No matter how successful they are, pro athletes can't afford to be complacent about their accomplishments.
It doesn't take long before an achievement gets filed as part of the past. Then, once again, the player is left with something to prove, a new mountain to climb.
As the calendar is about to flip to September and preparations begin in earnest for the 2016-17 NHL season, it's a good time to scrutinize the players who have already made it to the upper echelons of the world's best hockey league.
The NHL stars featured here are already among the league's best players but look like they're poised to take their already-impressive games up one more level this year.