What's the one attribute that most translates to NHL success?

[Xirik]

To be able to pour their cruelty, Malice, and will to dominate all life into Hockey.

 

[Nicko999]

Like it was said before... hockey IQ. AINEC actually applies here.

You can be super slow but have a high hockey IQ and still be an all-star.

You can be the fastest skater but have zero IQ. You'll end up in the AHL or Europe soon enough.

 

[rahad]

Like it was said before... hockey IQ. AINEC actually applies here.

You can be super slow but have a high hockey IQ and still be an all-star.

You can be the fastest skater but have zero IQ. You'll end up in the AHL or Europe soon enough.

I'm not so sure about that. How many high Hockey IQ player under 5ft9 never made it to the NHL? Despise having great number in the junior?

The most important is being athletic and size. You can still make it in the NHL with out high hockey IQ playing in the bottom 6.

 

[HanSolo]

As a forward speed will at least get you to the NHL.

As a D, size and shot blocking will get you some NHL games

If you want to be elite, it’s always hockey IQ. How you measure that, I have no idea

To me, I've always felt that IQ is an aggregate of vision, decision making which gets lumped in with game sense (pretty general but how a player sees a play unfolding and how they choose to act to contribute), positioning, and the ability to execute difficult plays under pressure.

I think it also varies from player to player how they have high hockey IQ. A player like say, McDavid or J. Hughes, they execute offensive plays quickly. Where someone like Eichel uses spacing and delays with the puck to unnerve defenders into getting out of position and he'll either use that to free up a passing lane or bull past the erring defender to create chances. There's different ways IQ can manifest but the guys who have a lot of it manipulate the game on the ice better than the guys who thrive by being fast or having a cannon of a shot and good shooting positioning.

 

[Shark Finn]

Being a hockey professional

 

[waitin425]

For some to make the NHL and rise above their peers in junior hockey they need to be elite in all 4 of the following categories....

Elite hands - stickhandling, shooting
Elite legs - skating
Elite head - IQ
Elite Heart - compete

in junior of you lack one of those it is nearly impossible to make the show.

 

[Albatros]

I once had a conversation with a guy who played one game for the Rangers. He told me that anyone who actually makes it to the NHL is uber talented, the top 0.01%, and he said he had the talent. He said the biggest difference in making it a career and only playing a game or two was killer instinct, the absolute will to want to kill it every single shift, and do absolutely anything to win. He told me it's another gear that most people, including him and most others who finally make it to the show, don't have. It's not something you can train for, it's a mental level that you are inherently born with. I thought that was very insightful.

That doesn't do much to explain why multiple unrelated players from certain peewee teams make the NHL, but kids from the same area in different popular sports as good as never have pro careers.

 

[Zine]

That doesn't do much to explain why multiple unrelated players from certain peewee teams make the NHL, but kids from the same area in different popular sports as good as never have pro careers.

Could be because hockey's global talent pool is exponentially smaller than other popular sports.

 

[QJL]

As a forward speed will at least get you to the NHL.

As a D, size and shot blocking will get you some NHL games

If you want to be elite, it’s always hockey IQ. How you measure that, I have no idea

Speed does not "at least get you to the NHL". I know a few people who can skate as fast as NHLers and will never come close to making the big league.

 

[Rebels57]

The one thing every great player has in common is Hockey IQ. There are great players that are big, small, slow, fast, great shot, weak shot, great at passing, bad at passing, etc.

You'll never become a great player without at least above average Hockey IQ though.

 

[VictorLustig]

Speed does not "at least get you to the NHL". I know a few people who can skate as fast as NHLers and will never come close to making the big league.

Exactly this.

 

[Nicko999]

I'm not so sure about that. How many high Hockey IQ player under 5ft9 never made it to the NHL? Despise having great number in the junior?

The most important is being athletic and size. You can still make it in the NHL with out high hockey IQ playing in the bottom 6.

The small players that never made it in the NHL but had good numbers in juniors relied on some physical attributes (shot, skating, etc) rather than IQ. Which is why they couldn't make the jump to the NHL as they couldn't get away with it against higher competition.