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When Ashton Vaudt visited Fort Wayne, Indiana for a job interview, he took the opportunity to get a look at his potential new home.

One of the first places he stopped was the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse, the local ice rink. Vaudt wanted to see where he was going to play hockey when he moved to the city in September 2014.

Playing hockey in Fort Wayne was going to be a little different than what he was used to living in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

“It was still fun to play in Virginia Beach. But I come here where it seems like hockey matters a little bit more, and it’s like, ‘Oh, these guys are really good,’” Vaudt said. “The ice is a lot better, too, which is a plus.”

Vaudt got the opportunity to start his own team and become the captain after competing in the Fort Wayne Adult Safe Hockey League for a couple seasons. He handpicked some guys who he had played with and against to form the Fort Wayne Chill.

The fall/winter 2016-17 season is Vaudt’s first-ever as a captain. It was a feeling out process for a number of months as the players got to know one another’s style on the ice.

“The camaraderie in the hockey room didn’t take very long at all,” Vaudt said. “A few games ago we were extremely shorthanded and somehow that was one of our better games. We had to conserve energy and [make the right play]. After that, that started to actually carry over a little bit. I think that one game helped a little bit where we’re starting to find each other and we know where everyone is, that kind of thing.”

The chemistry is starting to come around for the 16 guys who have played on the team this year.

“It was kind of rough to begin with when we first started when they threw us all together,” Chill goalie Jacob Jewson said. “It’s kind of learning each other’s playing styles and where you’re going to be when and who to pass it to and that kind of stuff. It’s been a learning process and I think we’re just starting to get to the point where we know where everyone’s going to be and at what time and getting all that down.”

Jewson and Vaudt have had a good time thus far getting to know their teammates. All the guys get along well and are very receptive to receiving pointers and listening to one another.

“It’s been a lot of fun getting to learn everyone’s different playing styles,” Jewson said. “If you see someone struggling on the ice and if they’re doing something you know how to do, it’s very good constructive criticism throughout the whole team.”

“They’re cool guys and we all learn from each other, which is nice,” Vaudt said. “I’ve created an atmosphere that I like where everyone can hold everyone accountable. If we see something, it’s like, ‘Do this.’ But if someone comes up to me and says, ’Hey, do this,’ I say, ‘Cool.’ No one is superior to anybody else, and I think that’s what keeps it great.”

The Chill play in the six-team D2 League. It’s a competitive division where the team has been holding its own all season. The guys who play on the Chill have a wide skill set and are range in age from their early 20s into the 40s.

“We’ve got guys that are just about to retire and we’ve got some guys that are just graduating high school and everywhere in between that are just looking for some Sunday fun,” said Jewson, who is 23.

Some teams the Chill take on have played together for a decade and have built strong bonds on and off the ice. The Chill would like their team to be around in 10 years and build the same level of camaraderie.

“I think we would love to keep everyone on the team that we can,” Jewson said. “Obviously, some people get caught up in work and different schedules and aren’t able to make it throughout the season.”

However, the team will have to take baby steps to become an established team on the ice.

“I think once we get that chemistry going it’s going to be sweet and we’re going to be unstoppable,” said the 29-year-old Vaudt. “There’s games that we show that. There’s games where it starts to come together and it’s like, there we go. And there are games where we kind of fall a step behind and it’s something to work on. I know we’re getting there. It’s only a matter of time until we start doing it.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.