Brett Stovin has dedicated his entire life to hockey. It should come as no surprise, then, that the multiple-time captain's first memory as a child was rooted in the sport.

"I remember going with my mom when I was about three-and-a-half to my dad's sponge hockey game, and I thought it was the most fascinating thing ever watching the puck rip around the ice," he says.

"When I got home and walked in the door, I asked my mom and dad if I could play hockey and the next day, we bought equipment and I learned how to skate and stuff. That's not only my first memory of hockey, that's probably my first memory ever. I don't think I remember anything younger than that. It's kind of cool that it's engraved in my mind."

A native of Stony Mountain, Manitoba, Stovin excelled at the community level while playing age-advanced every year. His talents were noticed by the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, who he impressed at one of their training camps – enough so that he earned the opportunity to suit up with the squad during some pre-season games as a 14-year-old.

By age 17, Stovin was with the Blades for good, where he fit into any and every role asked of him over the next four years, including being the team captain in his final season in 2014-15. Statistics-wise, he accrued 124 points while playing in 262 contests.

"I learned how to play a very difficult fourth-line role blocking shots and having to fight once in a while if I needed to be on a successful team, to a leadership role with a very young team that struggled," he says.

"If you keep looking from that, I went to a difficult scenario where I learned a lot about being a leader and overcoming adversity. It was a career that kind of had every pit stop that you could think of."

One memory that stands out to Stovin was his squad's 2013 Memorial Cup experience. The Blades were the hosts that season and the SaskTel Centre was sold out with 15,000 people blaring their enthusiasm.

In the final game of the round robin tournament, Stovin and his penalty killing unit got stuck on the ice for the entirety of a five-minute major to end the second period against Portland. The Winterhawks special teams' unit also included the likes of Seth Jones and Nic Petan.

"I can remember pretty well the entire sequence of that penalty kill and I can remember in how much pain and how gassed we were too. All four of us could not move after it. And they just kept peppering us and making incredible play after incredible play.

We couldn't clear the puck, we couldn't freeze the puck and we couldn't get to the puck after a while. It was just constant blocking shots. The crowd went insane after. It's one of those moments that just sends chills up the spine."

Following his time with the Blades, Stovin decided to come home and earn his degree at the U of M while also playing for the men's hockey team and head coach Mike Sirant, who he continues to have a very strong relationship with.

"My relationship with Mike has always been incredibly transparent. From the first time we met for recruitment to now, we've had a very open dialogue. Whether it's talking about my own personal goals to even about teammates and what we think we could do to a help a guy out more."

Despite being a first-year player in 2015-16, Stovin instantly took up a leadership role amongst the younger group of guys.

"With the pressure I had placed on me in my first year, I needed to be one of the leaders within the younger group," he says.

"I know from a team perspective, when you're the captain of a team you're a little older and it's sometimes hard to reach the young guys. So right from my first day here I tried to do everything right and just work hard and get involved in the community right away. That way, I could establish myself as one of the leaders within our rookie class."

Stovin led by example both on and off the ice.

Off the ice, he, fellow first-year Jonah Wasylak and football player Liam Grace cut their luscious locks to make a wig for cancer patients while also donating $3,755 to the Canadian Cancer Society. On the ice, he tallied 26 points in 28 regular season games as an immediate difference-maker.

Stovin's work didn't go unnoticed by his head coach.

"He really is an outstanding guy. He understands team dynamics and what a successful team should look like," says Sirant.

"He empathizes with his peers and is willing to help them with any situation, whether it's school or experiences. A leader is about serving, and he excels at that."

The Stony Mountain native earned an 'A' in just his second year with Manitoba, again proving his maturity and leadership skills while contributing 22 points in 23 games.

"Learning a lot in my first year gave me the opportunity to be ready to take a leadership role in my second year. From then on it was kind of the same thing. Just learn from the older guys but still take a leadership role amongst the younger group so that we could all still relate together."

For the past two years, Stovin has rightfully earned the honour of being Manitoba's captain. He's been through the highs, including being part of a roster that averaged 3.54 goals per game in 2017-18, to the lows of managing a major hip injury that was severely aggravated this year.

He fought through excruciating pain all season, including playing in a number of games where he could hardly stand.

"Being a Bison means a tonne to me and being a leader on a team also means a tonne to me. Being out of the line-up is probably one of the most devastating things that could happen to me," he says passionately.

"In the first half, there was about six games where I dressed and played three shifts. And it was just about me being on the bench, being vocal and taking a little bit of ice from the guys who were playing a tonne, just so that they could get a rest and go out and perform at their best ability."

In Sirant's eyes, this selfless attitude was just the icing on top of the cake for a man who has dedicated his entire hockey career to leading by example.

"He's one of the best leaders that we've ever had in this program. Fighting through a tough injury and still logging minutes shows his faith in this program, his commitment and his unselfishness. These are all qualities that you look for in a leader," the head coach says.

"It was very impressive what he had to do mentally and physically just to prepare for each practice and game. There's not a lot of players who would have had the mental or physical toughness to go through what he has. He was willing to take a lesser role, even if it meant not being on the power play or bumping down a few lines just to be in the line-up and contribute any way he could."

A veteran of over 100 university games, Stovin will be greatly missed not only in Manitoba's line-up but also in the community, where he gave so much of his time. His message to the next generation of Bison greats is simple, yet powerful.

"There's nine of us now from my first season that have been together for four seasons. Some of the greatest memories that I'll have is from this time. And it's not just about your team, it's about the Bison community and getting involved with each other and the community," he says.

"So, my message is kind of straightforward: take advantage of the time that you have here and work hard for everything and the opportunity that you've been given."