It takes a lot of hardwork and sacrifice to make it to the NHL. It also takes a lot of support from the family. Braden Holtby would know. “I left home when I was 15 still,” Holtby explains. “It was a big deal to convince mom to let her baby boy go.” In the above video produced by Gemma Hooley and Chris Nelson of Media Chameleon, the 21-year-old Lloydminster, Saskatchewan native talks about the early parts of his career and what it was like signing his first pro contract. As it turns out, the legal profession is not in the cards for Braden. “They fax it to you, then you have to sign numerous spots, a lot of spots that I have no idea what I signed,” he said. “Hopefully my agent did the right work to make sure I don’t end up on the bad end of it.”

“Hockey Diaries: Change The Game” will debut on NHL Home Ice on XM/Sirius on September 19 from 6-7pm ET.