'She outworks everyone': Inside the rise of top PWHL prospect Caroline Harvey

Dave Breen remembers meeting an eight-year-old Caroline Harvey for the first time inside his rink in North Andover, Mass. 15 years ago.

He'd just given Harvey a private skating lesson, after someone told him about a talented young girl who was looking to work with someone.

Breen was talking to Harvey's father after the session, and the girl asked if she could go stickhandle on the ice while her father was chatting. She stood in the doorway, stickhandling a puck, until they were done.

Most kids would ask their parents to go home or they'd watch TV in the lobby, Breen said. Not Harvey.

"I’d never seen that before, especially with somebody who was so young," said Breen, who is the program director of Micro Ice Training Centre about 19 kilometres northwest of Salem, N.H., where Harvey is from.

That work ethic has helped Harvey become one of the top defenders in women's hockey.

The 23-year-old was the Olympic MVP and part of a talented, young American team that defeated Canada for gold in February.

The next month, she was named the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top female player in women's NCAA hockey, after putting up 2.14 points per game this past season.

To top it off, Harvey helped the University of Wisconsin Badgers to a national championship — the third NCAA title of Harvey's career.

Now, Harvey is poised to become the first-overall pick in the PWHL Draft, which is set for Wednesday in Detroit. The Vancouver Goldeneyes hold the first selection.

It's a new challenge for the defender, who thrives on competition. After winning at every other level, Harvey is now driven to help her team win a Walter Cup.

"It's another goal," Harvey said in an interview with CBC Sports. "There’s nothing more I'd want than that,