The hockey puck sat in front of her, the goal only feet away, this was her chance; hundreds of hours of practice all came down to this.
Freshman Hayden Salus has been playing competitive hockey for three years, first starting recreationally before COVID, then soon advancing into club. After years of disinterest in other sports, Salus finally took up hockey as it“felt more freeing than other sports.”
“Every person has something they can add to the table to the sport such as speed and stickhandling wise or IQ, because it’s not as restrictive as other sports” Salus said. “There’s a lot more skills to learn off of [hockey]. You literally have to learn how to walk again [after] play[ing].”
Hayden’s parents additionally contributed to her connection with the sport through their involvement with the sport. “My parents met playing hockey and so it was almost like I was destined to [play hockey]” Salus said. “They’ll do whatever they can [to support me] as long as I really like it and hockey is something that genuinely makes me feel happy and good doing. I love being physical and working out all the time. They’ve always supported me by trying to get me as many practices as I can.”
Salus currently plays on the Lady Ducks 16uAA team in Anaheim but recently played on an all boys team after wanting to familiarize herself with the relatively more aggressive environment boys hockey league’s provide.
“At that time [of playing on the boys team], I just wanted to get stronger and improve my strength. So [I learned to] get more aggressive, especially since I’m so small compared to everyone else,” Salus said. “ I was definitely able to push through that fear [of being on the boys team] and get a lot faster and grow off of the team.”
On top of applying the new mindset to her style of play, Salus practices almost everyday to develop her skills further. The hours on and off the ice rink she devotes to bettering her abilities however, leave Salus with little time for schoolwork.
“I have a tutor down at Study Hut who helps me a lot with getting all my work done fast, because typically I end up doing my homework all in the car when it’s dark at night.” Salus said. “It’s been difficult studying-wise because I’ve had less time. Stuff like art projects that I don’t complete, it’s difficult to finish because I can’t work on an art project in the car. So it has added some stress.”
Despite the demands of school and hockey, Salus was very outgoing throughout the season according to teammate junior Danielle Davalos.
“She’s definitely one of the most positive people on the team as she’s very hard working at practice. She’s a very positive asset for our team and the life of the party at practice” Davalos said. “She very much stands out on the ice and she’s always pushing her limits.”
Salus’ positive attitude was challenged by persisting nerves while playing; however, with continued exposure, Salus learned to counteract her game anxiety by adapting a growth mindset.
“I have to be very careful [about] overthinking my plays because I don’t want to get too critical of myself. I also need to recognize what I can do better in the next game. And even if I have a bad game, the best thing I’ve learned [to do] before the next game for tournaments is just to grow off of it. Even though I take my sport really seriously, [I need to] remember it’s just a game. So being grateful of yourself is very important with any sport” Salus said.
Davalos also notices Salus’ effort in bettering her mentality and skills throughout the season.
“She’s a very good player and she’s very talented but she definitely has her mental battles. If she makes a mistake she’ll really think on the mistake, and she’ll go out and she’ll do something amazing and make up for it. So just watching her play, and watching her develop has been really outstanding.” Davalos said.
Although professional women’s hockey leagues are smaller than most sports and not as developed, Hayden Salus still hopes to continue playing as she gets older and plans to pursue the sport during her college years.
“I’m going to try to get onto the highest level next year, that’s what I’ve been training for recently,” Salus said. “So I’m just focusing now to try my best and I’ll see where it takes me.”