigned rookie sensation going into this season.

But so far Stamkos and his fellow rookie forwards are being outplayed by the defensemen.

Drew Doughty in Los Angeles, Luke Schenn in Toronto and Luca Sbisa in Philadelphia have all jumped from junior hockey to the NHL blue line without missing a beat.

Beyond the expected skill of first-round draft picks, what's most impressive about this trio is their reliability. All three display the poise and smarts of veterans. Schenn, who just turned 19, is the oldest of the group.

A 19-year-old NHL defenseman playing a key role is rare. At 18, it's almost unheard of.

Nicklas Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, and Rob Blake didn't win NHL jobs until they were 21.

Even more recent prodigies like Shea Weber, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Dion Phaneuf returned to junior hockey after being drafted.

When they finally make the team, most defensemen need a couple of years to ease their way into the NHL game (one reason why the Rookie of the Year is usually a forward). Not Doughty, Schenn and Sbisa. They arrived ready for action.

While the salary-cap era makes cheap rookies more attractive than ever, it doesn't make them better players. The credit for that goes to the training and development regimens of junior hockey.

It will be interesting to see whether any of them hit a midseason wall or take a step backwards next year.

But so far in 2008-09, the NHL's top teenagers are all playing on the blue line.

Photo: 18-year-old Drew Doughty holds off the attack. (Harry How/Getty Images)