Film Review

‘Youngblood’: Coming of Age and Discovering Identity Via Hockey

“Youngblood” is a solid sports movie about identity, family, romance, second chances, with decent hockey action, that also doubles as a coming-of-age film.
‘Youngblood’: Coming of Age and Discovering Identity Via Hockey
The Hamilton Mustangs junior hockey team in "Youngblood." Well Go USA Entertainment
Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
|Updated:
0:00

PG-13 | 1h 45m | Sports, Drama | 2026

In “Youngblood,” Dean (Ashton James) is a talented hockey prodigy who joins the Hamilton Mustangs (a fictitious Canadian junior hockey team) with the hope of making it to the NHL draft. The problem is, he’s got a huge chip on his shoulder, and the problem with that is it’s a huge sports movie cliché.

Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
Mark Jackson is the senior film critic for The Epoch Times and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. Mark earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by classical theater conservatory training, and has 20 years' experience as a New York professional actor. He narrated The Epoch Times audiobook "How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World," available on iTunes, Audible, and YouTube. Mark is featured in the book "How to Be a Film Critic in Five Easy Lessons" by Christopher K. Brooks. In addition to films, he enjoys Harley-Davidsons, rock-climbing, qigong, martial arts, and human rights activism.
twitter