The remake of a great film is kind of like the cover of a classic song. It’s a delicate balance between finding inspiration in the original, paying homage to that legacy, all while making it something brand new and all the new creator’s own. And when it’s done right, the results can be remarkable. Youngblood is that amazing cover, in film form.
Youngblood is a remake of the 1986 coming of age hockey movie of the same name, retold through a modern lens while tackling timeless challenges of race, masculinity, ambition and justice. The film tells the story of hockey prodigy Dean Youngblood, who is given what looks like his last chance at fulfilling his hockey dreams by joining the Hamilton Mustangs. Dean must tackle his trauma on and off the ice if he’s going to skate his way to the success he’s worked for his entire life.
The film features a stacked cast, with veteran actors Shawn Doyle as the stern coach (Big Love), and Blair Underwood as Youngblood family patriarch Blane, and sparkling newcomers Alexandra McDonald and Henri Picard. Ashton James portrayal of the titular character beautifully balanced the sensitive and conflicted protagonist trying to make his way through a challenging world, with fleeting but beautiful moments of youthful hope and excitement.
Youngblood premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film festival to critical and popular acclaim. The film was directed by Canadian director Hubert Davis, whose body of work includes Black Ice, the powerful documentary on the black Canadian hockey experience. With Youngblood Davis tackles this important subject matter with equal parts passion and poignancy, now in the narrative film realm.
Youngblood is the quintessential sports film of the modern age. It achieves the perfect balance between heartfelt story telling, with coming of age teen angst and just enough romance to gross out the 12 and younger crowd, and Hockey Night In Canada level sports action, complete with bone jarring body checks, sharp and icy hockey stops and heart pounding penalty shot moments. This film has something for everyone; hockey fans will find their hearts pounding watching the third act Game 7 scenes as if they were watching their own favourite team fighting for that playoff spot, romance fans will embrace the budding lovestory between Dean and Jessie, the coach’s daughter, and anyone can find themselves touched by the friendship between team Captain Sutton and Dean, and how a team can come together against all the odds to win with only seconds to go.
But perhaps the most powerful aspect of Youngblood is how it expands the cast of characters in the great Canadian hockey story beyond just young, white men. It tells an intergenerational story between fathers and sons, but also fathers and daughters, and mothers and sons. The lead character and star player is black, and speaks openly about the racism he’s encountered as a teenager in the sport, a stark reminder of the ever present prejudice in hockey at all levels, even in the 2020s. And women’s AND girls’ even finds a place on screen in Youngblood, with the challenges facing female hockey players on display, and a stark reminder that the sport still has a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity.
Youngblood tells many stories and teaches many lessons, the most powerful being the importance of not just nurturing talent, but ensuring the talented, no matter who they are and where they are from, get their chance to shine. The film highlights pivotal moments where bias is acknowledged and overcome, and the winning outcomes that can happen as a result. Youngblood shows what the future of hockey in Canada can look like if open hearts and minds prevail. And that’s a future we can all be proud of.
YOUNGBLOOD will be in theatres today, March 6, 2026.
Nadia Elkharadly
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