Bob Duff

Youth was served and a glimpse toward the future was offered as the United States battled to a fifth-place finish last spring at the world hockey championships in Moscow.

Up front, Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils, Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche and Phil Kessel of the Boston Bruins were among the forwards deployed. At the back, the Johnsons — Jack of the Los Angeles Kings and Erik of the St. Louis Blues — patrolled the blue-line.

David Bowie sang about them and after a long lull, it looks as if another crop of them is finally blossoming, ready to take the National Hockey League by storm.

The young Americans.

It wasn’t all that long ago that USA Hockey was looking a little long in the tooth.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics, players such as Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin and Chris Chelios once again answered the call, but suddenly, there’s an influx of top American talent headed to the National Hockey League.

"It’s pretty interesting, most of the top guns, Modano, (Tony) Amonte, Guerin, they’re older veterans now," said Erik Johnson of Bloomington, Minn., the top pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft. "It’s kind of like a younger era is coming in and there’s a lot of promise for American-born players now."

Last summer, forward Patrick Kane of Buffalo was selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2007 entry draft and then Philadelphia selected forward James vanRiemsdyk of Middleton, N.J. with the second pick, the first time in draft history that American-born players went 1-2. Kane was the sixth American to go first overall, following Johnson, New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro (2000), Bryan Berard (1995), Modano (1988) and Brian Lawton (1983).

Even the old guard can’t help but take notice. "When I look at the top prospects and I see that two U.S. players have gone one and two, it gives me a great sense of pride in our country and the development of its players," Modano said.

It’s much more than a matter of quantity, though. These young Americans are all about quality. This is the best crop of U.S. talent to enter the league since the mid-1980s produced Chelios, Modano, Guerin, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, Phil Housley, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter, players who were the nucleus of Team USA’s win at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Some of the newcomers are ready to take the NHL by storm.

Erik Johnson was so dominant during an NHL rookie tournament held earlier this month in Traverse City, Mich. that the Blues gave him the final day off, deciding that Johnson was far too valuable a commodity to risk in a fifth-place game against the prospects of the Detroit Red Wings.

Besides, he’d already proven his point, that he’s prepared to take the next step. In three games, the six-foot-four, 222-pound Johnson led all defensemen with 2-3-5 totals.

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"A man among boys," was how one NHL scout described his performance.

Meanwhile, after suffering through years in hockey’s hinterland, the once-mighty Blackhawks look to be on the way back and believe that the slick-skating and dazzling puck skills Kane, who was both scoring champion and rookie of the year last season with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, will make them able to rise from the dead.

"I think this kid's going to surprise a lot of people," Chicago general manager Dale Tallon said. "If we put him with the right players, surround him with the right people, I think he can be successful right away.

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"He does utilize other players and makes other players around him better. But we'll keep a close eye on him in training camp and give him an opportunity during the season to play with some good players and see if he can play."

The Blues also intend to be patient with Johnson, who will gain the benefit of mixing with veteran defensemen like Barret Jackman, Jay McKee and Eric Brewer in St. Louis. "Our team doesn’t need Erik Johnson to play 28 minutes," Blues president John Davidson said. "We need Erik Johnson to learn how to be a pro."

Johnson broke from the norm, opting to take his hockey skills to the University of Minnesota even though his name was the first to be called on draft day, simply deciding it was the right thing to do for his future.

"I think I matured a little bit as a person," Johnson said. "I’ve gotten a lot stronger. I learned to be a better player by working with the coaches (at Minnesota). They were excellent at teaching the defensive side of the game."

He’s certain the extra year of seasoning will smoothen his leap into the Blues lineup. "I think I’m as close as I can get," Johnson said.

Those who will ultimately make that decision are in agreement that Johnson’s time is now. "He’s been good," Davidson said. "Real good. When he gets to St. Louis, it’ll be guys like Brewer, Jackman, (Bryce) Salvador, McKee, who will take care of him. He’ll be his own guy, but he’s going through stretches of good and bad, like everyone does, like Chris Pronger did."