HAYDEN

If someone had handed me a checklist for the perfect college hockey season, I was pretty sure I’d be halfway through it.

Team winning? Check. Stats looking strong? Check. Coach yelling at me slightly less than usual? Big check.

NHL scouts watching from the stands? Way more than a check.

Save for the few set-backs I had earlier, I was honestly having the best rookie season yet.

And yet, standing outside the rink, watching my own breath curl into the cold morning air, I felt… ...