This is the first of a three-part series that looks at players with local connections trying to carve out a career in professional hockey.
This was the dream – hearing your name called, hugging your mother and pulling on an NHL sweater.
The experience was sweeter for Justin Bailey, the Williamsville native who was a second-round draft choice of his hometown Buffalo Sabres in 2013.
He beamed for photos in his blue and gold jersey, taking in all the majesty of the moment in New Jersey’s Prudential Center. Draft day was the culmination of years of work, of going all-in with the hopes of a hockey career.