Review of the 35 U22's (86-89 birth years) who started the 2007-2008 season in the NHL
There were over 4,000 elite players in the world in the 1986-89 birth years group, of which 3,150 players were in the CHL or NCAA, that wanted to play in the NHL at 18. 
Of these 4,000 elite players only 3 played full time in the NHL in what would have been their first year of NCAA hockey and only 13 played in the NHL in what would have been 
their 2nd year of college hockey.
There are 690 full time NHL players in the NHL during the 2007/2008 season.
  League Games played at 18 Games Played at 19 Games Played at 20 Games played at 21
  1st Year NCAA 2nd Year NCAA 3 Year NCAA 4 Year NCAA
Washington Nicklas Backstrom   6' 0" 183 23-Nov-87 Gavle, SWE Europe 0 0 1st year at 20  
Pittsburgh Evgeni Malkin   6' 3" 195 31-Jul-86 Magnitogorsk, RUS Europe 0 0 78 2nd year at 21
New Jersey Nicklas Bergfors   5' 11" 195 7-Mar-87 Sodertalje, SWE Europe 0 0 1st year at 20  
LA Anze Kopitar   6' 4" 220 24-Aug-87 Jesenice, SVN Europe 0 72 2nd year at 20  
Anaheim Petteri Wirtanen   6' 1" 207 28-May-86 Hyvinkaa, FIN Europe 0 0 0 1st year at 21
St. Louis Erik Johnson   6' 4" 219 21-Mar-88 Bloomington, MN, USA NCAA 0 1st year at 19    
LA Jack Johnson   6' 1" 201 13-Jan-87 Indianapolis, IN, USA NCAA 0 5 1st year at 20  
Edmonton Andrew Cogliano   5' 10" 184 14-Jun-87 Toronto, ON, CAN NCAA 0 0 1st year at 20  
Dallas Matt Niskanen   6' 0" 194 6-Dec-86 Virginia, MN, USA NCAA 0 0 0 1st year at 21
Chicago Jonathan Toews   6' 2" 203 29-Apr-88 Winnipeg, MB, CAN NCAA 0 1st year at 19    
Boston Philip Kessel   6' 0" 192 2-Oct-87 Madison, WI, USA NCAA 0 70 2nd year at 20  
Buffalo Andrej Sekera   6' 0" 191 8-Jun-86 Bojnice, SVK OHL* 0 0 2 1st year at 21
Pittsburgh Jordan Staal   6' 4" 220 10-Sep-88 Thunder Bay, ON, CAN OHL 81 2nd year at 19    
Ottawa Nick Foligno   6' 0" 201 31-Oct-87 Buffalo, NY, USA OHL 0 0 1st year at 20  
NYR Marc Staal   6' 4" 202 13-Jan-87 Thunder Bay, ON, CAN OHL 0 0 1st year at 20  
Edmonton Sam Gagner   5' 11" 191 10-Aug-89 London, ON, CAN OHL 1st year at 18      
Columbus Jared Boll   6' 2" 190 13-May-86 Charlotte, NC, USA OHL 0 0 0 1st year at 21
Colorado Wojtek Wolski   6' 3" 200 24-Feb-86 Zabrze, POL OHL 0 9 76 2nd year at 21
Chicago Patrick Kane   5' 10" 163 19-Nov-88 Buffalo, NY, USA OHL 0 1st year at 19    
Atlanta Bryan Little   5' 10" 190 12-Nov-87 Edmonton, AB, CAN OHL 0 0 1st year at 20  
Anaheim Bobby Ryan   6' 1" 218 17-Mar-87 Cherry Hill, NJ, USA OHL 0 0 1st year at 20  
Nashville Alexander Radulov   6' 1" 188 5-Jul-86 Nizhi Tagil, RUS QMJHL* 0 0 64 2nd year at 21
Boston David Krejci   5' 11" 178 28-Apr-86 Sternberk, CZE QMJHL* 0 0 6 1st year at 21
St. Louis David Perron   6' 0" 180 28-May-88 Sherbrooke, QC, CAN QMJHL 0 1st year at 19    
San Jose Marc-Edouard Vlasic   6' 1" 200 30-Mar-87 Montreal, QC, CAN QMJHL 0 81 1st year at 20  
Pittsburgh Sidney Crosby "C"  5' 11" 200 7-Aug-87 Cole Harbour, NS, CAN QMJHL 81 79 3rd year at 20  
LA Jonathan Bernier   6' 0" 177 7-Aug-88 Laval, QC, CAN QMJHL 0 1st year at 19    
Washington Jeff Schultz   6' 6" 224 25-Feb-86 Calgary, CAN WHL 0 0 38 2nd year at 21
San Jose Devin Setoguchi   6' 0" 205 1-Jan-87 Taber, AB, CAN WHL 0 0 1st year at 20  
Phoenix Peter Mueller   6' 2" 205 14-Apr-88 Bloomington, MN, USA WHL 0 1st year at 19    
Montreal Kyle Chipchura   6' 2" 204 19-Feb-86 Westlock, CAN WHL 0 0 0 1st year at 21
Columbus Gilbert Brule   5' 10" 180 1-Jan-87 Edmonton, AB, CAN WHL 7 78 2nd year at 20  
Columbus Kris Russell   5' 10" 160 2-May-87 Red Deer, AB, CAN WHL 0 0 1st year at 20  
Boston Milan Lucic   6' 4" 220 7-Jun-88 Vancouver, BC, CAN WHL 0 1st year at 19    
Phoenix Martin Hanzal   6' 5" 208 20-Feb-87 Pisek, CZE WHL* 0 0 1st year at 20