Paz Hassan-Contreras '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is Paz Hassan-Contreras and I’m from Lansing, Michigan. I have been ice skating essentially since I could walk. I figure skated first and began to play hockey when I was 8 years old. I specialized as a goalie when I was 9. I am an extremely technical goaltender who values efficiency and speed over all else. Being coachable is important to me.  I believe that practice is invaluable to personal development. I love the hard work that hockey demands because it is extremely fulfilling when I can feel myself getting stronger during long footwork sessions. One of my favorite things about training is to isolate something I despise and work on the skill until it becomes fun and easy. 

School is very important to me. I maintain above average grades and plan on taking several AP classes my senior year. I have played saxophone since 5th grade, and am in the high school marching, concert, and jazz bands. 

I am a U.S. citizen and also hold Canadian and Lebanese citizenships.  In summer 2021, I had an amazing opportunity to go with the Lebanese national ice hockey team to France where we played the French U18 team three times, winning one game and losing two. As one of three goalies invited to France, I was in net for the one game, which we won 2-1. I was the youngest person on our team, being fifteen at the time, and played my first international (IIHF) game the day after my sixteenth birthday. Participating on the Lebanese national team was the most exciting experience of my hockey career. The opportunity to learn from a great group of women about my culture, to spend a week in Paris, and to play hockey at a higher level are three things I’ll never forget.