Tim Stutzle will study 4 NHL stars in his first NHL offseason.

Young Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle is now coming off the second season of his young National Hockey League career and if you paid any attention to his game at all this season you would have noticed a marked improvement from one season to the next.

In his first season Stutzle looked fine, recording 12 goals and adding 17 assists for a total of 29 points, finishing his first season with 14 penalty minutes and a plus minus rating of -18 on the season. His 0.55 points per game of production were solid for a rookie, but they were just a preview of what was to come from Stutzle.

Now in his second season with the Senators, Stutzle recorded 22 goals and added 36 assists for a total of 58 points this season, finishing with 37 penalty minutes and a plus minus rating of -27 on the season. That's good enough for 0.73 points per game of production from the second year forward, a significant leap forward after his rookie season. 

So where does the young forward go from here? Well it sounds like Stutzle is not only a gifted young athlete but is also a student of the game as well. Stutzle admitted this past week that he would be reviewing the play of 4 of his peers in the National Hockey League, the majority of whom are star players on opposing teams.

Interestingly enough Stutzle will have his eyes on two of his provincial rivals, with the 20 year old forward claiming that he intends to study both forward Auston Matthews and forward Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That should make for an interesting Battle of Ontario come next season if nothing else, but it also seems likely that Stutzle is seeking to improve his scoring touch.

Also on Stutzle's list was another prolific goal scorer in Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane. Kane is in the eyes of some already the greatest American born player to ever lace up a pair of skates, and you would be hard pressed to find many better players to emulate than Kane.

Last but not least, Stutzle also included teammate Josh Norris on his list of players to study. Perhaps that shouldn't come as a big surprise given that Norris recorded an impressive 35 goals this season, and it certainly seems to fit the trend regarding the type of player Stutzle is looking to learn from in the offseason.