I′ve been a huge hockey fan and analytics enthusiast for years, but I recently watched some of my favorite college players transition to the NHL way earlier than expected. Unfortunately, many of them seemed to struggle with the pace and physicality at the professional level. This got me thinking: Does an early transition from college to the NHL actually hinder player development? From a sports-analytics perspective, how does the timing of this move impact long-term performance metrics like points per game or career longevity?