Reaching for the stars: if the skilled offense displayed at the YoungStars game is any indication, the NHL galaxy is going to get a whole lot brighter. (NHL).(hockey)

Marian Gaborik is asked by a fan dressed in Minnesota Wild colors if he could pose for a photo during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. The sophomore left winger agrees. After the photo is taken, the fan's digital camera immediately displays the finished product, leading Gaborik to ask for a copy of the photo to send to his parents in Slovakia.

"You could see the `Hollywood' sign on the mountain in the background," Gaborik says. "I have sent them photos of the White House, Liberty Bell, Niagara Falls and Gateway Arch, but I think they will like this one the best. I mean, how many times do you see that sign in a TV show or movie?"

Gaborik, 19, should get used to the attention. He didn't make the star-studded debut in his rookie season that Atlanta's goal-scoring phenoms Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley are having this season, but there is no sign of a slump in Gaborik's future. He might be the brightest light in an NHL galaxy that is crowded with future stars.

"I don't remember a time when so many talented young players are coming into our game," Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman says.

The group includes Kovalchuk, Heatley, Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, Senators winger Martin Havlat, Blue Jackets defenseman Rostislav Klesla and Panthers winger Kristian Huselius and goaltender Roberto Luongo, meaning the NHL looks good into the next decade.

"Gaborik is like a Ferrari--he's sleek and fast," says Mighty Ducks G.M. Pierre Gauthier. "He goes from a dead start to 60 mph faster than anyone in the game--and he's got the hands to be one of the game's best playmakers."

While growing up in his native Slovakia, Gaborik idolized international stars Peter Stastny, Peter Bondra and Pavel Bure. But even if a player has the skills of Bure and comes from a foreign land, success isn't a given.