Jonathan Marchessault.

The Minnesota Wild can relate to the sensation that is the story of the first-year expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights. A year ago, the Wild were the shocking surprise team in the NHL's Western Conference, rocketing to the top of the standings and flirting with first overall in the conference before fading badly down the stretch and exiting meekly from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the opening round.

The first-year Las Vegas Knights aren't your father's expansion team. Given the opportunity to select several veteran players during the NHL expansion draft, the Golden Knights have melded into an instant contender, and currently lead the NHL's Western Conference standings at the NHL All-Star break, shattering all records for a first-year NHL franchise. The Golden Knights are the talk of the hockey and sports world.