BOSTON -- Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak has put up big numbers this season. His 18 goals through Monday are the most in the league behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby.Even bigger? Pastrnaks personality, both on and off the ice.Its infectious. The fans love it. His teammates feed off his energy.Hes been great all year long, said Pastrnaks linemate Brad Marchand. Hes is able to make something out of nothing and hes able to turn the game around in a single play.And the best part? Pastrnak is only 20 years old.The wingers personality has seemingly surfaced on a nightly basis for the Bruins this season -- and not just because an errant stick to the face in October took a chunk out of his front teeth and left him looking like Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber.Case in point: As Boston battled the Florida Panthers in overtime on Monday, Bruins center David Krejci took control of the puck deep in the offensive zone. The Panthers were playing man-to-man defense during the 3-on-3 OT when Pastrnak purposely skated back into the neutral zone. He quickly cut back, leaving his stunned defender flat-footed. Krejci fed a quick pass to Pastrnak, who pumped in his second goal of the game for the winner.It was an uncanny move by Pastrnak, to create so much time and space. Not many players would deliberately take themselves out of the play before jumping back in with a game-changing, jaw-dropping move like he did -- and it generated the game-winning goal. Pastrnak admitted after the game that he had exited the zone on purpose.I saw Krech had a lot of time, so I wanted to pick up speed outside the zone, he said with a shrug. He said he saw me outside the zone, so he held onto it and he made a good play.After he scored, Pastrnak celebrated -- as he usually does -- by kissing his hand and pointing to the sky to honor his late father, Milan. ?When he was 15, Pastrnak left his parents and his native Czech Republic to play in Sweden. Because his goal was to play professional hockey in North America -- and ultimately, in the NHL -- Pastrnak decided it would help to learn English while he honed his skills on the ice.He became more fluent both on and off the ice during his second season in Sweden, but just four days before his 17th birthday, Milan -- who had coached Pastrnaks junior team -- died after a long illness. A little more than a year later, on June 27, 2014, the Bruins drafted Pastrnak in the first round (25th overall). As he walked up to the Wells Fargo Center stage in Philadelphia that night, he kissed his hand and pointed to the sky.Pastrnak split time between the AHL and NHL during the 2014-15 season as an 18-year-old. He played only 46 games for the Bruins and quickly learned that finding his footing in the NHL wasnt going to be easy -- especially without his father to lean on. While with Bostons AHL affiliate in Providence, coach Bruce Cassidy and former NHLer?Jay Pandolfo?worked closely with him. Cassidy and Pandolfo are both now assistant coaches for the Bruins and have witnessed firsthand how Pastrnak has developed.Pando and Butch [Cassidy] did a great job when I was in Providence, Pastrnak said. Ive been around those guys for three years and theyve helped me work and get better every day. He credited Bruins assistant Joe Sacco and Bruins head coach Claude Julien as well.Theres this silly myth in the hockey world that Julien doesnt trust -- or like dealing with -- younger, inexperienced players. But Julien was a successful junior and AHL coach before moving to the NHL. And, during his 10-year tenure in the Bruins organization, he has helped develop players such as Pastrnak, Marchand, Krejci, Milan Lucic, Tuukka Rask and Torey Krug, just to name a few.While at times Julien limits his young players playing time, he believes its simply part of the learning curve and development process. That plan has clearly worked with Pastrnak.Hes been our best forward since the beginning of the year, Julien said. Hes coming into his own. [His confidence] is at its highest right now, and rightfully so.Managing the puck to reduce turnovers was one major thing Pastrnak needed to work on, but teaching that kind of discipline without stripping a player of his imaginative impulses can be a challenge.When a guy is creative like that, every once in a while the plays arent going to work and youre going to get those [turnovers], Julien said. But more often, hes making the great plays, so you work with that. Its more about him growing into the player everybody anticipated him to be.Pastrnak has a nose for the game. He wins puck battles. He controls the play and possession. He routinely uses his game-changing speed to catch defensemen off guard. And his ability to dominate one-on-one is a perfect example of his high-end skill.?I love him, said one Western Conference coach of Pastrnak. He has great offensive instincts. Hes a natural