The final hockey hero of this column has perhaps the most powerful story. 

California’s lack of elite hockey development programs has been well-documented in this column. But for all the boys, even if they didn’t have an elite program, they could still play hockey with some kind of team. 

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Forward Brooke Bryant didn’t have a program for herself at all. 

Growing up in San Joaquin County in Northern California, there wasn’t a single girls hockey team Bryant could play for. So, she joined the Stockton Colts boys team instead. 

To continue her hockey career at a high level, Bryant joined the Anaheim Lady Ducks girls hockey program while simultaneously living in Linden, California, and going to Linden High School about 370 miles north of Anaheim. She played volleyball and softball at Linden High as well. 

But the crazy amount of travel between the two places and the incredible balancing act of so many responsibilities paid off, as she received a scholarship to play hockey at Minnesota State. She starred in five years there, scoring seven goals and dishing out thirteen assists for 20 points in her final season. 

She caught the attention of the Premier Hockey Federation’s Minnesota Whitecaps at the end of her college career, signing a contract with them in May 2023. But her professional career hit a major roadblock when the league was disbanded. 

But, fortunately for Bryant, and other women’s hockey players, the PHF would be replaced by the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The PWHL is perhaps the most-hyped pro women’s hockey league of all time and has a bright future with huge promise for growth.

In February, the league’s Toronto and Montreal franchises played in front of 19,285 fans, which was the highest attendance ever for a professional women’s hockey game. The league also brought in 879,000 television viewers for its inaugural game, which was more than the NHL’s opening game for the 2022-23 season. 

So, the league has a lot of interest, and its marketability will only increase as its teams trademark names and logos which fans can identify with. Fans should feel optimistic about the league’s ability to establish itself as one of the premier sports leagues in the world and popular culture. 

For Bryant, it represents another opportunity to pursue her pro hockey dreams. The Whitecaps franchise may have come to an end, but Minnesota’s PWHL team was also interested in Bryant and invited her to training camp to try out for the team. She performed well and earned a spot on the roster. 

She is currently the only Californian in the PWHL, a trailblazer in a league that will hopefully be around for young California girls to pursue for years to come. Her objectives have been mostly learning- and development-oriented this season, but in a game against Montreal April 18, she recorded her first professional goal. 

The goal represents to Bryant’s career what she represents to young girls in California who love hockey: one step that will hopefully lead to many more on a path of massive growth. 

As I say goodbye to this column, Brooke Bryant leaves me with two missions for the game of hockey. 

For one, I wholeheartedly advocate for the continued growth of hockey programs in California so that every kid in California who likes hockey can feasibly dream of an NHL or PWHL career. 

And for another, I hope one day I can read the Daily Trojan and see a column like mine exclusively covering the women’s hockey scene in California, because it’s brimming with players and topics to discuss. 

So keep loving hockey and keep dreaming big — just like Brooke Bryant.