"He has certainly played his way into the picture," USA Hockey's Jim Johannson said. "As (Team USA GM) Brian Burke has said, 'the players will determine who makes the team.' Anderson to date has made a consistent statement."

With an 8-1-2 record and .936 save percentage, Anderson received nine first-place votes to secure the top spot in USA TODAY's latest Power Rankings vote for goaltenders. The Buffalo Sabres' Ryan Miller, considered a front-runner to be the Americans' No. 1 goalie, finished third in the vote. Anderson also was fourth in the MVP voting.

"We don't want to get too ahead of ourselves," Colorado coach Joe Sacco said on an NHL conference call. "But if he continues to play the way he has, I would think he would have to gain some attention. Certainly they can't overlook him at that point."

The Avalanche (8-1-2) ranked second in USA TODAY's team ranking, behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (9-2). They had finished last in the Northwest Division in 2008-09.

"(Anderson) is giving us a chance to win every game," Sacco said.

Another Colorado player, Ryan O'Reilly, finished third in the rookie vote behind New York Rangers defenseman Michael del Zotto and New York Islanders center John Tavares. O'Reilly, a center, has two goals and eight assists in 11 games.

First-year general manager Greg Sherman brought in Anderson last summer as a free agent.

"Talking with the guys I'm surrounded by, we had a good feel for Craig," Sherman said. "We wanted to bring him in to compete with Peter Budaj and ultimately it would be Sacco's decision. But Craig took this opportunity and he has had a good run out of the gate."

Anderson improved his marketability last season when he played superbly as Tomas Vokoun's backup on the Florida Panthers. Because of Vokoun's injury issues and Anderson's strong play, there were periods when Anderson looked more like a No. 1A goalie rather than a No. 2 goalie.

"He's only 28 years old and entering what I would consider is the prime of his career for a goaltender," Sacco said.

Although Anderson has some international experience at the world championships, he wasn't invited to the USA's summer orientation camp. The Americans brought in only Boston's Tim Thomas, Los Angeles' Jonathan Quick and Miller. But Burke has said players not invited still had the opportunity to make the team.

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About the Power Rankings

The USA TODAY NHL Power Rankings are voted on by seven members of the USA TODAY editorial staff: Kevin Allen, Mike Brehm, Dan Friedell, Gary Graves, Chad Leistikow, A.J. Perez and Brad Windsor, plus USATODAY.com columnist Justin Bourne, Detroit Free Press hockey writer Helene St. James, The (Nashville) Tennessean hockey writer John Glennon, Windsor (Ontario) Star hockey writer Bob Duff and former NHL goalie and Versus analyst Darren Eliot.

Teams receive 10 points for a first-place vote down to one point for a 10th-place vote. Individual players receive five points for a first-place vote down to one for a fifth-place vote. Voting occurs every two weeks.

The results:

Enlarge By Ron Chenoy, US Presswire Craig Anderson makes one of his 48 saves in a 3-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.