"Eleven or 12 years ago when it was my draft year and the NHL was starting to look at me as a young guy it was the complete opposite – they just wanted big guys who maybe didn’t have as much skill or hockey sense and they drafted him or chose him over myself just because were hoping they could turn him into a hockey player."

"Now, speed and skill are the direction of the new NHL. Your third and fourth lines aren’t filled with big guys trying to intimidate people. It’s guys who can score, are responsible defensively and can contribute all over the ice. The game has changed a lot and it’s continually evolving and that’s what GMs are trying to keep up with."

-Derek Ryan of the Calgary Flames. Eric Francis of Sportsnet has more on the smaller player.