AHL On The Beat: Home Ice, Earned

(Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars)

After arriving in Cedar Park on a PTO with everything to prove, Texas native Cross Hanas has found stability – and his game – with the Texas Stars.

Once again, I had the opportunity to write for the AHL's site. This time, I wrote about Cross Hanas and his experience finding his game in Texas, back where everything started for the Lone Star State native.

You can find the full story on TheAHL.com.

Hanas was very generous with his time in an interview we inadvertently scheduled on his birthday. In addition to what we covered in the story, we had a long discussion about hockey in Dallas as I grew up there before Hanas was born and experienced a bit of the hockey culture before it was as big as it is now. We also had a good discussion about the recent PWHL Takeover game in Dallas. Hanas trains with a few of the Dallas-native PWHL players, specifically mentioning Seattle forward Hannah Bilka, in the summer.

The other funny bit of the conversation was when we both realized that the kids he was coaching during the summer, some of whom he firmly believed would be drafted, were going to be part of the 2036 draft class. We both felt old in that moment, even if Hanas was only turning 24 that very day.