You play a game that you love, dream about the NHL and you are young enough to have the world in your hands.

At this time in life you are truly free and you are in full control of your destiny.

A good advice for every young ice hockey player that currently is in this situation should be to always make the best out of every situation. Whether it is on the rink or in life outside hockey, catch every moment when it arises and make the best of it every day.

You owe this to yourself.

When you are young and on your way up in the hockey system, always make sure that you outline your goals. You should take some time to give life some thoughts every now and then. Think about both your hockey life and your non-hockey life.

A young hockey player, just like you might be right now, often do not think that there is anything else in life than hockey. When you grow older you will know that there is.

The point I am making here is to try helping you understand that there will be a life after hockey. This is true for you, for me and for everybody else.

Have you ever thought about how few young ice hockey players that actually make it to the big leagues and are able to make a decent living on the game of hockey?

At the young stage of your life you should always focus a hundred percent on your hockey, but you should also do some thinking and have a plan B. Just in case you do not make it to the big leagues.

One thing that I really like is that the Canadian junior hockey system sometimes pays for college when you are done playing junior hockey. Do some serious thinking when you are at this point in life if you haven't done so already.

Do you have any doubts about making it to the NHL? Then a college education might come in handy and you are still able to play hockey and improve at the same time.