At five-years-old, Durand embraced the goaltender position and never looked back. His play on the ice began as a “house-league” hobby in the blue paint and later transformed into a full-time passion.

It’s not common for youngsters who laced up the skates to fall in love, well, with strapping on the pads and stopping pucks. Yet, Durand isn’t the ordinary athlete.

“The ability you have in a crease to control the outcome of a game is what I enjoy most,” said Durand. “I love that feeling of being able to control the outcome of games.”

Pressure – no sweat.

It seems that Seahawks head coach Bill Zaniboni also believes that the goaltender portrays more than just athleticism in net.

“Peyton has a mindset of a pro,” said Zaniboni. “He takes care of himself on and off the ice, which is what you want as top end guys to set the example.”

Prior to joining the Seahawks and Zaniboni’s squad, Durand committed to Skidmore College's NCAA DIII Ice Hockey program in 2019-20. Due to the modern-day circumstances, the 6-foot netminder was later eligible and signed a Junior hockey contract with the Seahawks during the EHL’s 2020-21 offseason.

“I had a good conversation with Coach Zaniboni,” said Durand. “He just seemed liked a good guy and I trusted him to get me read for the next level, and it has been a lot of fun. I look forward to going to the rink everyday with the guys.”

So, how did Coach Zaniboni recruit one the EHL’s top goaltenders

The Seahawks coach originally discovered Durand when he tended net for the Promfet School in Connecticut of the United States High School, Preparatory (USHSP).

“Peyton was a very good Prep-school goalie at Pomfret,” said Zaniboni. “That’s where I first heard his name. Meanwhile he was at Skidmore as a young goalie buying his time. Peyton’s name came up in conversation with James Mello, who worked privately with Peyton in Rhode Island. James thought he’d be a good fit for the league. So, he had Peyton reach out to me about an opportunity and if we would have an available spot for him to compete.”

Entering the new calendar year, Durand owns an impressive .922 save percentage, to go along with a 2.59 goals-against-average (GAA). For the record, the masked man ranks in the EHL’s top-five for save percentage, for goaltenders that dressed in 10-or-more contests.

It’s safe to say – Durand gained the league’s full attentions this season.

While the netminder’s journey to the EHL was unique, Durand also expressed that the EHL is an ideal path to college, no matter what the circumstances are.

“I love it, honestly,” said Durand. “If you can perform in this league than colleges are going to notice. Our day-one meeting with Coach ‘Zani’, he said ‘hey, our number-one goal is to get you guys to the next level’."