Hi, My Name Is ... Kyle Palmieri

Every Tuesday, FanHouse discusses the top NHL prospects found in college hockey.

College hockey can be a humbling experience, even for highly-touted NHL prospects. It doesn't make a kid a lesser prospect, but being 18 and having to deal with guys who are often 22-25 years old can be tough. This is true no matter how talented a kid is. For Notre Dame freshman forward Kyle Palmieri (NHL rights: Anaheim), the first part of the season has been spent adjusting, and the Fighting Irish are about to be rewarded for their patience.

Palmieri -- the 26th overall pick this past June -- scored the only regulation goal for Notre Dame Thursday against Michigan State, and the Irish went on to win in a shootout. Then on Sunday, he picked up his first career game-winning goal, as Notre Dame beat the Spartans 4-1 in Fort Wayne, Ind.

In 14 games this year for Notre Dame (6-5-3), Palmieri has picked up four goals and two assists. It might not be what some expected of him, but it's not uncommon for even first-round picks to struggle out of the gates in college.

Palmieri has all the tools to succeed. He's a great skater, has a nose for the net, and as many people found out at the NHL's pre-draft combine, the kid is absolutely ripped.

20th-ranked Kyle Palmieri is ripped – he took off his shirt and everyone in the room turned their heads to see that the guy is cut.

Raw strength might not mean much without skill, but the point is that Palmieri is not a kid who has to kill himself in the weight room to become a decent pro prospect. He just has to work on his game, and the early signs are that he'll come around quite nicely, both for Notre Dame and the Ducks.

Other Players to Watch

Led by a slew of upperclassmen who are playing very well, Quinnipiac is off to a blistering 10-1 start. The Bobcats program has been consistently solid since joining Division I in 1999, making one NCAA Tournament and not yet posting a single losing season. It's early yet, but they have the best record in the country right now. Senior Brandon Wong (undrafted) -- the team's leading scorer -- had three points in a Friday win over Colgate, then the Bobcats took a 3-0 lead and held on to beat Cornell 3-2 on Saturday.

Junior defenseman Erik Gustaffson (undrafted) of Northern Michigan is considered a top free agent. The star had a huge weekend as NMU swept Nebraska-Omaha. Gustaffson picked up four assists in the wins, while forward Mark Olver (Colorado) scored twice and assisted on two other goals. NMU is unbeaten in their last four.

Denver goalie Marc Cheverie (Florida) returned from injury Friday against North Dakota. The results were quite impressive, as Cheverie pitched his fourth shutout in six games in a 1-0 win. Saturday night, Cheverie stopped 24 shots as Denver completed the sweep with a 3-2 win. Cheverie had 58 saves on 60 shots for the weekend. He has a 1.19 goals against and a save percentage of .961.

Sophmore center Jack Connolly (undrafted) scored three goals over the weekend for Minnesota Duluth in a weekend sweep of rival Minnesota. It was UMD's first sweep of the Gophers since the 2003-2004 season. Sophomore goalie Brady Hjelle (2010 draft eligible) turned aside 36 shots in Saturday's 3-2 win.