ON ENEMY ICE

CHAPTER EIGHT

JACE

Tonight has been loud in the way expensive things are loud. Not noisy. Heavy. Flashes outside, quiet cameras inside, chandeliers, black marble with gold veins, everyone in black tie pretending they aren't counting stats in their heads.

I have been watching him all night without looking like I am.

Emerald green velvet. Of course. In a room full of black suits and white linens, he walks in and makes the whole hall turn. Tian next to him, me across the room with Cassian and Theo, and somehow we still ended up at the same table.

Table Seven. Name tags right next to each other. Typical.

He is annoying. He has been annoying for nearly four years. Two fingers walking on my thigh under the table when I am trying to read a message from Viktor, then flattening his palm and going higher just to see if I will react.

I didn't—At least not outwardly but that's something I'm not going to think about. I caught his wrist and stopped him but he still grinned like he won the lottery.

Three tables over, Tian is sitting next to Viktor Novak and ignoring him on purpose while everyone else at that table gushes. Novak keeps eye f*****g him—it's not noticable but Elain and I happen to hyper fixate on almost everything. If our line of thinking is the same, something will probably happen.

The lights Suddenlink change.

Commissioner Reynolds is on the stage again after four others take their places on stage — the two top NHL legends, Justin Blake from the New York Rangers and Rooney Adams from the Florida Panthers, a head scout, and a senior director for player development. Six people total, all looking out over the room.

"Thank you. For two years, our scouting team has monitored over three hundred prospects across the National University Hockey League. Tonight, we honor the top forty."

Director Chen takes over. "The process was rigorous. Stats, leadership, sportsmanship, consistency. The forty of you in this room represent the future of this sport."

One by one, they start calling names. Not in order of stats. That's intentional. They don't want to reveal the sixteen who will attend the elite camp yet.

"From Lakeshore University, Tyler Grant."

A tall blonde guy in a grey suit stands, walks up the right staircase, shakes hands with all six on stage, receives a black certificate with a gold shield on it.

The shield says NATIONAL ELITE PROSPECTS GALA with a small maple leaf. The text below thanks him for exceptional skill and leadership during the gala season. It has a gold Elite Selection seal. Applause, photos, down the left staircase.

It goes on. Thirty-eight names. Thirty-eight certificates. The LED screen shows a quick highlight reel for each player as they walk. Tian goes up to huge applause from our side of the room.

Then the stage is empty again.

A pause. The lights change.

Commissioner Reynolds looks at the room and smiles a little.

"And now, we have something that has never happened before."

The screen behind him goes black, then gold.

"For the first time in history, we have a tie for Rank One. Identical points. Identical impact. The highest stats ever recorded in this league."

The hall goes silent. You can hear cutlery stop.

The screen shows a ranking list.

1. JACE RHYS - ASHFORD WOLVES

1. ELIAN COLE - NORTHWOOD EAGLES

3. MALIK JOHNSON - WESTFIELD KNIGHTS

4. TIAN WESTIN - NORTHWOOD EAGLES

5. CASSIAN VALE - ASHFORD WOLVES

6. THEODORE LAURENT - ASHFORD WOLVES

...

There's no position two this year.

The cameras all turn.

"Ashford Wolves captain, Jace Rhys. Northwood Eagles captain, Elian Cole. Please come to the stage."

I stand first. I hear him stand second. We take opposite staircases, like they planned it.

On stage, the six of them are waiting. We shake hands, one by one. Commissioner Reynolds, Director Chen, Justin Blake, Rooney Adams, the head scout, the senior director. Their grips are firm.

Then Director Chen steps forward with two certificates. Different from the others.

Black with an ornate gold border, crossed hockey sticks and a puck at the top with laurel leaves. Big gold letters: CERTIFICATE OF ELITE SELECTION - NATIONAL ELITE PROSPECTS GALA - OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE - HIGHEST STATS HONOR - RANK #1.

This certificate is proudly presented to Jace Rhys. In recognition of exceptional achievement and outstanding performance on the ice. Awarded the top ranked highest stats honor number one for excellence in competition, skill, sportsmanship, and leadership during the 2024 season. Presented at National Elite Prospects Gala, September 7, 2025, Toronto, ON.'

Signatures at the bottom from M. Reynolds and L. Chen, with a gold official seal.

One with my name. One with his.

Then the trophy. Tall crystal column, faceted, with snowflakes etched inside, a star with a hockey player silhouette on top. The base plate says ELITE EXCELLENCE. They hand one to me, one to him.

Then the bouquets. Red roses with baby's breath, wrapped in black paper with a red ribbon. One for each of us.

We stand side by side in the center.

Flash after flash. Photos with the commissioner and director, photos with the legends, then photos of just the two of us with our trophies and bouquets. I keep a straight face.

We walk off opposite sides.

Back at Table Seven, the winger from Brentwood is staring at my trophy like he wants to touch it.

Director Chen returns to the podium after the applause dies down.

"Thank you. And now, the moment we've all been waiting for."

She lets the pause hang.

"We want to thank every eligible prospect who attended tonight. Your dedication to the sport of hockey is what makes this league exceptional."

Commissioner Reynolds nods.

"Next up, we have the sixteen names who will be attending the National Elite Development Camp in January. These sixteen players will train under NHL coaching staff, alongside some of the best NHL players. And these are....."

The LED screen fades to black.

Then a transition — gold light spilling across the screen like ice cracking — and names appear, in order, from sixteen to one.

Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen...

Theo's name flashes at number four, Cassian's at five and Tian's at number four like before.

Mine and Elian's appear at the top.

The hall erupts in applause.

Across the table, Elian is already looking at me.

Same table. Same rank. Same top of the list.

The official ceremony might have just concluded but the night seems quite far from being over.