No matter what expectations are put on you heading into your first OHL season, the transition from minor hockey to junior hockey is a huge change for a 16-year-old.
In the case of Windsor Spitfires forward and Oakville's own Ethan Belchetz, his transition would be magnified due to the fact that he was last seasons OHL Cup MVP and first overall draft pick of the league.
The original transition for Belchetz was a hard one since he needed to adapt to a new world at such a young age.
"It's been tough," Belchetz said on moving away from Oakville to Windsor. "When you're living at home you are seeing your parents everyday, your teammates everyday, and you're going to school with your best friends. That's the tough part of [not being at home anymore.]"
Now Belchetz has to adapt to his new life in Windsor, which has presented its own line of challenges.
He had to move into a new school and make new friends and due to the fact that he is so far away from home he's unable to see his parents as much and is living in a billet house.
Luckily, Belchetz was able to go home for the Christmas break and that really helped him.
"Going home for the Christmas break was huge, getting to see [my family] was a lot of fun."
The OHL lifestyle has been a real culture shift for Belchetz, but as the season has gone on for him, he is starting to become more familiar with his new life.
"I'm getting more and more comfortable here and I'm having a lot of fun."
The culture shock has not affected Belchetz game. With the conference-leading Spitfires he has scored 15 goals and 19 assists in 41 games now.
He has been playing with L.A. Kings prospect Liam Greentree and Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas for portions of this season.
"Just watching them and seeing how they treat themselves and prepare for every game is very fun to watch and it's great to look up to those guys."
It may have taken some time, but Belchetz has been able to adapt to his new life in Windsor and is becoming more comfortable by the day while thriving on the ice.
Belchetz is eligible to be drafted in the 2026 NHL Draft and Cam Robinson from Eliteprospects.com said near the start of the OHL season that Belchetz could become the next Eric Lindros.
Those are definitely some mighty shoes to fill but Belchetz has the talent and the skill to at least come close to that projection.