His teammates in Estevan battled with him every day for a year and a half. His former teammates in Philadelphia saw him just last week.
So it was a devastating blow on Saturday when they found out Nick Egan had passed away.
Egan, a former Estevan Bruins defenceman, died in the early morning hours on Saturday of suspected heart failure.
An autopsy was being performed on Monday to confirm the cause of death.
Bruins head coach Chris Lewgood said he was in denial after getting the word.
"It was literally disbelief. I actually, for quite some time after hearing the news, held out hope that it wasn't true and we were going to find out some mistake was made."
Egan, 21, is being mourned in his hometown of Trenton, N.J. and in Estevan, as well as by his old teams in Philadelphia and New Brunswick.
"I think it's just shock. He came into my private summer camp just last Friday," said James Laux, Egan's former head coach with the Philadelphia Revolution.
"We were up in my office, a bunch of us, going over the years, and I think everybody's just shocked because a bunch of us just saw him. He seemed to be in perfect health and looked good on the ice. He was excited to turn pro. He'll really be missed. He was an all-around great kid."
Similar words have been flowing in, in tributes to Egan, who was engaged to Bri Hoefle.
"He's just a compassionate, soft-spoken, kind person," said Lewgood. "He did a lot of things with the community and the people in it. He was a family man and a good all-around person.
"He was quiet. Nick was a quiet leader. Given the fact of his unique circumstances with his fiancée being here, he was a little bit of a lone wolf, but nonetheless he was very well liked in the dressing room and very well respected."
David Robertson, who was often Egan's defence partner with the Bruins last year, said it was "devastating" to hear the news.
"I'll definitely always remember him as a guy that loved being at the rink. He always had a smile on his face. He loved goofing around a little bit when the time was right for that. He was definitely a competitor, and one of, if not the toughest guy I've played with. He was a warrior and definitely wasn't shy about dropping the gloves. He really loved the game of hockey, and he would do anything for any of his teammates," Robertson said.
Although he was a kind, gentle person off the ice, Egan was not an easy guy to play against on it.
"Fierce. Nick was incredibly fierce. He played the game with a competitive edge that you hope to instill into your players, but it came naturally. He's very driven. He pushed himself beyond the expectations of his team, set his goals high and set out to achieve them," said Lewgood.
Egan first joined the Bruins at the trade deadline in 2013. After a couple of professional tryouts early last season, he returned to the team and played a leadership role.
"He was a tough guy to play against. He definitely changed a lot from the first season I played with him to the second," said Robertson. "He was a real hard-working guy. It took him a while to score his first goal in the Saskatchewan league, but once he did he put a few away, so he definitely had an offensive touch. He was always working hard, a real competitor."
Teammate Austin Daae said it's hard to fathom Egan's passing after spending so much time with him.
"It's tough to be with someone every day for a year and work in the trenches with them every day. It's tough, especially being with teammates (Saturday) morning, getting the news together. Even right now, it's tough to even talk about. I had some extra motivation to get a win today (at Estevan Motor Speedway), that's for sure.
"He's a guy you're willing to battle for every night out on the ice together. That just brings guys together, knowing them for a year and becoming close buddies, it's tough to see, especially with the future. He was going to keep playing, I'm sure, as long as he could, and you have all that come to a halt."
According to Lewgood, Egan had recently gotten an offer to play pro hockey.
Laux described Egan as a leader on and off the ice.
"I'd describe him as a fierce player. Very loyal and defensive of his teammates. I would say he commanded the ice, he was a big presence, a strong presence on the ice. He made relatively simple plays but done effectively. He led by example, and I think that was his mature nature. He was willing to play a mature game."
Laux coached Egan for several years and saw a definite progression in him, both on the ice and off.
"I started coaching Nick at U16. He was always a highly competitive kid, he was a loyal kid. Over the years, watching him mature, watching him turn from a young kid, a little overweight, to a really great athlete that he was, he always had an air of maturity about him. He would come into the office and we would talk almost peer to peer instead of coach to player. There's a reason why we had him as the captain of our team."
The Bruins will be putting a guestbook outside the team's office at Affinity Place this week so that people may send well wishes to Egan's family.
Lewgood said the team plans to honour Egan in some way next season, but has not yet decided on what to do.
Although he was only in Estevan for a short time, he has left a legacy as a role model, both as a person and a player.
"He won't be forgotten," Robertson said. "We send out our thoughts and prayers to the family.
"We'll make sure he's remembered. Stuff like that isn't forgotten."
