Page 2 of Rookie Rules

Luca looked past her. A photographer adjusted lights in front of a navy backdrop. His new home jersey hung from a rack beside it, BENNETT arched above the 88. A second camera waited near a stool. On a monitor, a title card read THE NEXT ERA STARTS NOW.

"Subtle," he said.

Claire followed his gaze. "We rejected 'savior.'"

"Because it was too religious?"

"Because you haven't played a game for us."

That pulled a real laugh out of him.

Claire's mouth tipped at one corner. "There. Keep that version. The research likes you relaxed."

The laugh stayed on Luca's face a second after the humor left it.

"Research has excellent taste."

"Research has age brackets." Claire passed him the jersey. "We're leaning into energy, confidence, accessibility. The established core is discipline and history. You represent movement."

He looked down at his name stitched across the shoulders. The jersey had weight in his hands, more than the fabric accounted for.

"Movement," he repeated.

"Not chaos."

"That sounds like coaching language."

"Everything becomes coaching language if you stay in hockey long enough." Her tone remained matter-of-fact, not unkind. "You don't need to change who you are. We need to make sure the first version fans meet is coherent."

Coherent. As though there were versions of Luca scattered around the room and Claire's job was to select the one least likely to alarm sponsors.

He pulled the jersey over his T-shirt. "Young. Charming. Approachable."

"And competitive."

"You left out humble."

"Research didn't support it."

The photographer barked a laugh from behind the lights.

Luca stepped onto his mark.

He knew this part. Turn slightly. Drop one shoulder. Chin toward the light. Give them the grin first, then something sharper. Hold the stick across his body. Face the camera straight on when they wanted intensity. Look past it when they wanted future.

"Perfect," the photographer said.

The word came often enough to lose texture.

Claire stood beside the monitor, approving frames with quick taps. Between setups she fed him questions for the social clip.

First song on the pregame playlist?

Best meal after a win?

What should Wolves fans expect from number eighty-eight?

"Goals," Luca said.