Enlarge By Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images Steven Stamkos, right, celebrating his goal with Vincent Lecavalier, leads the league with 15 points. QUICK QUESTION QUICK QUESTION Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos had such a dominant second season in the NHL that he would need a Wayne Gretzky-like third season to continue his statistical rise. Approaching the three-week mark of the 2010-11 season, it's impossible to rule out Stamkos doing that. With 15 points in his first eight games, Stamkos was a runaway choice for MVP in the first installment of USA TODAY's NHL power rankings. He received 11 of 12 first-place votes. "I had him on Team Canada at the under-18 (level), and he wanted to be the best two-way player even then," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "There is a willingness to become a complete player. It's not something we are forcing." During training camp, the Lightning worked on preparing Stamkos for heavier checking. Boucher told Stamkos, who tied for the league lead in goals last season, he would have to find different ways to score because NHL defensemen now know his habits and moves. BLOG: Kevin Allen's Top 5 rookies "You look at 80% to 90% of his goals, they are goals that are hard-fought around the net," Boucher said. "He knows teams are going to put a special focus on his one-timer. ... He is varying his play in a way that he's been getting goals in other ways." From his first to second season, Stamkos went from 23 goals to 51 and from 46 points to 95. Having improved statistics after a quantum leap in the second season isn't commonplace, but Gretzky and Joe Sakic did it. Gretzky's point totals over his first three full seasons were 104, 137 and 164. Sakic had 62 points as a rookie in 1988-89, then went to 102 points and 109. "We have to watch out when we look at numbers," Boucher said. "Improving doesn't necessarily mean he has to get more than 50 goals. He might get 42 goals and be a better player." Boucher says Stamkos' all-around game is a work in progress. "He's like most young men — sometimes he's very good and sometimes he needs work," the coach said. "A guy (like Lightning general manager Steve) Yzerman is a perfect example of what Stamkos has to become. He became a complete player after starting as an offensive star ... and Steven is well on his way to becoming a complete player." Stamkos' development is aided by the improved play of the Lightning. After missing the playoffs for three seasons in a row, they ranked fifth in USA TODAY's team power rankings. The Detroit Red Wings ranked first, ahead of the Nashville Predators. Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom received the most votes among defensemen, and the Boston Bruins' Tim Thomas was ranked first among goaltenders. The No. 1-ranked rookie is the Pittsburgh Penguins' Mark Letestu. About the power rankings The power rankings are voted on by six USA TODAY staffers — Kevin Allen, Mike Brehm, Gary Graves, Mark Hayes, Chad Leistikow and Brad Windsor — plus USATODAY.com columnist Justin Bourne, Windsor (Ontario) Star columnist Bob Duff, Versus analyst Darren Eliot, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Rob Rossi, Detroit Free Press reporter Helene St. James and Greg Wyshynski, editor of Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy blog. First-place teams get 30 points down to one point for a 30th-place team. First-place players get five points down to one point for fifth place. The points are the total of all votes. Untitled Document Team rankings: Rank Team (first-place votes) Record through Oct. 24 (W-L-OT) Total Last year 1 Detroit Red Wings (5) 5-1-1 349 7 2 Nashville Predators (4) 5-0-3 342 10 3 Pittsburgh Penguins (2) 5-3-1 326 8 4 Los Angeles Kings (1) 5-2-0 311 9 5 Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2-1 306 25 6 St. Louis Blues 4-1-2 292 15 7 Washington Capitals 5-3-0 286 1 8 Dallas Stars 5-2-0 276 20 9 Chicago Blackhawks 5-4-1 271 3 10 Boston Bruins 4-2-0 252 14 11 Calgary Flames 5-3-0 244 16 12 New York Islanders 4-2-2 225 26 13 Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2-1 222 29 14 Montreal Canadiens 4-2-1 213 19 15 New York Rangers 4-2-1 175 21 16 Carolina Hurricanes 4-3-0 170 24 17 Vancouver Canucks 3-3-2 165 5 18 Colorado Avalanche 4-4-0 151 12 19 Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3-0 140 17 20 Philadelphia Flyers 3-3-1 140 18 21 San Jose Sharks 3-3-1 131 2 22 Minnesota Wild 3-3-1 104 22 23 Buffalo Sabres 3-5-1 96 11 24 Atlanta Thrashers 3-4-1 87 23 25 Phoenix Coyotes 2-2-2 87 4 26 Florida Panthers 3-3-0 79 28 27 Anaheim Ducks 3-5-1 52 17 28 New Jersey Devils 2-6-1 35 6 29 Ottawa Senators 2-5-1 30 13 30 Edmonton Oilers 2-4-0 23 30

