SEATTLE — The NHL’s annual Hockey Fights Cancer campaign holds a deeply personal meaning for Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz. Every time he steps onto the ice, Schwartz is not only playing for his team but also for his late sister, Mandi Schwartz.

“She’s obviously still with me, and it’s difficult still,” Schwartz said. “You kind of hold that inside every day, but I’m trying to represent her as much as I can.”

Like Jaden and their brother, Rylan, Mandi grew up playing hockey. She competed at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame and later at Yale University. During her junior season at Yale, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

After three years of fighting, Mandi died on April 3, 2011, at age 23. Less than a year later, Schwartz made his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues.

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