goal scorer with great release, and he gets his nose dirty. Hes got a little bite to him. And hes a perfect fit for Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.Pastrnak has also worked on his two-way game, and he has made strides there too, this season. He has become a dangerous, dynamic player who has made the Bruins a better team.?It helps that hes on a line with Bergeron and Marchand, who are considered among the best two-way players in the game.Its great to see how he has developed. Hes such a great kid, said Marchand of Pastrnak. Hes going to continue to grow, and hes going to be a great player for us.Pastrnak will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. Theres no doubt Boston needs to sign him to a long-term deal, but he might need to settle for a bridge deal to stay with the Bruins because of their salary-cap constraints.His goalie, for one, hopes he sticks around.Hes very creative, said Rask. Hes been a talent, a young talent, for several years and hes finally taken the last step and is kind of making a little name for himself. 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Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. He has a first-class triple-hundred to his name. His IPL 2016 contract was worth Rs 1.9 crore (approximately US$277,000). He has scored one of the fastest first-class centuries by an Indian. He is only 19.Rishabh Pant, born in Roorkee in the hilly north Indian state of Uttarakhand, rose to prominence at the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh earlier this year, with two innings in particular: an 18-ball half-century against Nepal, and a blistering century in the quarter-final against Namibia.Pant has grabbed attention this Ranji Trophy season in much the same way. In October, he scored a belligerent 308 off 326 balls against Maharashtra, and then added his name to the record books with a 48-ball hundred against Jharkhand, one of the fastest first-class centuries by an Indian.Currently, Pant is the leading run scorer this Ranji season after six matches: 874 runs from nine innings, with four centuries and a stellar average of 97. The figure that jumps out is the number of sixes - 47. His captain from the Under-19 World Cup, Jharkhand batsman Ishan Kishan, is next with almost half - 25.****Aggression comes naturally to Pant with the bat in hand. It also contradicts the philosophy of his coach, Tarak Sinha.I prefer one-day cricket but my sir [Sinha] doesnt consider anyone an international player until he plays a Test, Pant told ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai, during the match against Maharashtra at Wankhede Stadium. For sir, I have to play Test cricket. I also want to play Tests. In our club, only Test players are called country players by sir.Sinha is undoubtedly old school, and Sonnet Cricket Club in Delhi, which he founded, has produced about a dozen India players, including Shikhar Dhawan and Aakash Chopra. Ustaadji, as Sinha is popularly known, has always been traditional at heart. The generation to which Pant belongs may have been brought up on T20, but Sinha has always placed a premium on the skills necessary for Test cricket. That does not mean he has curbed Pants attacking instincts.I dont change my style of play just because the format changes, Pant said. If I get a ball to hit, then I go after it and if its a ball to be left, I leave it. The field is usually spread out in one-days, and in first-class, its usually kept up, so there are more scoring opportunities. There are plenty of gaps in first-class - you only have to pick the right balls.Pant began his season with 146 off 124 balls against Assam. His 308 came in the next match, and made him the fourth youngest to score a first-class triple-century. Then came the match against Karnataka, where he scored 24 and 9.Following that game, Delhi coach KP Bhaskar, also a Sonnet alumnus, flagged the dangers of using the same attacking approach in every game. You cant play the same pattern on every pitch, he said Sometimes the situation demands where you need to be a little choosy.Two matches later, Pant blasted that 48-ball century in the first innings against Jharkhand, and 135 at a strike rate of 201 in the second innings. In all, he hit 21 sixes in the match. Despite his coaches cautionary words, he has followed his instincts. If I play two maidens and then hit a couple of sixes, then my strike rate is nearly 100, Pant said. Like against Maharashtra, they started bowling negative lines outside the leg stump to me, so I didnt score. When I got the chance, I sometimes scored 10 or 15 in an over.