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Ice hockey has been Paris Heyd's passion since he was 5 years old and he will get his reward when he leaves for France this week.
Heyd (20), a business management and tourism student in Dunedin, has accepted a contract to play ice hockey for the Cergy Jokers Club in Paris.
"It has been his dream since he started playing ice hockey at the age of 5," his father Maurice Heyd said.
His father, mother Ushi and sister Cuba (10) were at the Dunedin Ice Stadium at the weekend, when Heyd was one of the star players for New Zealand. He scored a hat trick of goals in the 6-1 semifinal win against China on Saturday.
Heyd is the first ice hockey player from New Zealand to get an overseas professional contract.
"I hope it opens the doors for others," he said. I'm excited but a little nervous about the prospects," his father said.
His talent was recognised this year by the Dunedin Thunder assistant coach Kevin Arrault, who coaches professional hockey in France.
Heyd realises that he will need to lift his game to be competitive in Europe.
"The game will be a lot faster and more serious over there," he said.
"It's been the dream of my life. I just love playing hockey on the ice."
Heyd was born in Alexandra but he grew up in Christchurch, before spending the last three years of his school days in Canada.
"I went to secondary school in Montreal to improve my hockey," he said.
Heyd has played for the Ice Blacks for the last three years and now feels confident on the international scene.
But he knows that the standard of the ice hockey league in France will be a step up from the international experience he has had for New Zealand.
Heyd has been selected in the Ice Blacks for the world division 2 championships at Reykjavik in Iceland next April and hopes that he will be given leave from his French club to play for New Zealand.