KITCHENER -- A Waterloo hockey player's dreams came true earlier this week.
Logan Stanley, who used to play for the Kitchener Rangers, made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.
"Our captain, Blake Wheeler, came up to me before the game and said 'You only get one first game, so go out there and enjoy it and have as much fun as you can,'" Stanley said. "That was nice to hear right before the game."
"I was feeling a lot of nerves before the game actually and I kind of calmed down once the first shift was done with. Then it's just another hockey game, you go out and play and have some fun."
Stanley grew up in Waterloo, playing for the Wolves and Siskins. He then spent three seasons with the Windsor Spitfires before finishing his junior career with his hometown Kitchener Rangers.
"When we traded for him, we knew what we getting and, over the course of the season, he basically did everything we thought he would and he was a huge part of our team," Rangers coach Mike McKenzie said. "It's definitely exciting. It's always a nice thing to see a former Ranger getting that chance to live out his dream and make it to the highest level in hockey."
Stanley said getting to play for his home team in junior was a dream come true.
"I had a blast during minor hockey," he said. "I think that's what a lot of these kids need to remember, is that it's a game and you play for the love of the game and to have fun. I think dreams come true if you work hard and have fun with it."
