The players empty from the bench and gather together for a one-minute intermission as the period concludes with a buzzer. Their coach motions to the team, advising them on ways to improve their game. As the captain of his team, Ryan Brown (12) adds to his coach’s speech with tips and suggestions on their performance. Rested and invigorated, Ryan and his team steam out to center ice for another fifteen minutes of hockey.

“As captain, I don’t see myself as better than my teammates, I see myself as just another member of the team,” Ryan said. “Yet, as captain, I think it’s important to be able to implement what my coach wants. If he wants us to be in order, it’s important for me to relay that to the rest of the team. It’s important for me to be an extension of my coach.”

Ryan learned how to skate when he was four, then began playing hockey when he was six following his dad who played college hockey. In the 2019-20 season, Ryan played 18 and under tier two for the Jr. Sharks. Ryan is the captain of his team, and with that title believes certain responsibilities are associated with it.

“Being a captain means representing the team as a whole but at the same time also instituting my coach’s orders and relaying them to the rest of my teammates,” Ryan said. “There’s a balance between being a player and having to know when to [act like a coach].”

Personal accountability and responsibility are key values that Ryan, as captain, has a duty to uphold for his team; he knows that without it, teams become disorganized and hectic.

“As captain of my team, [holding myself accountable] is an important thing to do. It sets an example for the rest of my teammates; because if I can’t hold myself accountable what does that show to the rest of my teammates and what example does that set,” Ryan said.

Along with demonstrating leadership and being able to direct plays, Ryan’s friend Giovanni Rofa (12) comments on Ryan’s less obvious duties as a captain.

“He’s a very active team member, he likes to be the guy who riles people up for games,” Giovanni said. “He has a large voice on the team and has told stories of where he brings the team in for huddles for pre-game speeches.”

Ryan’s coach, Jorge Murillo, further comments on Ryan’s ability in a leadership role. Jorge personally believes that Ryan displays a similar mindset towards his own coaching style and thus saw him as a suitable captain for his team.

“Having coached Ryan for the last five years [as a Head Coach] and the two years before that [as an Assistant Coach], Ryan has shown year after year the ability to help deliver the ‘coaching’ message I want to convey to the rest of the Team,” Murillo said. “Ryan uses his leadership to keep the team driving toward the common goal.”

Ryan believes as captain he has a responsibility to be the link between the coach and the rest of the team and that he has a real connection to his coach.

“My coach and I think in a similar mindset – [we’re] both very driven to win. It’s okay to lose, but it’s not okay to lose and not give it one hundred percent. If you lose and you feel there’s nothing else that you think you could have done differently and you played a good game, then that’s okay and you can learn from that and grow and try to win the next one. The goal should always be to win, but there’s also value in losing,” Ryan said. “If you lose a game, but you feel you could have done more and you didn’t leave it all out on the table, then there’s definitely something that needs to be changed.”

By trying to demonstrate captain-like qualities while playing hockey, these qualities are recognized by other people, like his friend Jack Connors (12), in day to day life.

“He’s just a person everyone looks to when things are shaky,” Jack said. “When people are unsure, he’s the guy with the straight forward plan.”