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.
Directed by Hubert Davis, “Youngblood” is a loose remake of the 1986 Rob Lowe film. It’s a thoughtful, high-stakes drama about identity, family, romance, and second chances, with decent hockey action. It also doubles as a coming-of-age film.
Pops
The main challenge of the movie is sitting through the first third’s typical story of Dean overcoming his dad’s (Blair Underwood) do-or-die attitude and insistence that Dean punch everybody in the face who gets in his way. This well-intended but ultimately harmful guidance naturally manifests in attitude, arrogant celebration behavior, and brawls that threaten to capsize Dean’s sports career.
Dean finds mentorship with Murray (Shawn Doyle), his tough but fair coach, as well as a romance with the coach’s daughter Jessie (Alexandra McDonald). With their help, Dean comes to find that his goal in life is less about who he is on the ice and more about figuring out who he is off of it.
Director Davis also directed “Black Ice,” a documentary about Canadian black hockey players, so the film of course explores issues of race, prejudice, and gender in the sport. Regardless, while the lead character is a young black man, “Youngblood” isn’t a racially motivated story, but more of a universal tale of fathers and sons, pressure, disappointment, and redemption presented from the specific viewpoint of a hockey family.
The Hockey
The professional hockey player-turned-director Charles Officer was supposed to direct but tragically died before production began, leaving Davis to pick up the project. The film is dedicated to Officer.
The hockey action itself isn’t filmed with the slick polish of big-budget sports movies, since Davis knows his audience spans both die-hards and newcomers. However, a Canadian production will inherently contain a higher baseline of knowledge of the sport than American hockey films.
This “dumbing down” chooses adding impressive speed to the game by focusing on fast-moving skates. But hockey is actually a game of timing, geography, and spatial relationships. When the cinematography deletes the relations of these things to each other, by substituting cinematization, it also ironically deletes the sport’s watchability. It’s a bit like pasteurizing milk and then adding vitamins back in. It’s hard to tell, but something always goes missing.
One of the best elements of the film is the cast of mostly unknown actors. Their rawness incorporates authenticity in ways that the hockey doesn’t. You feel like you are watching real kids, real families, and real coaches.
“Youngblood” is a solid sports movie that will pay off is you can make it through the first third’s clichés.
‘Youngblood’
Director: Hubert Davis
Starring: Ashton James, Blair Underwood, Shawn Doyle
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Release Date: March 6, 2026
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
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