This year's Steven Stamkos will be ...

While most players have a career arc that improves gradually to an established level of production, breakout players suddenly jump up more dramatically, to a level beyond anything they've ever done before. Even a single breakout season can help a team into the postseason, but when a certain chemistry is achieved and they happen in bunches the results can be dramatic, like the Boston Bruins in 2008-09, or the Vancouver Canucks last season.

Who will be the breakout stars of 2010-11? By searching a historical database for players of similar ages and normalized statistics, and using the insights revealed by the VUKOTA projection system, we've identified 10 players with breakout potential.

To see the top 10 breakout players in the NHL next season, you must be an ESPN Insider.

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