WINNIPEG — For those young men aspiring to one day scratch their way to the pinnacle of pro hockey, the National Hockey League, you have to have more than a little mazel – luck.

Obviously, you have to have been blessed with talent, but survival instincts, mental and physical toughness, healthy living habits and a positive attitude are the kinds of prime assets that also ought to be stuffed into your equipment bag.

At this point, training camp auditions are over and thousands of hockey hopefuls have scattered across North America and Europe seeking their fortunes on golden ponds. The fortunate will receive a hearty mazel tov and the others, a broken heart.

Mike Cammalleri, only 5-9 and 180 pounds, is the son of a Jewish mother, Adele Gelbard, and a father of Sicilian origin. The slick skater toiled last season for the Los Angeles Kings and is now a Calgary Flame, following a June 20th draft-day swap for a first-round (17th overall) pick.

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native scored 19 goals last season and added 28 assists in 63 games. The left-winger was brought to Alberta to beef up the Flames offence, but his plus-minus numbers were a team-high minus-16. That negative stat indicated he failed to back-check efficiently, thereby affording the opposition abundant scoring opportunities.

Nonetheless, Cammalleri, a second-round pick in the 2001 entry draft, has excellent playmaking skills, very good anticipation, plus a nose for the net.

The 26-year-old honed his skills playing junior hockey in Bramalea, Ont., and with the Michigan Wolverines at the college level. He was a member of the 2007 gold medal Canadian team at the IIHF World Championship.

Meanwhile, the proverbial wandering Jew is on the move again, as of late September.

Veteran defenceman Mathieu Schneider, 39, who played his 1,200th NHL game earlier this fall, was traded from Anaheim to the Atlanta Thrashers – not because he wasn’t performing well with the Ducks, but he commands an annual paycheque of $5,575,000, which put Anaheim over the salary cap.

A prolific scoring rearguard, he has career totals of 212 goals and 491 assists. Only 5-10 and 195 pounds, Schneider, a third-round selection of Montreal back in 1987, has a great shot from the point and is invaluable on the power play, besides being an excellent lateral skater.

The trade winds also blew late last season for centre Jeff Halpern, 32, and, oddly, he ended up participating in 83 games in an 82-game schedule.

 Originally signed as a free agent in 1999 by the Washington Capitals, the six-foot, 200-pound centre is described as being more of a checker than a scorer. Yet in 2007-08, the native of Potomac, Md. who excels on the penalty-kill unit, first scored 10 goals and added 14 assists with the Dallas Stars. Then in only 19 games, he went on a scoring spree with his new club, the Tampa Bay Lightning, contributing 10 more markers and eight helpers for a career best season of 20 goals and 22 assists.

Tampa Bay, unfortunately, will be without the diligent worker with leadership qualities until at least January. The unlucky Jewish skater, whose mom Gloria, 56, was killed in a fiery car crash almost four years ago, suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in May. The U.S. team captain also suffered a sprain to his medial collateral ligament and a small tear to his lateral meniscus.

Much was expected of the Calgary Flames’ Eric Nystrom, 25, a hard-hitting left-winger – first, because he is the son of Bob Nystrom, a member of the U.S. National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame who enjoyed an outstanding playing career with the New York Islanders, and, second, because the Syosset, N.Y., native was picked in the first round, 10th overall, by Calgary in 2002.

Last year, the 6-1, 200-pounder, a former captain of the Michigan Wolverines, played 44 games and registered three goals and four assists. Injuries have hampered Nystrom, who plays a sound up-and-down game like his dad did, and management hopes he has even more untapped potential as a power forward.

Many others kids of Jewish background are on the cusp and are no doubt dreaming that this will be their breakthrough year.

Winnipeg’s Jacob Micflikier, 24, started the season with the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) Florida Everblades.

On Oct. 23, following a strong camp, the forward was called up by the AHL Rochester Americans. Last season, the former NCAA Eastern College Athletic Conference star with the New Hampshire Wildcats sustained a fractured fibia and high ankle sprain in practice the day after being called up to the AHL Springfield Falcons, just when he was beginning to flourish. The 5-8, 180-pound skater had scored 10 goals and added 27 assists in 29 games with Stockton and a goal and four assists with Springfield.

Toronto-born goaltender Robert Gherson, 25, a 2002 draft pick of the Washington Capitals, was the backup for the AHL champion Chicago Wolves last season. The former Sarnia Sting junior is back for another season in the windy city. Last season, he was 8-6 with a goals against average of 2.61 and a save percentage of .914.

Colby Cohen, drafted in the second round last June by the Colorado Avalanche, is back with Boston University’s NCAA team. The 6-2 defenceman had three goals and 13 assists last year.

Forward Oren Eizenman, 23, recently signed a pro tryout contract with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. Asked about his status with the team, the club’s media relations spokesperson said: “Oren and I had a conversation about [promoting] him as a Jewish athlete on our team… He is still here and part of the team.”

The Toronto native scored 27 goals and had 39 assists last season with the ECHL’s Fresno Falcons.

Thornhill, Ont., hockey brothers Adam Henrich, a left winger, and Michael Henrich, a right winger, are still out there trying to ascend the mountain.

Adam, a 2002 second-round pick by Tampa Bay, who played junior with the Brampton Battalion, is skating with the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Last year, the 24-year-old played in the league with the Norfolk Admirals, where in 43 games he scored 14 goals and added 17 assists.

The 6-4, 225-pound skater also played a dozen games with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL and recorded 10 goals and 10 assists.

Michael, 28, a first-round pick by the Oilers in 1998, 13th overall, is now 28 and doing his thing in Europe for the second straight season with Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams of the Deutsche Elite League. The former Barrie Colts junior phenom who stands 6-2 and weighs 210 pounds, managed 16 goals and 15 assists in 56 games overseas.

Finally, Orthodox Jewish player Benjamin Rubin, 19, is playing junior hockey with the Montreal Juniors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. This season, the left-winger has three goals and two assists in 11 games.