Kingston Frontenacs star forward Michael Dal Colle is an elite-level athlete blessed with natural talent that will one day take him to the National Hockey League.

The drive behind Dal Colle comes from an appreciation for the life he has and what his family has done for him.

Dal Colle’s mother, Wendy, is a cancer survivor. His older brother, Jonluca, is autistic.

“Family is everything for me in my life,” Dal Colle has repeated more than once but always with sincerity.

“Obviously I have been through a lot of stuff. My brother is autistic and is a big part of our family’s lives,” Dal Colle said.

“I know how fortunate I am. Obviously (Jonluca) didn’t get that chance. So everything I do in life is for him.”

Dal Colle also credits his Italian grandfather — “my nonno” — for planting the seed for hockey in the Dal Colle household.

“My nonno got my dad (Gus) into hockey and it carried over to me,” Dal Colle said.

“When my dad came over from Italy not many Italian people knew much about hockey. But my dad always wanted to play. So I thank my nonno for him getting me into hockey originally.”

Gus Dal Colle is at most of the Frontenacs games although time in Cuba is causing him to miss a couple of games this week.

Jonluca doesn’t attend games but faithfully follows all his brother’s games on television.

Dal Colle has given his brother lots to see since Frontenacs general manager Doug Gilmour made the trade with Oshawa on Jan. 1.

The 19-year-old Dal Colle has scored 21 goals in 20 games for Kingston.

He said while it was an emotional day when he was traded to Kingston after spending 3 1/2 seasons with the Generals, he rationalized it as something Oshawa needed to do in a rebuilding year following its Memorial Cup victory last spring.

“It has worked out for both sides,” Dal Colle said.

“Ever since I’ve been here I’ve found chemistry with (linemates Spencer Watson and Warren Foegele) and all is good. We’ve been winning, we’ve been playing the right way. Hopefully we can continue to a long playoff run.”

What awaited Dal Colle in Kingston was familiarity in coach Paul McFarland, former Oshawa teammate Stephen Desrocher, now manning the Kingston blue-line, and several players he had grown up playing minor hockey against.

“That definitely made it easier. (McFarland) coached me two years and in my (NHL) draft year in Oshawa,’’ Dal Colle said.

“I knew a lot of guys on the team like Roland McKeown, Spencer Watson, (Lucas) Peressini. I played with those guys growing up and against them,” he said.

“So when I got here things were really familiar for me. It didn’t make the transition that hard. Especially, too, because I was staying in the East Division.”

With a dozen games left in the Ontario Hockey League regular season and the Frontenacs sitting atop the Eastern Conference with a 37-15-2-2 record and looking at their first East Division title since 1995, Dal Colle said he and his teammates should embrace what’s going on.

“It is really fun. For most of the guys in the room this could be their best chance to win in junior. So you’ve got to make the most of it,” Dal Colle said.

“At the end of the day we know teams are right on our heels so we want to seal the deal. Hopefully clinch first in the East.”

The Frontenacs obviously love what Dal Colle is doing for the hockey club. The New York Islanders, who drafted Dal Colle fifth overall in 2014 — one spot after former Frontenac Sam Bennett went to the Calgary Flames — are happy with one of their top prospects, too.

“He’s really matured. He reminds me of John Tavares,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano told NHL.com earlier in the season.

“Johnny was a real reserved guy and came out of his shell a couple of years later. Michael’s the same way. He was real quiet last year, but real talkative this year. I’m really pleased with his progress, that’s for sure.”

Obviously the six-foot-two, 190-pound Dal Colle, who turns 20 on June 20, would have preferred the Islanders had kept him for the season. He was philosophical, however, when sent back to the Ontario Hockey League.

“It’s part of the process. Tons of great players have gone through it, a guy like Ryan Strome had to play four years in juniors as well,” he told NHL.com.

Frontenacs notes: Wednesday’s game against Ottawa was cancelled due to inclement weather. The game has been rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Rogers K-Rock Centre. The Frontenacs marketing office said all tickets sold for Wednesday’s game will be honoured for Monday’s game.