The PDA Newsletter | Cale Makar Case Study
What if the real shortcut to greatness was choosing the long way?
You know him.
The human highlight reel from the blueline.
The explosive edgework.
The blueline deception that leaves even the most elite forwards lost in orbit.
The offensive production that rivals 95% of forwards, let alone defensemen.
But Cale Makar wasn’t always the chosen one.
He was always super talented as he led his Calgary Flames U18 AAA team in scoring as a defenseman before making the jump to Junior A.
His offensive instincts were obvious from a young age.
What set him apart wasn’t whether or not he could play; it was where he chose to play.
At 15, while many peers were targeting the CHL fast track, Makar stepped into the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Brooks Bandits, a league that rarely produces first-round NHL picks, let alone a future Norris Trophy winner.
So how did someone from the AJHL become the most electrifying defenseman in hockey?
The answer is tucked into the quiet years. The patient years. The ones where he wasn’t under the microscope, but in the lab.
Let’s see how Cale got there…
Development Over Destination
Nowadays, it seems like most prospects chase the biggest spotlight they can find.
Makar obviously had the résumé to do the same.
Those who watched him play during his minor hockey days already knew he played the game with a creativity and confidence that was rare for someone his age.
So instead, he chose Brooks.
Some saw this as a questionable decision for a player of his calibre.
The AJHL didn’t come with packed arenas, Sportsnet coverage, or the constant attention of scouts.
What it did offer a young Makar was room…
Room to play big minutes, test himself in every situation, and build the foundations of his game that we best know him for today.
By the time he landed at UMass, he wasn’t just another talented skater…
He was deliberate. He was composed. He saw the game in layers that his peers hadn’t even begun to process.
Makar’s growth was on full display at the 2019 NCAA Frozen Four against Denver.
Watching his game back, you’ll find a young Makar at his best.
On retrievals, he scanned early, set his feet, and turned forecheck pressure into clean exits. Every touch looked calculated, every breakout layered with deception.
He wasn’t just surviving against a national powerhouse; he was controlling the pace of the game, dictating when and how the game moved.
So, inevitably, that patience significantly paid off, and Makar became:
- Hobey Baker Award Winner
- Fourth overall NHL draft pick in 2017
- NHL-ready the moment he stepped on the ice
A Master in Transition
For Makar, defence is never just defence. It’s the switch that tilts the ice in his team’s favour.
He angles attackers into low-value ice with ease, eliminates time and space with masterful stick details, and wins pucks where others simply try to survive.
He makes defending some of the best players on the planet look easy.
But Makar’s puck retrievals are where he really separates himself from the next elite defender.
Two quick shoulder checks, an effortless glide into pressure, a slip of an edge of the forechecker and in just mere seconds, doubt creeps into the forechecker’s brain. Suddenly, a forecheck designed to trap him becomes his runway.
His NHL debut made this crystal clear.
In the 2019 playoffs against Calgary, he picked up a puck in his own zone, shifted pressure wide, and joined the rush in stride as he trailed MacKinnon.
A few seconds later, he was scoring in his very first game.
That sequence captured his identity: retrieve, manipulate, re-attack.
Most defensemen simply look to end plays… Makar launches them from his own zone.
His greatest offence often starts with a quiet defensive win, followed immediately by a decision that throws opponents back on their heels.
A Style That Doesn’t Copy
There are fast skaters… then there’s Cale Makar.
His edgework is elite, but it’s his brain that rewrites the possibilities.
He doesn’t just see lanes, he invents them entirely.
He bends time in transition, slicing through coverage before defenders even recognize the gap.
“He’s the best skater in the NHL,” said teammate Nathan MacKinnon. “Not just straight line — he can do things I’ve never seen before.”
What makes him dangerous isn’t just his explosive skating ability, it’s his control.
His movement looks instinctive, yet every pivot, every glide, every hesitation is intentional.
That’s what separates him from the rest of the top NHL defenders: he doesn’t just play at top speed, he dictates the speed of the game itself.
The Player He’s Become
Since entering the league, Makar has redefined what it means to play defense in the modern NHL:
Stanley Cup Champion (2022)
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner
2x Norris Trophy Winner (2022, 2025)
Point-per-game defenseman
Regarded not just as the best at his position, but as one of the best players in the world
Makar’s greatness isn’t just in his high-end skill-set, but in his originality.
The detours others avoided became the road that made him dominant.
What Players Can Learn from Makar
Development beats exposure, even when you’re already producing. Makar led his U18 AAA team in points, but still chose Brooks and the AJHL. He valued growth over prestige, and that decision gave him the space to build confidence in every layer of his game at the next level.
Time and space are the raw materials of creativity. NCAA hockey gave him room to delay, disguise, and stretch plays. That freedom taught him to dictate tempo, not just survive it.
Build with intention, not imitation. Makar never tried to carbon-copy another player’s style. He studied why decisions worked, then layered those answers into something no one else could replicate.
IQ is revealed in moments, not metrics. Watch his retrievals: the shoulder checks, the bait, the escape. His edge comes from processing the game a beat earlier than anyone else and acting on it.
Concluding Thoughts
In the end, Makar’s patience never held him back; in fact, it did the opposite, it pushed him ahead.
In Brooks and later at UMass, he was able to build the foundation to his game that players in more rushed environments might not have been able to develop.
On the outside looking in, the climb might’ve looked slower, but it turned into a calculated launch that turned him into a generational defenseman.
His path proves that patience, in the right hands, can be the ultimate shortcut.
Actionable Advice
Don’t race to match someone else’s timeline.
Like Makar, build on your terms.
Choose the environment that lets you grow, not just get noticed.
Layer skills with intention and purpose, take your development into your own hands.
Talon Mills
Up next in the PDA Newsletter
Coming Thursday: 5 Key Storylines That Will Define the U16 Draft Year
This Thursday in the PDA Newsletter, we’re breaking down the five biggest storylines as the 2010-borns step into their draft year. From GTHL heavyweights to OMHA challengers and ALLIANCE favourites, we’ll set the stage for a season that promises drama from day one. The countdown to Titans starts here.
