“He was fantastic,” Schueller said. “He has such a smart hockey mind. He sees the game differently than a lot of people do — almost more like a spectator. He’s able to pick up different things and analyze them. Working with him helped me see the game in a different way.

“He didn’t bring up (his illness) a lot. But every once in awhile, he’d go into it. And he’d use it as motivation. It showed our guys things could always be a lot worse. Our players really respected him, and the fact that he was going through what he was and was still able to be out here with us.”

It’s precisely for that reason that Forte was recently given the “Spirit of Life” award from the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

The award recognizes those who have overcome adversity and continued to have an impact on the sport. Forte is just the second recipient. The first was Jack Jablonski, the former Benilde-St. Margaret’s player who was paralyzed from the chest down during a JV game in December of 2011. He is now a student at the University of Southern California and has served as a communications intern with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.