for anyone new to it or wanting to understand how to keep up with their favorite prospects!
Streaming Info (for US): WHL (all games free on Victory+), OHL, QMJHL, USHL (all games on FloHockey with subscription) and certain games free on YouTube. Piracy is also a good option.
I omitted a lot of information about recruiting zones, the different drafts, tender agreements, and free agents because I felt like it would be overwhelming for an introductory primer but I encourage anyone who wants a deeper understanding on junior hockey to do their own research on that.
I will probably try to do an AHL, NCAA, and player development primer in the future depending on the response to this but lmk if there’s one you want specifically! Also might do more baby sharks stuff.
or best friends to lovers to strangers to lovers again
→ moodboard & masterlist
★ ☆ au background + timeline ★ ☆
they first meet in minnesota when they're at shattuck-st. mary's boarding school—mack for hockey and blaire for figure skating
she's a bit..put off by mack and his brother's sudden entrance to the school just for hockey at first. she knows what people say about hockey players and their cockiness, so she stays away until they begin having mutual friends and it's a bit of a forced proximity type of situation
blaire really thought wrong of mack because the two hit it off right away
they talk all night at the party, revealing their passions for their sports. blaire learns how dedicated mack and his brother are to hockey and she suddenly admires his determination to do better and be better because that's exactly how she is with figure skating
macklin's intrigued by her figure skating and immediately wants to see her skate
a few mornings after the party where they talked, mack goes to the rink early to get some playing time in when he runs into blaire already there with the same idea
she's on the ice and he's so captivated by the way she glides around
this pretty much sets off their relationship because mack starts going to the rink early everyday to see her spin around and eventually, he starts showing her some hockey moves
this is really new for mack because he's never had something like this before after dedicating his entire life to doing online school and then going to play hockey
it's always been hockey, hockey, hockey until meeting blaire where he just can't be away from her
he learns she's very shy and reserved, but it doesn't bother him because that just means someone is finally listening to everything he has to talk about
they start dating pretty quickly after that initial morning
it's literally perfect
they become each other's best friends and blaire quickly becomes someone mack can count on after only really having himself to count on since his parents divide their devotion between his other three siblings
she's more than happy to come to his games and watch him become even better—so good that he signs on with chicago steel after two seasons at st. mary's
what's even better is that blaire gets an offer to come to mcfetridge sports center in chicago to continue developing her figure skating career
the two couldn't be happier that they were taking on this new chapter together
blaire still made it out to all of mack's games and he came to her meets when they were in chicago together
it wasn't until college recruitment season came around and talk of going to play at a collegiate level that their relationship started changing after almost a year and a half of dating
mack was looking at schools in boston while blaire was getting offers on the west coast
the two quickly realized they were being pulled in two different directions—things were happening so fast and it was no doubt that both of them had grown a lot in their skills since meeting almost two years ago which is why so many different schools wanted them
they started realizing that maybe their relationship wouldn't be able to work on opposite ends of the country
mack never had any intention to breakup with her and was absolutely crushed when blaire told him they should go separate ways (running away is how she copes with hard situations)
she's never been good at showing emotion like that, so she closed herself up when mack tried convincing her they could make it work
ultimately, they broke up and went to school on separate coasts
mack was heartbroken
blaire tried acting like she didn't care and focused all of her energy into figure skating
they lost contact and stopped talking for almost two years until by some fate, macklin saw her in san jose
he was in disbelief that she was there and immediately attempted to reach back out to her
she was actually quite receptive to wanting to meet up, so they did when they got their contact information again
they easily fell back into place with one another like no time had passed
mack, who never stopped thinking about her, wanted her back
blaire wanted him back too, choosing to believe maybe it was a sign they belonged together after ending back up in the same city
→ blaire stevenson:
blaire morgan stevenson
older sister to carter stevenson and younger sister to mason stevenson, so she's a middle child
she's closer to her younger brother than her older brother
birthday is june 23rd, 2006!
she's boarded at shattuck-st. mary's since she was 12 and is 16 when she goes to chicago for mcfetridge for her last two years of school
she's loved figure skating since she could walk because she adored the girls who came on during the winter olympics and immediately wanted to be like them
obviously, she thinks hockey players are stuck up because she doesn't think very fondly of macklin when he first gets to shattuck
she's more reserved than her brothers and it takes awhile to really get to know her which makes sense as to why she didn't talk to macklin right away, but once you get her talking she talks like no other
her mom passed when she was little, so blaire dedicated a lot of her routines to her mom because her mom was the one who encouraged her to try out for her first competitive team
that's why there's a small rift between her and her brothers because they all remember their mom differently and are still grieving after so many years
figure skating acts as blaire's escape when she's in her head too much or feeling sad about her mom
it’s also why she shuts down and turns away in tense situations or when things start going bad because she taught herself to escape the bad feelings before they could truly hurt her (her mom dying was one she couldn’t escape, so she’s trying to get ahead of the hurt before it crumbles her like that again)
she loves that macklin doesn't care about her quietness and enjoys listening to him rant on about his day
joining a sorority wasn't something she thought she would do when she got to college but her freshmen roommate encouraged her when she rushed, so she followed along
she immediately fell in love with kappa delta and their values during rush
kd becomes another way for blaire to immerse herself in college life other than figure skating because she knows she needs to have a balance
santa clara university also becomes her "home away from one", especially when she reconciles with mack because he's so close by again
→ macklin celebrini
younger brother to aiden and older brother to rj and charlie which makes him a middle child too
he's very close with his brothers because they all look up to one another and support each other with everything they do
birthday is june 13th, 2006!
