That night I watched a YouTube video by Veritasium (one of my longtime favorite channels) titled Is Success Luck or Hard Work? Did you know that 40% of all professional hockey players were born in the first third of the year (Jan. through Apr.) compared to 28% in the last third (Sep. through Dec.)? The idea is that age cutoffs for youth hockey leagues are the first of the year, so kids born early on the calendar are usually bigger, stronger, and more talented than those born later and typically receive better coaching and opportunities. These small differences compound year after year, and in the end your birthday is a major factor of if you’ll make it to the NHL.