With the recent announcement of this years class of the US Hockey Hall Of Fame, John Grigg of The Hockey News, has a list of his top 10 American born players.

At number 10: Mike Richter:

Richter makes the grade here less for his NHL resume than for his international one. Richter did win a Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994 and has the third-most NHL victories (301) amongst American netminders. But he answered his country’s call on 11 separate occasions, playing in world juniors, world championships, three Olympics, a Canada Cup and a World Cup – in which he led the U.S. to a gold medal and was named tournament MVP. Richter even left the University of Wisconsin after just one season to play for the U.S. national team for a year-and-a-half in preparation for the 1988 Olympics. His NHL career began the next season.

At number 3: Pat LaFontaine:

Inducted into the Hall in 2003, Lafontaine is No. 7 in scoring amongst American-born NHLers (468-545-1,013). But he did it all in just 865 games, making him – by a wide margin – the U.S. leader in points-per-game. The third overall pick in 1983 by the Islanders, LaFontaine registered six straight seasons of 40-plus goals, with his best year being 1992-93 with Buffalo, when he scored 53 goals and 148 points. Injuries cut LaFontaine’s career short, but during his heyday he was one of the most dynamic players in the league, routinely wowing crowds with his speed, vision and deft stickhandling.

And at number 2: Brian Leetch:

Set for induction into the Hall this November, Leetch sits sixth on the list of American NHL scorers (247-781-1,028) and is the seventh-highest scoring defenseman in NHL history. The ninth pick of the 1986 draft still holds the record for goals scored by a rookie defenseman with 23 in 1988-89 (when he won the Calder Trophy) and his 71 points that season are second-most all-time by a freshman blueliner. Leetch played in nine all-star games, was a first team all-star twice, a second team all-star three times, won two Norris Trophies and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1994 after leading the playoffs in scoring and the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 50 years.

…Here’s to hoping that Brandon Dubinsky or Ryan Callahan make this list some day.

….Pat LaFontaine had a truly tremendous career but concussions did him in. He even put in 62 points in 67 games in his time with the Rangers in 1997-98. As for Leetch and Richter, nothing else to say about them.