The Second Half

It’s a fresh start for some.

A new chapter.

It’s a much needed second chance or a breathe of fresh air.

The second half of the hockey season is an incredibly exciting time of year. You can talk about New Year’s Resolutions all you want, but it’s definitely time to flip the page and get better. New Year’s Resolutions very seldom pan out, that’s what makes the second half somewhat stressful. Obviously, I’ve discussed players should be playing to their identity, but now isn’t the time to completely reinvent the wheel when it comes to playing the game they love. Now is the time to get better each and every day especially after what these players have experienced in the first half of their draft year.

The holiday season though incredibly short provides players with a chance to reflect and assess their current path and goals that they perhaps set at the first of the season. The second half provides an opportunity to modify, adapt or adjust those goals.

Everyone gets so fired up about the second half, it’s in the second half where the separation continues amongst draft eligible prospects.

I think everyone can admit they had their share of struggles in 2022, putting those behind us and learning from that adversity can only make us stronger.

Reassess, reevaluate, retool and come back even stronger, that’s something we all should do.

You see everyone in the game and second half has an opportunity to change things up. From the coaches, to the parents, to the officials, scouts, media and most importantly the players. The second half provides an opportunity to be better and get better every single day and that alone makes the second half of the season so invigorating.

One chance, one opportunity. That’s all it takes to get something started in motion. You see that’s why resolutions don’t usually work, because the focus and energy wanes over time. In the second half of the season you see the character, you see the drive and determination in players. You get to see if the “give a shit factor” is high amongst prospects. The second half reveals a lot of intangibles. From a scouting perspective you get to see if a player or players are open to change or adjust. Some young players and people resist that and that’s exactly why they don’t grow or progress. There’s still tons of chapters left to be written in the second half of the season.

The second half is a chance, an opportunity for us all to get better, one day at a time.

Experience in many ways is the greatest teacher. Let’s hope we can all learn and grow from our experiences in the first half of the season. The second half isn’t the homestretch, it’s just the beginning.