Now a veteran of the Canadian Blind Hockey National Team program, Sudbury native Amanda Provan knows that it won't get any easier.

In October of 2022, she made team history by becoming the first female to suit up as Canada and the United States met in Fort Wayne (Indiana) to contest gold and silver.

In March of 2023, the two countries renewed acquaintances with Provan still on the roster, making it a personal three-peat when she and her teammates travelled to St Louis (Missouri) just under a month ago as those decked out in the maple leaf made it five straight championships.

"It wasn't a given that I would make the team," conceded Provan recently. "I would go to the events and train hard and stuff, but there's a lot of competition. It was a little nerve-wracking."

Now 29 years old, Provan was born with congenital nystagmus but still made the most of her love of hockey, competing in both the Sudbury Playground Hockey League, as a youth, and more recently in the Sudbury Women's Hockey League (SWHL).

The fact is that with every passing year, awareness of the sport continues to grow, with more and more newcomers making their way out of the woodworks.

"That has started to happen already," suggested Provan. "Some of the older guys are going to lose spots with the young kids coming up. These are kids who have played high level hockey all their lives and just recently lost their vision or young kids who have grown up playing blind hockey."

Six rookies dotted the Canadian roster last month, with those new to the party including 15 year old Dante Giammarioli from Edmonton, the youngest player ever to crack the lineup.

"He's a phenomenal hockey player," said Provan. "The caliber just keeps getting better and better every year."

It's precisely why, after stepping away from SWHL play for a couple of years, Provan felt the need to return this winter.

"Having to stay competitive and stuff, I needed to stay on the ice," she said. "And I'm on the bike six days a week."

This weekend, Provan and company are in Calgary, showcasing the sport as the western city plays host to the World Para Ice Hockey Championships. With hockey representatives from the likes of Czechia, China, South Korea, Italy, Japan, Slovakia and, of course, Canada and the USA on hand, it's a great opportunity to look to expand the international scope of blind hockey.

"Hopefully we'll get more people involved from more countries," said Provan. "I'm excited."

Once that is done, it will be time to focus on the national team selection camp in July, with Provan unlikely to take any of this for granted.

"I just want to play as long as I can."