I thought I would put together a couple of examples of Dmen who are not considered huge by any means but are huge contributors to their team.  The team I help coach has dmen who aren't over-sized so hopefully this helps them visualize. These are two of the most valuable dmen in the greatest league in the world. Here we go. Erik Karlsson-6'00" 175lbs. Kris Letang- 6'00" 195lbs. Obviously these guys are great players because of how well they skate. But watch these examples and pay attention to the way they:  -compete -play hard -jump up in the play but always recover quickly -are strong on the puck -make fast, committed plays -shoot the puck quickly and have short incredible releases -get pucks thru to net -don't over-handle the puck. Move it quickly and then jump into the play -are willing to battle bigger players