Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1507519
SEPTEMBER 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 35 PLAYING SMART BY CALEIGH BURCHFIELD SEPTEMBER 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 35 B alance is extremely important. Few practice this better than college athletes, excelling both on and off the ice. However, as essential as their successes are in the locker room, emphasis is also placed on excellence in the classroom. Just ask Danny Nelson, who graduated from high school among the top of his classmates and wrapped up his time at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program with a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship in May. Nelson, a 2023 second-round pick of the New York Islanders, recalled how important time management was for him while training and studying in Plymouth, Michigan—the home of the NTDP. "Finding a balance was huge in my time at the NTDP," Nelson said. "I found a balance between getting schoolwork done in the morning and finding a little bit more time after we were done at the rink to fin- ish it at home. It taught me how to manage my time better and learn how to study better." Nelson, a forward from Maple Grove, Minnesota, just began Danny NELSON Lacey EDEN