MONTREAL - Six weeks after wrapping up his collegiate hockey career, Jake Evans will officially close out his time at the University of Notre Dame on Sunday.

That's when the 21-year-old forward will participate in the school's commencement ceremonies and graduate with a degree in management consulting from the renowned Mendoza College of Business.

"It's a huge honor graduating from that school. When you get through one of the top business schools in the country, it's definitely a good feeling. I think the biggest thing for me when I came here four years ago was to get that degree, so I could just focus on hockey afterwards," said Evans, who signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens on April 9. "Having that degree is really going to help me out later once hockey is over. It's definitely a big accomplishment."

Getting to this point was by no means an easy task for the Toronto native, especially with the incredible demands that come with being a member of one of the nation's top hockey programs.

But, with the support and encouragement of his two biggest fans - his parents, Wayne and Marilyn - Evans achieved his primary academic goal.

"Just growing up, they always put an emphasis on that, making sure everything was done and I was getting good grades. They sent me to a really good high school, St. Mike's [St. Michael's College School] in Toronto. You definitely had to get your work done. That definitely made me realize how important school was," explained Evans, who lists IT Management and Quantitative Decision Modeling as the courses that challenged him the most. "I also had two cousins that played college hockey at Cornell, and I just watched and learned from them, too."

Wayne, a salesman, and Marilyn, a family doctor, will both be on-site in South Bend to cheer Jake on as he graduates alongside his classmates.

It's a drive the pair made many, many times over the years to watch their son star for the Fighting Irish. This trip, of course, will be a little bittersweet.

"I think it's definitely special for them, too. It feels like they're kind of graduating with me. It's a big step for the family. They travelled so much here. They basically went to school here in a way," confided Evans. "They were a part of the athletics and they kept pushing me and giving me a pat on the back from time to time or a kick in the butt to get things done. It's almost the same thing for them with graduation. It's just going to be awesome."