Every hockey season for six years, no matter where their son, Jacob, was playing, Nancy and Dean Bryson were on the road once a month to visit rinks across North America.
The Brysons packed up the car and drove from their home in London, Ont., to the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn. Then came the trips to Omaha, Neb., Providence, R.I., and Rochester. But the visits were put on pause when the Covid-19 pandemic prevented cross-border travel.
When Jacob made his National Hockey League debut in front of no fans in Newark, N.J., on Feb. 23, his parents were forced to watch on television. They couldn’t be in the stands to see the elusive 23-year-old defenseman’s first career goal two weeks later. The Brysons haven’t visited Buffalo since April 2019, when Jacob captained Providence College to the Frozen Four.
Finally, after watching Jacob’s first 50 NHL games on television, the Brysons will be at KeyBank Center when the Sabres face the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
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On Nov. 8, the United States officially reopened its borders to vaccinated Canadians who present a negative Covid-19 test within a 72-hour period of their arrival, paving the way for Nancy and Dean to make the 145-mile trek to watch their son defend against Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews.
“I am so pumped right now,” an excitable Nancy said over the phone Thursday morning. “We’ve been waiting and waiting for the border to reopen. We’re ecstatic.”
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Much has changed in Bryson’s career since his family last saw him take the ice with the Rochester Americans before the pandemic shut down the season in 2020. He’s now a key member of the Sabres’ defense corps, logging minutes on the power play and penalty kill. Bryson’s 19:48 average ice time per game this season ranks fourth on the team and, along with Colin Miller, provides coach Don Granato with a reliable defense pairing that is trusted to face the opponent’s top players.
There have been difficult moments since he signed his entry-level contract with the Sabres in April 2019.
Bryson and his teammates endured an 18-game winless streak last season that led to the firing of former coach Ralph Krueger, and he’s still honing his game at the highest level. Bryson’s parents were always a text or phone call away. No one knows his path to the NHL better than them.
Now standing at 5-foot-9, Bryson was often the smallest player on his youth hockey teams. Height prevented him from being drafted in the Ontario Hockey League. It’s a reality Bryson came to terms with long ago and players his size can now thrive in the NHL. He hasn’t allowed it to define him.
Instead of focusing on the challenges his height creates for a defenseman, Bryson has always been determined to enhance his strengths and work on weaknesses that are correctable. His skating is elite, a skill he developed on the backyard rink built by Dean. As impressive, Bryson knows how to solve pressure on the ice. He never appears overwhelmed when an opponent is hounding the puck.
“There were probably more people growing up telling him what he couldn’t do, especially on the hockey side, because of his size,” said Nancy. “He’s always been undersized. To balance that out, he always had people who provided a lot of feedback and told him to not let it stop you. Keep dreaming and talk about what he needs to develop to make it. That early self-awareness made a big difference. Knowing up front what he’s not. I always used to tell him to respect and know what you can’t control. ...
“I’m not surprised by what he’s accomplished. Those years of being surprised are far gone. He used to surprise me all the time but now, nothing surprises me. We’re really thrilled and happy for him.”
Bryson draws inspiration from his parents. His passion for hockey was passed down by Dean, who grew up playing the sport on an outdoor rink. It was in his family’s yard where Bryson, his brother, Ty, and their cousins, Mitchell and Ella Vande Sompel, learned the basics. Mitchell is a prospect of the New York Islanders and plays for the club’s American Hockey League affiliate.
There were many weekend road trips to tournaments and words of encouragement from his parents following games. And no matter where Bryson was playing, his family, including Ty, were there.
They were by Bryson’s side when he was drafted in the fourth round by the Sabres in 2017. Bryson became one of the NCAA’s top defensemen during his three years at Providence from 2016-19, totaling 11 goals and 73 points in 121 games. His game translated well to the professional level with Rochester, where he had 30 points in 66 games across two seasons.
When Bryson needed to perform well in training camp to make the Sabres’ roster for opening night this fall, he met the challenge and showed that he’s not simply an offensive-minded player. He knows how to use his speed to contain forwards to the outside and his play around his own net has improved.
“A big thing is confidence,” explained Bryson. “I’ve played a lot of games in this league from when I first started and it’s going to keep growing and keep getting better. As you get more confident in this league, it gets a lot easier.”
There have been many highlight-reel passes and drives to the net since Bryson arrived in Buffalo. All of them have been seen on television by his family. Nancy described the experience of watching her son’s games as “nerve-racking,” and joked, “I find the whole 60 minutes stressful.”
On Monday morning, Bryson cracked a smile at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., when asked about his family’s plans for the weekend. It's a moment that’s been a dream of his dating back to those games of shinny on the backdoor rink and the long car rides home following wins and losses.
“They’ve paved my way and gave me this opportunity to play in the NHL,” Jacob said. “From when I started playing hockey at 4 years old, they’ve done everything they could to let me get to where I want to be, and I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done. I owe it to them. It will be exciting for them to come. I’ve been waiting for that my whole life.”
