Cody Mastay left his Thornton home prior to the 2019-20 season to skate for the Detroit-area Honeybaked 18U AAA team.

After his season ended last March, he looked around and noticed a certain junior hockey powerhouse was right in his own backyard, the Metro Jets, now in their third season as a USPHL franchise.

“I reached out to Coach (Justin) Quenneville after the season,” said Mastay, a 2001 birth year forward who tallied a goal and six assists in four games last weekend during the USPHL Detroit Showcase at Mastay’s new home rink, Fraser Hockeyland. “What appealed to me about the Metro Jets was that they are a great player’s program with an amazing coaching staff and facility. What appealed to me to play in the USPHL is the amount of exposure each player gets.”

Coming into this season, Mastay knew two Jets teammates in forward Cristian Adragna and goaltender Daniel Miscavish from the 2019-20 Honeybaked squad.

“What I hope to accomplish this season is to improve my game all around, and to finish the season on a Tier II team,” said Mastay.

Growing up, Mastay started playing roller hockey when he was three years old, and then moved over to ice hockey when he was five.

“One coach that has had the biggest influence on my life is Dan Zawacki,” Mastay said. “He coached me on the Boulder Bison Bantam AA team during the 2015-16 season.”

In addition to the Bison, Mastay also played for the Hyland Hills Jaguars, Rocky Mountain RoughRiders, and the Colorado Springs Tigers.

Looking ahead after a strong opening weekend, Mastay knows his options can be endless if he puts forth the effort, day in and day out.

“I will continue to take community college classes until I figure out my major and go to a university where I will, hopefully, be playing hockey,” said Mastay.