There's a good chance Layne Sleeth will be watching the highly-anticipated Canada vs. USA matchup at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday night, or at least checking the scoreline on her phone as the game progresses from the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Long before the 23-year-old University of Oklahoma product was earning a paycheck in the professional pickleball ranks, Sleeth was a hockey player herself back home in Markham, ON, which is located about 20 miles northeast of Downtown Toronto.

In true Canadian form, her love affair with the country's national winter sport began at an early age because it was already ingrained in her family's DNA.

"My mom was a figure skater, and then she became a figure skating and power skating coach, so I started skating basically when I started to walk. I was on the ice at 18 months maybe, so I just grew up skating," explained Sleeth. "And then my brother, Connor, played college hockey at Oswego State in Upstate New York. He’s two years older than me, so I wanted to follow in his footsteps. My dad also played in a men’s league. I started playing house league hockey when I was five years old until I was 12, and I played on all-boys teams the whole time."

After starting on defense, Sleeth eventually transitioned to forward and played center since she wanted to score more goals like former neighbor and two-time Stanley Cup champion, Steven Stamkos, and family friend and four-time Stanley Cup winner, Kris Draper.

But, she ultimately found her calling between the pipes as a goaltender.

“I started training to be a goalie because I just liked my own space out there. I ended up playing goalie for four or five years on the Markham Waxers, and that was my favorite position. I loved being a goalie. It made me super athletic,” explained Sleeth, who also appreciated the responsibility that came with backstopping her squad. “I always liked not letting my team down. Obviously we needed to score goals, but it’s also one of the most important positions by not letting the opposition score. And then I also liked reacting to how fast the puck was coming at me. I really liked doing anything I could to stop the puck.”

Sleeth says her brother likened her goaltending style to one of the best in the business.

Being compared to a Canadian legend, Hall of Famer, and the winningest goaltender in NHL history is quite the compliment.

“He would always tell me that I played like Martin Brodeur, kind of like flopping around and stuff,” revealed Sleeth. “I would just do whatever it took to make saves.”

As for playing with the guys, she relished every second of it.

The environment suited her just fine.

“It was super fun being the only girl on the team. I enjoyed being in the room. All the guys would talk about Call of Duty and video games,” shared Sleeth with a laugh. “I enjoyed being the only girl in the group.”

Even though she officially put hockey in the rearview mirror after winning Under-12 Canadian Nationals in tennis, her years on the ice have come in especially handy in racket sports.

From a standout career with the Sooners to making noise on the PPA Tour and in MLP, she’s thankful for her time at arenas. 

“I think the reason I can fly and move so well on the court is because of my skating. I can still do the splits just because I was a goalie and had to be so flexible,” shared Sleeth. “I think a lot of how athletic I am right now comes from playing hockey.”

Given her busy tour and practice schedules, admittedly, lacing up her skates is a rarity these days.

But, it did happen fairly recently north of the border.

“Not the last time I went to Canada, but the time before that I went on the ice and my dad and brother shot pucks at me. I put a bunch of goalie stuff on and it was a lot of fun,” said Sleeth. “I loved getting back on the ice. There’s no better feeling than being on the ice and the smell of the rink. There’s nothing that compares to that. Skating is so freeing.”

With that in mind, who is the Florida resident supporting in the quest to claim the 4 Nations Face-Off title?

“I’m cheering for Canada,” affirmed Sleeth. “I’ll always stay Canadian.”