Page 23 of Rookie Rules

Rowan marked the instant Luca recognized the turn.

Earlier than Finn. Earlier than Rowan had, from his angle below the play.

He rewound.

Luca's first two strides were not toward open ice. They created it. Nolan had to rotate. Mateo adjusted toward the threat Finn presented. The middle appeared because Luca behaved as if it already existed.

Problem.

Answer.

Rowan played the clip again and wrote: verbal trigger before route change.

Then he loaded the successful goal.

He did not need to.

The file opened on Luca holding width, waiting for Rowan's shoulder to sell the pass left. Rowan watched the defenders choose. Watched the seam form. Watched Luca arrive as if the space belonged to him.

The puck hit the net.

Rowan rewound before the software reached the celebration.

Again.

This time he watched Luca's skates.

Again.

His hands.

Again.

The moment Luca looked toward center and trusted the read.

The video room had no windows. No clock visible unless Rowan moved the cursor. The arena beyond it settled into evening noises: ventilation, distant equipment, a door closing somewhere down the corridor.

He should go home.

He set two clips side by side instead.

The solo goal from their first practice on the left. The shared goal from the next scrimmage on the right.

In both, Luca attacked a lane before anyone else accepted it was there.

On the left, four teammates had to guess.

On the right, Rowan had known where Luca would be.

That should have been the useful distinction.

Instead, Rowan found himself studying the look Luca gave him after each goal. Bright challenge after the first. Unprotected stillness after the second, gone almost immediately beneath a remark about the pass being acceptable.

Rowan closed the right-hand clip.

Then opened it again.

This was work.