Varsity green boys’ hockey assistant captain Bryan Wojdelko ’25 sits by the ice, both AirPods in, drowning out his surroundings. He focuses on the music as he tapes his stick, preparing to go out on the ice. He feels butterflies in his stomach but tunes them out by practicing breathing exercises his mom had taught him: breathe in for four, hold for five, breathe out for six.

Wojdelko has been playing for the varsity boys’ hockey team since his sophomore year. Earlier this year, Wojdelko was selected as a Scholastic Hockey League (SHL) all-star in January of 2025, which he states is one of his biggest achievements. The players on the team are selected by coaches to form one team in the region.

“It was amazing,” Wojdelko said. “I got to meet a ton of guys from other teams and it was just a really good experience. [It’s a team of] the best people in the SHL program and you play against the Chicago Christian Hockey league (CCHL).”

Wojdelko attributes his motivation to succeed in hockey to his competitive nature and his drive to win. His skill is recognized by coaches all over Illinois, but especially by varsity boys hockey head coach Daniel Wood.

“He’s got an incredible shot,” Wood said. “I can point out multiple times where he’s been the guy that will be skating the fastest and first guy in on the forecheck and causing a turnover, and then being able to score after that.”

As one of the upperclassmen on the team, Wood states that Bryan is able to use his skill to lead many of the younger players. In order to get to where he is today, Wojdelko had to learn from the more experienced players around him.

“When he came in as a sophomore, he was one of the only sophomores on that team,” Wood said. “Every other player on that team was a senior, so he got to learn a little bit from those guys. Now, going into his senior year, he’s really leading by example, becoming much more vocal, holding players accountable so that they can be successful.”

Between his sophomore to senior year, Wojdelko believes he has grown tremendously. Wojdelko attributes part of his growth on the ice to his drive to win and become the best version of himself, which isn’t always limited to just on the ice.

“A big challenge was my attitude my sophomore year; my first year playing high school hockey,” Wojdelko said. “I overall didn’t do well that year, so the summer after that year, I looked back and I started to meditate and control my thoughts and that helped me a lot with it.”

While Wojdelko has undoubtedly spent lots of time working to become a better hockey player, Wojdelko feels being on the hockey team is about more than just the sport. He notes that an important part of hockey is the relationships that are formed.

“[With] hockey teams, you’re always so close with the people around you,” Wojdelko said. “You hang out with them outside of school, and in school. You all act the same, people call it hockey slang, but you all talk the same pretty much. I love all the guys, they’re so fun and we just make really nice connections with each other.”