Jannik Hansen

So that's where you have a little bit of leeway in terms of filling out your body, becoming an adult, so to speak.

And then again...

honing your skill set to the point where you achieve what's kind of guided or what's anticipated for you.

So you have a little bit of leeway.

The first year, you normally just go back to playing wherever you were

It's not a whole lot of players that jump from their 18 year old draft year and then go play pro.

I know the rules will change a little bit next year.

Most goes back to junior and then again, become a better player, mature a little bit and grow.

And then you step into pros your second year.

And that's a real turning point because up until that point, most of these players have been the best wherever they've been up until now.

But when you step into the pros, whether or not it's in the NHL or in the American League, or you can even say in the East Coast, you're not the best player now.

There is seasoned veterans who's played in the American League in Europe coming back that are better players than you.

So now you have to fight for your cookies, so to speak.

And that year...

It takes you from playing youth junior hockey to playing adult, playing against men, playing pro, learning the game.

The pressure that comes with it, I know there's pressure in junior as well, but not in the same sense that most of these guys I play with now

They have families to feed.

They have a career to take care of.

When you're playing in the WHL and college, you're having fun.

Don't get me wrong, there's pressure and you want to go somewhere, but it's a game for fun.