Yes, you can build a "vocabulary of athleticism" (I just made that up) and some or a lot of that can be transferrable. A buddy of mine who played D1 and skates around here with invite-only type stuff said that there are a few ex-Steelers that picked up hockey late that they play with and he said even as adults they picked it up really fast. Said their skill isn't the same as the other guys but they are good enough to keep up. In addition he said they just have innate awareness of where to be, can keep the puck moving, etc. All the things that aren't flat showy skill that allows them to play with better people.