Saying Mikyla Grant-Mentis was destined to be on the ice isn't an over exaggeration.
"So my dad is a big ball hockey star, "Grant Mentis said.
Mikyla's family roots in the game of hockey stretch back to the 1900s.
"There's a long history of my family that plays. They're from Nova Scotia. So, they started a black hockey club there."
It only took Mikyla to reach the age of 4 to realize her true passion was the game of hockey. The only task left to figure out was how to convince her dad.
"He put my two brothers in hockey and didn't allow me to play at first. I did everything possible to just try it."
A decision that would ultimately turn Mikyla into becoming the face of the Buffalo Beauts, breaking barriers in women's hockey.
"It's crazy to think about only because my career has been a little bit of up and down. I haven't made any world stage. So, it's definitely weird to hear I'm the first to do something."
Before coming to Buffalo, the forward made a name for herself with the Tornoto Six. Mikyla became the first black player in the league to win the 'Most Valuable Player' award.
However, even with all her success on the ice, the game she loved didn't allow her to make a real living.
"Pretty much, they could've just kept the check on what they were paying me. So, I did have to get a second job."
Mikyla's need to balance working at FedEx in the early hours finally came to an end. Her agent called with the news that the Buffalo Beauts wanted to sign her to a one-year $80,000 contract.
"As the league keeps making money, we're now expanding more. The money for each player is going up every single year, so hopefully, in the coming years, no one will have to work. They can just play hockey."
