The State of Hockey a state of stars

Minnesota-bred hockey players are all over the NHL right now, and many of them are fueling their teams as the push toward the playoffs reaches its peak. No state in the union could put together a better all-star roster from current NHLers than Minnesota. ¶ But that's to be expected from the State of Hockey, right? ¶ So, what would such an All-Minnesota 20-player roster look like? No, we're not including guys who parachuted in from Canada or California and played at Shattuck in Faribault. No Sid the Kid on this list. Now, let's take a shot and see whether this roster of current Minnesota-bred talent in the NHL is on goal or clangs off the post:

NameHometown orCurrent team

high school roots

W-Zach PariseBloomingtonWild

C-David BackesSpring Lake ParkSt. Louis

W-Dustin ByfuglienRoseauWinnipeg

W-Blake WheelerBreckWinnipeg

C-T.J. OshieWarroadSt. Louis

W-Nick BjugstadBlaineFlorida

W-Brock NelsonWarroadN.Y. Islanders

C-Anders LeeEdinaN.Y. Islanders

W-Kyle OkposoSt. PaulN.Y. Islanders

W-Derek StepanHastingsN.Y. Rangers

C-Matt CullenMoorheadNashville

W-Ryan CarterWhite Bear LakeWild

Defense

Nick LeddyEden PrairieN.Y. Islanders

Ryan McDonaghCretin-Derham HallN.Y. Rangers

Matt NiskanenVirginiaWashington

Jake Gardiner MinnetonkaToronto

Jordan LeopoldRobbinsdaleWild

Paul MartinElk RiverPittsburgh

Goalies

Alex StalockSouth St. PaulSan Jose

John CurryBreckWild-*

*-Curry is in the minors of the NHL right now, with eight games of NHL experience since 2008-09

Obviously, the netminding is a serious concern, with only Stalock in The Show right now. The forward corps is impressive, while the defense is particularly deep, with several solid blue-liners deemed "healthy scratches."

It's that blue line depth that pushes Byfuglien to forward, where he is a proven force.

What say you? Who got snubbed? Who should come off? What about the lines and D pairs?

What power play and penalty kill packages can be made from this roster?

PAUL WALSH