Tia Chan's Definition of Hard Work Changed With Team China

Tia Chan had played hockey her entire life. She knew what it meant to put in the extra work, to stay late, to train harder and to make sacrifices for the game.

Then she got to Team China.

Before joining PWHL San Jose and before her collegiate career skyrocketed, Chan spent time with Team China in the Russian professional league. It was her first real taste of professional hockey, and it changed her perspective pretty quickly.

“My definition of hard work changed. It was abolished,” Chan said.

Chan had gone from high school to UConn, where hockey was demanding but still had to fit around classes, schoolwork and everything else that comes with being a college student.

Team China was different.

“My definition from high school and my first year of college, it was gone when I got to Team China because of the way those girls worked, the 24/7 grind and focus they were on.”

It wasn't just the amount of time the players spent playing or training. It was how much of their lives revolved around being ready to play.

“When you're in school, you're balancing so many different things. Social life, school life, hockey life, you're always go, go, go,” Chan said. “In pro hockey, it's very different. You're at the arena, then back at your hotel. It's rest and relaxation, a lot of recovery and trying to keep yourself busy.”

Now Chan is getting another chance to see what that level looks like.

She was drafted by San Jose and will enter the PWHL after her time at UConn, with the benefit of already having spent time around professional players. The league will still be a major step up, particularly in the speed and strength of the game.

Chan isn't trying to overhaul her game before she gets there. She wants to lean into what got her drafted.

“One of the things people forget, you got drafted to a team for a reason, because of your strengths,” Chan said. “I’m continuing to work on those things. I want to bring in my athleticism, my poise, and my ability to read the game well and play the puck to help my team move forward.”

She's had plenty of time to work on those things, too.

The long offseason has given Chan a chance to train and get on the ice with PWHL players, something she knows will help when San Jose finally gets going.

Still, waiting hasn't exactly been easy.

As the NHL season started and college hockey returned, Chan found herself feeling like she should be getting ready for a season of her own.

“Today I was thinking, ‘It feels like hockey season,’” she said. “The NHL is starting, rosters are released. College hockey has started back up. I feel it in my bones, it's hockey season, my body knows it's hockey season.”

The extra time has been useful, though.

“This is the biggest transition I'm going to be doing, from college hockey to the pros,” Chan said. “That's been really nice to help my transition, in the gym and on the ice, training with fellow PWHL players.”

Her time with Team China also gave her something that won't show up on a workout plan.

Some of her teammates didn't speak English, so Chan had to figure out other ways to communicate and build relationships.

“You have to build a different bond, a different way to connect with people on a different level,” she said. “Communicate on the ice, even get to know your teammates despite a language barrier, things like that.”

That was part of what made the experience so valuable to her.

“I grew a lot as a human and I was so fortunate to have that experience,” Chan said. “I would have never had that in Canada or playing at UConn.”

She'll get another new group of teammates in San Jose, but this time she'll also be stepping into a league that is still figuring out what its newest team will look like.

Chan is aware that her role can mean something beyond her performance, too.

Growing up, she said seeing Asian players in hockey mattered. There weren't many, but having someone who looked like her made the sport feel a little more attainable.

Now she gets to be that person for someone else.

“Being able to look up to people who look like you, who have the same background as you, is really important,” Chan said. “You see someone else who looks like you do it and it gives you a little more belief in yourself.”

She doesn't need to reach thousands of kids for it to matter.

“If I can be that person for even just one other kid, that will mean so much to me,” she said.

For now, though, Chan is focused on figuring out what comes next.

She already knows the jump to the PWHL will be different from anything she's experienced at UConn. She also knows that spending time with Team China didn't prepare her for every part of professional hockey. It just gave her a better idea of what she didn't know yet.

And if her experience so far is any indication, she'll probably learn a lot more once she gets to San Jose.

“I'm excited to take it to another level next year too when I see girls on the team,” Chan said. “I'm sure my definition will be abolished again. I'm excited for the growth of my game.”