****Pants technique is not solid yet, but he derives his strength from good hand-eye coordination and the brute power of his bat swing. When I saw him in our camp in Palam (Delhi), we used to create match scenarios, Pravin Amre, Delhi Daredevils assistant coach, recalled. There he would achieve his targets effortlessly. His bat swing is very good and the power with which he hits is eye-catching. Rishabh did very well in our practice games and we had planned then to use him properly in the IPL.Amre believes Pant can settle into first-class cricket without compromising on his attacking play, if he learns to focus for longer. The biggest benefit he gives his [Ranji] team is that if you want an outright win in four days, he helps them score 300-400 quickly and gives them more time, Amre said. If you play 90 overs in a day and score 200-250 only, its not enough for an outright win. But if you score 400-450, its so different. Which is what he does. It may be that sometimes he looks awkward while getting out, but when its his day, he is a game-changer.When Daredevils director of cricket and primary scout TA Sekhar was looking for emerging talent in 2015, he hearrd people in Delhi talk of how hard Pant could hit the ball.dddddddddddd Sekhar saw that ability first-hand during a few Ranji Trophy matches last year. Then I watched him in the Under-19 World Cup and realised, very rarely you can come across people who can hit the ball so hard among the Indians.****Pant walks out to bat with his collar up. Off the field, he speaks in a matter-of-fact fashion. He describes his state of mind at all times with one word: confidence.Five days after the Nepal match in the U-19 World Cup, he struck a brisk century against Namibia to take India into the semi-finals. It was a memorable day for another reason too. In the IPL auction, Daredevils signed him at nearly 20 times his base price, of Rs 10 lakhs, outbidding Rising Pune Supergiants, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.When the quarter-final got over, we were all making fun of each other, Pant recounted. Tu 50 mein bik gaya, tu 60 mein bik gaya [You were sold for 50 lakh, you were sold for 60]. The team manager told me Delhi bought me for 1.9 crores. Maine kaha, Sir mazaak mat karo, sahi batao. Sir ne kaha, Sahi mein. [I asked him not to pull my leg, but he said I had actually been bought for that much.] Then I believed him.In his sixth match for Daredevils, Pant faced Bangladesh left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, who had already made an impact, in his maiden IPL, playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The second ball Pant faced from the left-armer was that offcutter, which has foxed several international batsmen. Pant smacked it over long-on. Sunrisers captain David Warners eyes widened as he appreciatively watched the ball sail over the boundary.A couple of deliveries later, Pant used his supple wrists to whip a low, dipping full toss to the midwicket boundary. He took 26 runs off 13 balls from Mustafizur in that match, the most a batsman has scored against him in a T20.His fearless hitting [stands out], he doesnt care who is at the other end to bowl, Amre says. He clears the ground very easily. People are going to be scared of bowling to him in the future.Though elated by the news from the auction, Pant was unsure about whether he would get opportunities in a set-up, considering there were three other wicketkeepers - Quinton de Kock, Sanju Samson and Sam Billings. I was worried about not getting enough chances, so Rahul [Dravid] sir [Daredevils mentor] sat with me one night and explained: Theres no need to get worried, you will get a chance. But we dont want it to look like you are not ready for the big stage when you play. So make the most of the chances you get. That felt really good, my tension reduced and I was picked from the fourth match and then did decently.In his first IPL season Pant scored 198 runs at an average of 24.75 and strike rate of 130.26 in ten matches. Batting at various positions - from opening the innings to No. 8 - also boosted his confidence. He is at home in the middle order, though, and all four Ranji Trophy centuries this season have come at No. 5.****Flamboyant as he is on the field, Pant has not been carried away with the big money. His indulgences are those of any teenager. He is happy to spend money on perfume, and has bought a car for himself and one for his parents. Otherwise, his focus remains cricket.Pant does not want to disappoint Sinha, who took him under his wing at Sonnet and became his primary caretaker when the batsman moved to Delhi at the age of 12.Initially my technique was horrible. He had said that if I learned the basics of the game, I would score very well. It wasnt happening instantly because once I made these changes, I couldnt score properly. He was only teaching me the basics, without which you cannot play. Like driving off the front foot; I didnt know until then how to drive. If I had not come to Sonnet Club, then I dont know where I would have been right now.Pant did well under Sinhas tutelage, making his Ranji Trophy debut before he turned 18. In the last year and a half, he has moved swiftly from being an unknown to