What Makes an Elite Youth Hockey Player

There are youth hockey leagues all around the world. There are thousands and tens of thousands of youths that play the game of hockey. Especially in the countries where the weather is mostly cold.
All the youths on these hockey teams go to the practices and play in the games. They put forth an admirable effort.
Here is the question.
What makes some of the youth hockey players stand out from the rest of the bunch?
Here is the answer.
Practice is not exciting. The stretching, the push ups, the conditioning is not fun. In fact it can be pretty boring doing the same drills over and over and over again. That is how you get better. Most players will put in their time and go through all the drills. The end. When practice is over, the effort is over until the next practice.
The player that stands out will stretch before turning in at night to be more flexible. They will do extra push ups whenever they can. Not to get stronger, but to increase the chance of making the varsity team and eventually and hopefully rising through the ranks to the ultimate goal. The NHL.
By doing all the extra stuff a player needs to do to be the best they greatly increase the chance of getting that college scholarship and standing out when that professional hockey scout attends one of their games.
You have to make the decision to be the best and do the necessary things that it takes. Dedication, hard work and