You will not all become all who think you are

Barely a few days ago, the draft of the National Hockey League (NHL) took place. The Montreal Canadian has selected nine hopes whose features he loved and which can one day aspire to play in the Bettman circuit. They were chosen according to what they did, of course, but above all according to their tool box.

These young players perceive themselves in a certain way. They dream of the best scenarios and project themselves to the highest of their potential. But ironically, even if this potential is at the source of what justified their recovery, the work of the Canadian’s development team is to put their ambitions in perspective.

To place them before the reality of the course which awaits them and to prevent them that their journey among professionals will not necessarily be the one to whom they dreamed.

It often happens that a player is drafted and that he does not become the one he was in the junior or at universityrecalls Rob Ramage, director of players’ development at the Canadian.

He must find a place, and it may not be on the first power game or the first unit of numerical inferiority. So what will allow him to reach the next level? It’s part of the education process that must be set up.

And then, for their part, is to accept this. There are some who rebiff, and they do not stay very longhe continues.

In recent years, defender Luke Mittelstadt has been one of those who have best kept the reminders of ramage in mind.

The younger brother of the center player Casey Mittelstadt is a distant choice of seventh round in 2023, a defender of 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) who was ignored twice at the draft before the Canadian selected him.

Mittelstadt was an offensive rear in high school, but he adjusted his game so as to give himself a chance to reach the NHL later.

When you are young, you only think of the attack, only scoring goals, but you need guys in the team that will close the door to the opponent and help the team winDit Mittelstadt.

Even if he does not go cuff, Mittelstadt is seen very favorably by the Canadian

In fact, the organization would have liked to make him sign a contract after the last season, but Mittelstadt chose to return to the University of Minnesota for a fourth and last year in order to graduate and try to win an NCAA championship with the Gophers.

As much ramage as Francis Bouillon are sold to the advantages of the 22 -year -old rear which is effective in defense, which defends with good skating angles and which takes out the washer from its territory intelligently.

Above all, Mittelstadt is a model of consistency.

This is one of my favorites since we have it. It’s not a guy who Flashe And it’s not a guy you will notice if you don’t focus on him. But in all the university matches that I have seen from him, you watch my reports and it is to copy and paste. He does everything well on the ice and he is so intelligent. It is these guys who find the way of being intelligent and who will end up playing in the National League.

Mittelstadt will therefore return to Minnesota where he intends to exercise his leadership, among others with his new teammate LJ Mooney, freshly drafted in the fourth round by the Habs.

Mooney measures only 5 pi 7 in (1.70 m), but his skills and his level of competition quickly distinguished him.

Oh my god, his level of skills is incredible, exclaimed Mittelstadt. I think that if he had been two inches greater, he would have been among the first five drafted. It is a degree of skills that I have never seen before. I am excited, to say the least. It’s going to be fun!

Several strings to their bow

As Montreal training takes shape and its nursery is full of hopes, we try to orient young players towards an identity to perfect and to a role that they will be likely to fulfill later.

An attacker like Tyler Thorpe, for example, stood out during the simulated match in Brossard with two very skilful goals, but we do not necessarily expect that he later becomes a 30 -goals. On the other hand, he has a favorable physique that no one can take away from him and that he must learn to use better.

And with it comes from changes in the way of playing.

Same thing for defender Owen Protz, who according to The Athletic (new window)was invited to the Summer Canada Junior team orientation camp.

The organization likes the fact that Protz mistreats the opponent and that he wants to draw inspiration from the old compilations of defeating that he was looking at VHS at the chalet. That said, it is even more important to protz to quickly kill the games of his rivals and to take time and space to them than want to play the followers of Darius Kasparaitis.

In short, there is a kind of paradox when the draft passes the witness to the development: players like to say that they are there for a particular reason, but that is all that is hidden behind this reason, everything that can be harvested in terms of unploded facets, that they are encouraged to put forward.

If the prolific marker of the junior no longer produces as much among professionals, will he have something else to offer as his goals? Will the intimidating colossus, up to a certain point, reinventing himself when he reaches a level where many have the same silhouette as him?

There are so many of them having to recalibrate, make a healthy self-assessment of themselves and recognize what is the best path to reach their goal.

Let us hear, no one has been discouraged to score goals at this development camp, far from it. But young people are invited to add a maximum of strings to their bow.

Hage hard towards himself

The quantity of elite talent at the development camp varies from year to year. The Michael Hage center, chosen in the 21st row of the draft last year, was the only TOP 60 selection present in the 2025 edition. This can occur when you exchange two first -round choices to get Noah Dobson.

During Thursday’s intraequipe match, Hage showed skill in washer control that placed it above the fray. He also made good use of the ten more books he added to his frame since the end of his season at the University of Michigan.

Hage is not at a time of his career where the competition forces him to change his player identity. You are an elite player, get used to italso told him Ramage.

No, Hage came to seek another type of advice from this development camp. The young center of the University of Michigan is taking its success at heart, but he must avoid being too hard towards himself.

At times this season, this character trait annoyed broth.

Often, in training, he makes a game, he was removed the washer, then he falls by being hit, and I saw his head drop, illustrated broth. I told him to remove it from his game because it doesn’t help him to be negative like that. He’s a guy who is hard towards himself, he wants to excel-and it’s positive-but if you make a mistake in a match and you are on this error, it can kill your match.

But it is a guy who is powerful on the skating rink, who brings the drip washer and who is able to beat players one against one. It is auspicioushe continues.

Ramage, he remembers having attended Hage matches at the start of the season he had dominated the competition. But later in the calendar, he remembers having seen him in the face of the formation of Michigan State – older and heavier – and Hage had been neutralized.

This is another example of the reality that strikes when reached a new level.

As such, Hage experienced the same thing as the young Laval Rocket team who, during the American League series, beat two teams on the top of the skills … before being suffocated by Charlotte more seasoned.

As much as Hage as the Rocket players learned of the hard way they had to work on their physical strength so as to be better equipped next season.

In both cases, it is a learning that will bring as much to the Canadian as to the main interested parties.