HAYDEN
I woke up sore in places I didn’t know could be sore.
The hotel room was dark, my alarm vibrating on the bedside table like it was angry with me for still being alive. I slapped it off and rolled onto my back, groaning at the burn in my quads and the tight ache in my shoulders.
Day nine of camp.
I’d made it this far.
If I was being honest, I was barely able to keep my head afloat over here.
The Leafs weren’t kidding when they said development camp would separate the hopefuls from the hungry. We were on ice for nearly six hours a day, plus off-ice conditioning, film study, nutrition seminars, and strength assessments. I’d never been more exhausted in my life.
But the thing was… I loved it.
Every minute of it.
Even the pain, the drills that made my lungs scream. Regardless of
