Well we are now through roughly 35 games of the 2008-2009 NHL season. It has been an interesting year in the NHL thus far ,but one thing is certain is that the emergence of young stars in the league will not stop. From 18 year old defensemen such as Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn to Kyle Turris and Blake Wheeler, every team is looking to stronger and faster; and they way they are accomplishing this is through young talent. Players in the OHL, QMJHL, NCAA Division I, USHL, and KHL are ready to make the leap into the NHL and are ready to make an impact as well. These young 18-20 year old players are already men, and playing like seasoned veterans with composure and pure talent. I credit the readiness and emergence of these young stars to the development of Junior leagues and work out programs. The game is changing and young players need to hit the gym at a younger age in order to build their bodies to allow them to just flat out be stronger. The added muscle strength allows them to skate with more power and speed, shoot harder and quicker, and be stronger on the puck in all situations. The other part of the game that is developing quicker in younger athletes is their mental toughness and capacity. Hockey has a grueling 82 game schedule that puts a toll on your body physically, but above all mentally. If you cannot yet use your mind to overcome distractions from both outside and within then most likely you are not ready for t
he NHL, that is what amazes me most about these 18 year old defensemen that are logging upwards of 25 minutes per game. Defensemen take longer to develop than forwards and requires more mental responsibility and players such as Luke Schenn are taking the NHL by storm and showing that an 18 year old defenseman is mature enough to make an impact at the highest level possible night in and night out.
