Though it is certainly not a traditional hockey market, teams in California are usually some of the best teams in the NHL. Anaheim, San Jose, and Los Angeles were all playoff teams last season and are all out to good starts this season. How do they stack up against one another? Look no further in the California Power Rankings.

3. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are one of the best teams in the Western Conference going back to the Conference Finals last season only to lose in five games to the Chicago Blackhawks who eventually won the Stanley Cup. Right now the Kings are 9-6 and are in 5th place in the Pacific Division, arguably the toughest division in the NHL right now.  Jonathan Quick in my mind is still the best goaltender in the world right now. Mike Richards, Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, and Dustin Brown are all underrated forwards who can each score in bunches. Drew Doughty, Slava Voynov and Jake Muzzin anchor a tough defense in front of Quick. Even though they’re at 9-6, they’ll still rebound and be a playoff team.

2. Anaheim Ducks

This was a huge tossup for me.  San Jose and Anaheim are just great teams right now. Still, Anaheim is just a step behind San Jose for the moment. We all know how emotional it’s going to be when Teemu Selanne retires at the end of the season so the Ducks will try to send him out on top. This team has some great talent in Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Saku Koivu, and a great goaltender in Jonas Hiller. The Ducks are out to a red hot 11-3-1 start, tied for the lead with San Jose in the Pacific Division. Anaheim will be a playoff team again but they just don’t have the team to compete with San Jose or Chicago in the playoffs.

1. San Jose Sharks

This is the best team in the NHL right now slightly ahead of the Colorado Avalanche. The Sharks are out to a 10-1-3 start and are not looking back right now.  Antti Niemi is having another outstanding start to the season with a 1.73 GAA and Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture are among the league leaders in scoring. Joe Thornton also leads the team with 13 assists. Rookie sensation Thomas Hertl had a great game earlier this season with four goals but has slowed down a bit. The Sharks are first in goals per game with 3.7 and they only allow 1.8 goals per game, which is 2nd in the NHL. San Jose is my pick to go to the West Finals because of the talent they have on the roster, and also the top team in California. For now. We’ll see how it all plays out.