Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie has 17 goals and 18 assists so far this season. And, as he wrote in this school assignment when he was a 9-year-old way back in 1995, sometimes an assist means more than a goal.

The letter showed up on reddit a few days ago and the Capitals have confirmed that it did come from Oshie. Here’s the full text of his assignment:

Last night I had a hockey game and I made an assist. An assist means you that you pass your teammate the puck and he scores. My dad says an assist means more to him than a goal.

That’s straight up adorable. It’s not unusual for a kid to write about his love of hockey, but the really heartwarming bit here is the window it gives into Oshie’s relationship with his father, who is currently battling Alzheimers. What a great lesson for a young kid and hockey player to learn.