he's always had a love for hockey living in vancouver for awhile before moving to the states
his dedication shows especially when 2020 hit and him and aiden were consciously making an effort to continue playing and building their skills when nothing else was open
shattuck-st. mary's gave him and aiden a greater opportunity to really build their skills and macklin definitely flourished there
his outgoing nature is what gets him involved with blaire when they meet at school
he likes her perseverance and performance on the ice when he finally catches her one morning practicing by herself
he appreciates how closely she listens to him because he's never had something like that growing up—having a person he can call his and who’s consistently there for him
she becomes something else he can put his time and energy into besides hockey
the whole dating thing is fairly new to him because he didn't really have serious girlfriends until blaire
he's really serious about her
he admires her dedication to figure skating and feels lucky when he's one of the only people she begins sharing really vulnerable and intimate details about her life with him that she's never told anyone else
if anyone is a yapper, it's mack
he never stops talking ever
very much golden retriever energy like will
he teases will and samy nonstop until the script finally flips and they're the ones teasing him when him and blaire get back together
he loves will like a brother and loves samy like another sister
samy's someone mack starts going to for relationship advice in the beginning of his and blaire's new relationship because he doesn't wanna do anything wrong this time around
→ quick author's note:
a really, really big thank you to everyone in my inbox who helped me bring this to life!! i'm so glad you all like my writing and characters so much that you want another au from me! it really means a lot, so here it is!! i changed a few minor details from what we discussed, but it's all here! say hello to blaire and macklin coming into the samy + will universe :))
from NHL Playoffs: First Round Mayhem! | Agent Provocateur [56:35 - 58:33]
ADAM WYLDE: ... I want to know, who are we going to get to know in Allan Walsh's roster this year? Who should we be looking out for?
ALLAN WALSH: Okay, I'm going to give you a couple guys to keep an eye on, and this is fresh out of the Under-18 World Championships.
WYLDE: 'Kay.
WALSH: Number 1, Adam Benák. There was recently a profile on him written in The Athletic. Probably the fastest player in the Draft this year. The most skilled player in the Draft this year. This kid is an absolute phenom, and I am not exaggerating.
He broke the record for the most points ever scored at the Hlinka. Over 2 years it was something like 20-some-odd points. He had 6 points in 3 games at the Under-18 World Championships.
He played in the USHL this year with Youngstown (Phantoms). He was a finalist for Rookie of the Year. He was named to their second, he was named a Second Team All-Star.
And the one knock on him is he's about 5'8.
(Note: he is often listed as 5'7 <3)
WYLDE: So's Cole Caufield!
WALSH: (speaking over Wylde) ... If you consider that, if you consider that a knock. Other than that, if, if Adam Benák was 6'1 he would be in the conversation for top 3 overall in the Draft.
But I've gotten to know this kid and spend some time with him. Wherever he's drafted, whether he's drafted in the 1st round - he won't go any lower than 2nd round - this kid is going to play. And as one NHL GM who really likes him told me, "Allan, he's a really, really good player. And we need good players. And good players play."
hockey according to Johnny Hockey. the crazy stats, awards and achievements. never underestimate.
...
He was 5-foot-6, 137 pounds when the Calgary Flames selected him in the fourth round (No. 104) in the 2011 NHL Draft. Among the 211 players taken that year, he was tied for the shortest. He was the lightest by 13 pounds.
...
His coach -- Jim Montgomery, then of Dubuque of the United States Hockey League, now of the Boston Bruins -- told the Calgary Herald after the draft that it was “a brave pick.”
Gaudreau told the newspaper that his team had allowed fans to watch tryouts the previous year.
“My mom was sitting in the stands behind these two older guys who thought they knew a whole bunch about hockey,” Gaudreau said then. “They were like, ‘Ah, look at that little kid! He’s never going to make it!’ And my mom was getting so mad.”
Even last season, his 11th in the NHL, Gaudreau, all grown up, was all of 5-9, 163. Among the 1,022 players who appeared in the League, only 15 were shorter. Only five were lighter.
...
Gaudreau was the USHL rookie of the year and helped Dubuque win the Clark Cup in 2010-11. The next season, he led NCAA freshmen with 44 points (21 goals, 23 assists) in 44 games, was most valuable player of the Beanpot tournament and helped Boston College win a national title.
...
Gaudreau led the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in goals (seven in seven games) and helped the United States win gold, while leading the NCAA in points per game (1.45), helping Boston College win the Beanpot again and being named Hockey East player of the year as a sophomore.
He came back to Boston College for his junior year instead of going pro.
One of the main reasons: to play with Matthew.
Gaudreau won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top player after leading the nation in goals (36), assists (44) and points (80) in 40 games, and he signed with Calgary the same day, April 11, 2014. Two days later, he made his NHL debut and scored on his first shot.
...
Gaudreau never played a game in the minors. In 2014-15, he tied for the rookie lead with 64 points (24 goals, 40 assists) in 80 games and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the NHL rookie of the year. Two years later, he won the Lady Byng Trophy, which goes to the player voted to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and playing ability. He had 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists) in 72 games with only four penalty minutes.
Two years after that, he finished fourth in the voting for the Hart Trophy, which goes to the NHL most valuable player.
And three years after that, he set NHL career highs in goals (40), assists (75) and points (115) in 82 games, tying for second in the NHL in scoring and earning another fourth place in the Hart voting. He scored from a bad angle in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars, sending the Flames to the second round for the first time in seven years
...
Gaudreau ranks fifth in Flames history in assists (399) and points (609).
