It's the end of August and the hockey world remains at their lakeside cottages. However, the weather is slowly cooling, the boats and water skis are going out for their final spins, the liquor cabinet hinges are getting fewer workouts.

The end is nigh.

As we inch closer to NHL training camps, it's only natural to look ahead and predict, project, prognosticate what will happen. Who will thrive? Who will stumble? Chief of that wondering, for this writer anyway, is the youngsters. Being a top rookie is no easy feat. You need an awful lot to go your way in order to sustain the deployment and subsequent metrics needed to rise to the top of the heap.

The combination of skill, opportunity, consistency, and luck is a witches' brew that few have mastered to make. But there are plenty of kids with the goods to get there. We will explore the best and brightest and highlight a handful more who could surprise their way to a freshman season worth buzzing about.