Hank or Dank the other day said he has been playing against men already. But yes, it is all spec.
1989. And when did the 2 you mentioned actually become the dominant HOFers? Do you think that happened when they were 21? Or did they have a learning curve and scale of progression?
The KHL and NHL are largely different games. The big ice surface makes the KHL a slow it down game, and where there is more time and space. You have more time to think out there. The NHL is a much faster game, and the skill level is still better. This is more 90% of the best come to play.