John Klingberg would very much like to play for Sweden in the World Cup of Hockey in September in Toronto.

He's in the mix. Many say he could be the seventh defensemen for Tre Kronor.

He's that good.

Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are already a part of Canada's roster. Esa Lindell has been selected by Finland. Radek Faksa is playing in the World Championships in Russia right now. He's on the radar of the Czech Republic.

If you're a big fan of the Stars, you'll notice that Benn is the old man of that group at 26. That's right, your team has some of the best young players in the NHL. And the thing with young players is they tend to get better.

Look at the arc of Benn and Seguin. They were good a few years back, but now they have become great. Benn's 255 points ranks second behind Sidney Crosby's 273 for the NHL scoring lead over the past three seasons. Seguin's 234 ranks fourth behind Patrick Kane's 239. That's high cotton there for guys who have plenty of prime left in their careers.

Klingberg, 23, ranked fifth among NHL defensemen in scoring with 58 points this season (10 goals, 48 assists). His plus-22 ranked sixth among defensemen. And he's probably just scratching the surface of his potential. He switched to defense from wing at age 15. He still has a lot to learn. He was bogged down by injuries and switching leagues and coming to North America, and he was still fifth in scoring and sixth in plus-minus.

And that's why the World Cup could be good for him. Think what he could do if he gets some more experience at the highest level. Think how good he could be if he builds on the playoff games he experienced this year.

The same goes for Faksa. He was one of those questionable first round draft picks starting the season. Injury-prone, slow developing, a possible miss that could create a strong discussion among Stars fans when mixed in with Scott Glennie and Jack Campbell. But he had a pretty darn fine run in the AHL this year with 28 points in 31 games and then was maybe the team's best all-around player in the playoffs.

The 22-year-old center was big (6-3, 210), fast and smart. He went head-to-head with top competition and won a lot of battles. He proved he can be one of the best third line centers in the NHL, and possibly a second line center in a pinch. He rushed over to join the World Championships in Russia and that might be a springboard for a spot in the World Cup in September. Bottom line, every team can use a player like Faksa.

With each World Cup roster having seven spots remaining that will be filled by June 1, it's good to see players like Faksa, Klingberg and Valeri Nichushkin having an outside shot to get into something as big as this tournament.

It says a lot about where the Stars are at. Mix in playoff rookies like Mattias Janmark and Stephen Johns, and the Stars have built a young core that not only should be in contention for league-wide honors and international teams, but should probably be pretty tough in future playoff games.

"You use the term battle hardened," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "You have to show some composure sometimes, and I've seen that out of these guys. I think all the guys that are involved in the category you mentioned have been big plusses. We've stuck with these young guys and played them the big minutes, and I think they've gained some confidence from that."

Confidence that people outside the team are noticing, as well.

"They are where the game is going, we all recognize that," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "They are going to be a tough opponent for a number of years because of what they've got."

Western Conference prediction

If the playoffs are still all about goaltending and defense, well, the Blues still have the advantage over San Jose. St. Louis strangled Chicago and Dallas' offense, and it should do the same to the Sharks. Blues in 6.

Twitter: @MikeHeika