It is awfully difficult to make it as a professional hockey player. Even if you have the skill and the poise, you still need to ascend through multiple leagues, beating out a pool of promising prospects equally as hungry for a shot at glory.

That’s what makes the developing story of Shawn Element even more heartbreaking.

Team captain for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL, Element worked his tail off to earn a spot at Chicago Blackhawks rookie camp. While players sometimes need to leave camp for a variety of reasons, this one is particularly tough to swallow.

No family emergency, no off-ice issues, no disagreements with coaching staff – forgotten paperwork is why Element is now ineligible to participate. It wasn’t his fault, either – apparently the team just forgot to submit his paperwork.

Titan captain Shawn Element will no longer be participating in @NHLBlackhawks rookie camp.



Blackhawks staff forgot to send the paperwork to the NHL, making Shawn ineligible to participate. Tough break for the 19-year-old who worked very hard to earn the invite. — Bryer MacPherson (@BRMSports) September 3, 2019

TRAGIC!

Can you imagine working that hard and finally getting the call to rookie camp, only to find out that through no fault of your own you are ineligible to play. Somebody in the ‘Hawks offices is going to get an earful, that’s for sure.

Luckily Element is only 19, so he still has plenty of opportunity to make it to the show, but it is still a slap to the face nonetheless. Fans, of course, were quick to lambaste the organization for interfering with the kid’s dream.

(H/T Bryer MacPherson)