Ayen Messick’s Enthusiasm for Hockey Motivated His Eagle Scout Initiative

At the tender age of 3, Ayen Messick’s parents took him to a Texas Stars AHL hockey match.

There, he received a toy mini hockey stick, which he brought home and began practicing stickhandling on the floors of his house with a foam puck.

This is typical behavior for a young child, but few would have anticipated that this experience would ultimately lead to Messick earning his Eagle Scout distinction as a high school senior.

Messick, who will be entering Penn State as a freshman this fall, dedicated all of 2025 to his Eagle Scout project—designing and overseeing the construction of three racks that can hold over 100 donated pairs of hockey skates for the Austin Metro Hockey Association and its Try Hockey For Free events. The racks needed to fit through a specific door at The Crossover facility in Leander, Texas, which required them to be mounted on casters.

That was just part of the project. He also repurposed an old hockey net to serve as a donation bin for used equipment, which was a project in itself since the original net was inadequate, and it proved challenging to attach a new net. The bin also needed a plexiglass front to securely hold the donated items.

However, he accomplished all of this, positioning him well for the next chapter of his life.

“It’s not difficult if you can envision yourself reaching that goal when you’re younger and remain consistent with your efforts,” Messick stated. “When I first joined [Cub Scouts], I had no idea what an Eagle Scout was, but after being involved for about a year, I realized I wanted to become one.”

After enjoying his mini hockey stick, his parents, Doug and Ruchi, took him to a local ice rink for skating lessons. From there, it was a natural progression to hockey, which he began at age 4 and continued until he was 14. Throughout this time, he was also active in scouting.

“It was a really easy way to make a lot of new friends, and it was one of the things that remained constant,” he reflected on playing hockey. “I had my friends at school and another group of friends [in hockey].”

Messick is also a trumpet player, and when high school commenced, he had to give up hockey to concentrate on marching band and pursuing the merit badges necessary for Eagle Scout advancement.

“Growing up, he participated in various activities—hockey, scouting, and marching band,” Doug Messick noted. “There weren’t many scouts in hockey and vice versa. They were distinct experiences for him, but he had long desired to merge the two worlds together.”

“He wanted to combine his passion for scouting and give back to this separate community.”

One of the requirements for an Eagle Scout project is that it must benefit the community. Therefore, Messick reached out to Angie Vaught, the director of the nonprofit, youth-oriented Austin Metro Hockey Association, to explore potential projects.

He found a promising idea through Vaught. She recommended focusing on hockey donations, allowing players to provide skates and used equipment to anyone interested in trying the sport, thereby fostering the growing hockey community in the Austin metro area.

Specifically, Vaught indicated that the racks needed to be on casters to facilitate bringing the skates directly to children. She noted that Messick went above and beyond to demonstrate how it would be accomplished.

“He provided me with a 3D model of the room dimensions and how we would move them in and out and visualize it,” she said. “It was small scaled, but it was impressive. I didn’t expect any of this.”

It is important to note that an Eagle Scout project is a significant undertaking. The approval process for the proposed project alone spanned from January to May 2025. After Messick designed and printed three-dimensional jigs for the wood, construction on the racks commenced in earnest in August.

One of the project stipulations is leadership, so Messick had to organize a group of scouts to actually construct the racks, which feature a total of 12 shelves.

Construction wrapped up in October. Following that, the hockey net donation bin was created using a used youth hockey goal that was rusty, had chipped paint, and a dirty net. All of this required refurbishment.

“Coach Angie suggested we pressure wash the net, and we did, but it didn’t look good,” Doug Messick recalled. “This was going to be a full restoration of the net. It took us two attempts.”

Nevertheless, Messick succeeded, and Vaught was delighted with the outcome.

“I could not stop crying,” Vaught expressed. “I’ve known him since he was 5. Not only did he complete it, but he did it 110% better than I anticipated. It’s absolutely overwhelming. I’m so proud of him.”

With Penn State approaching, Messick plans to apply his Eagle Scout skills as he pursues his degree.

“I’m going to pursue a mechanical engineering degree, and regarding hockey, I enjoy watching it, and Penn State has a strong hockey team,” he mentioned. “There, the lakes freeze over, and I’m hoping to play again.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.