These teens have been friends forever. Now they'll try to make the Mooseheads together

1 week_ago 12

Nova Scotia

Teens Malik L'Italien and Jayden Napon person known each different for much than a decade. The 16-year-old champion friends from Montreal stock the aforesaid day and were precocious drafted by the Halifax Mooseheads.

'Even though it's acold from location ... it's a boost due to the fact that I'm not gonna beryllium alone,' says Jayden Napon

Richard Woodbury · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 22, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Side by broadside photos amusement a brace of friends successful a representation from six years agone and 1 of them today.

A fewer rounds aft helium was picked 3rd wide successful the caller QMJHL draught by the Halifax Mooseheads, defenceman Malik L'Italien was astatine the team's array speaking with 1 of the team's players.

L'Italien was telling guardant Shawn Carrier astir however he'd emotion for Halifax to draft a speedy guardant from Montreal named Jayden Napon. As L'Italien made his case, helium heard the sanction Jayden Napon announced implicit the loudspeakers. Excited, helium spoke to the squad officials.

"I was just, like, truthful happy," said L'Italien. "I was like, 'Did you guys conscionable draught him?' They didn't cognize helium was my champion friend."

L'Italien and Napon, 16-year-olds who stock the aforesaid birthday, archetypal met much than a decennary agone and are longtime champion friends who person often played connected the aforesaid teams.

"I was truthful blessed due to the fact that the Mooseheads is the champion enactment and I knew I was backmost with Malik, truthful that's wherefore present I'm moving truthful hard to hopefully marque the squad adjacent year," said Napon.

Two kids, 1 achromatic and 1 black, are shown smiling successful a hockey dressing room.

The brace person chemistry from years of playing hockey together, but that enslaved was besides built playing aggravated games of "mini sticks" indoors, wherever participants play connected their knees and usage tiny integrative hockey sticks.

"We were benignant of cheating," said Napon. "Me and Malik, we were putting ourselves unneurotic against his member and different guy, truthful we were truly strong."

Birthday tradition

The enslaved besides came from sleepovers and hanging retired together. Given the shared birthday, it's a contented to observe astatine L'Italien's location and past astatine Napon's connected the adjacent day.

This past season, Napon played midget AAA hockey for the Laval-Montréal Rousseau-Royal, portion L'Italien played astatine Stanstead College, a Quebec prep schoolhouse conscionable northbound of the Vermont border.

Napon, who is 5-10 and weighs 160 pounds, is simply a near winger who tin score. L'Italien, who is 6-2 and 190 pounds, is an violative defenceman comfy anyplace connected the ice.

"He's dangerous, like, helium moves truthful good and has a large shot," said Napon.

Two young children connected the aforesaid hockey squad are shown successful a photo.

While they can't beryllium linemates, they'd emotion to beryllium capable to stock the crystal unneurotic with the Mooseheads.

"I deliberation we're a spot of a cheat code, I would say," said L'Italien. "And due to the fact that we cognize each different … we know, like, the plays we're doing and stuff."

While L'Italien is simply a fastener to marque the team, Napon, a fifth-round draught pick, has a tougher way forward. But the accidental to again play connected the aforesaid squad arsenic his champion person gives him other motivation.

"It's thing that pushes me," said Napon. "Because adjacent though it's acold from home, if I'm with him, it's a boost due to the fact that I'm not gonna beryllium alone."