Summary:

Parity: the state or condition of being equal, equivalent, or evenly matched.

Despite his enormous talent, Shane doesn't get the same opportunities Ilya does, so he doesn't end up on one of the league's best teams. But even though they don't become the league's most famous rivals, Ilya and Shane still find themselves drawn to each other.

 
Notes on Deafness:
Shane and his family speak American Sign Language (as is common in Canada). In this story, ASL is treated like any other language—when people who are fluent are speaking it, it will read like any other language. Shane has been deaf since birth, and his English is not perfect (as is common for many Deaf individuals). Shane's worldview and some of the particulars of his experience are based on real-life Deaf individuals, but he is not meant to represent every Deaf person.

Notes on hockey:
I know this isn't exactly how the draft works. And there will probably be hockey mistakes in here too. I fear I must wave my magic wand and ask you to pretend it makes sense.