I've already been through the usual suspects in terms of provinces and states that produce most North American born NHL players, so now it's time for a few of the unorthodox ones.

California's a good place to start:

Yes, we're talking about a state that has a huge population and these are tiny percentages of the league, but there's no question we've seen more Californian influence lately.

Players born in the state playing in the league either last season or this one: Brooks Orpik, Ryan Hollweg, Brett Sterling, Garrett Stafford, Scott Parker, Gabe Gauthier and Noah Clarke.

No, not many world beaters there, but given only 22 players in NHL history have been born in California, the fact that seven have been recent is significant. Some, like Sterling, were born and grew up right in Los Angeles.

Consider this, too: The Kings and Golden Seals entered the NHL in 1967-68 and about 18 years later, there was a small spike in the number of Californians in the league. Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Kings in 1988-89 and 2006-07 was exactly 18 years from that famed deal.

In 2010-11, the Sharks will have been around for 18 years, while the Ducks hit that milestone in 2012-13. Both teams have had terrific success recently, too.

Minor hockey has exploded in popularity in California in recent years, and we're likely just now seeing the cusp of what will be a full-scale invasion of elite-level players over the next decade.

There are two Californians on this year's U.S. world junior team, as well as a handful in the national development program.

Which brings us to Alaska:

Looks like a trend.

Sarah Palin may have put Alaskan hockey on the map in a more mainstream way, but hockey has been that state's sport of choice for years now. The remote region's population has grown from 300,000 in 1970 to about 680,000 today, but the boom in NHL products (as you can see) began with Scott Gomez when he became the first Alaskan in the NHL in 1999-00. (He left home at 16 to play in the BCJHL and then the WHL in Washington State.)

The state also has two NCAA Div. I hockey teams, which is quite remarkable given their population.

There are now five Alaskans in the league, and nine players born in the state have appeared in an NHL game. This year's group includes Gomez, Ty Conklin, Matt Carle, Brandon Dubinsky and Nate Thompson.

Currently, Alaska is ranked 10th among states in terms of producing NHLers, behind Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Massachussetts, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

There are also some up and comers on the Under-18 development team, which is impressive in itself given how difficult it would be to scout youngsters up in Anchorage.