ANTIOCH, Tenn. (WKRN) — Final practices are underway for Team USA in a sport you might have never heard of before — blind hockey.

For this team, a lack of vision doesn’t dictate their ability to see a win.  

“Finding this team, I realized there were multiple players with the same condition I have. It blew my mind and it has given me such a great perspective now,” said Dan Schramm

Schramm has been with the United States blind hockey team since 2019.

For player Luke Miller, he’s been playing blind hockey since it’s inception in the United States.

“When I mention blind hockey, they’re recognition of that sport has been increasing year on year and I think that’s incredible,” Miller said.

The team was in town for a training and development camp made possible by the Nashville Predators and Tennessee School of the Blind.  

“Blind hockey I think takes that to the next level because it’s the only blind sport you play with the level of vision you have and they’re not making modifications,” Kevin Brown, former player turned coach, said.

Blind Hockey has been a sport in the U.S. since 2014. Four years later, Team USA was formed, recruiting the most elite players in the country. 

“It’s not only important just for the sport of hockey, and showing how welcoming the sport is, but just in general being able to show the world what blind and visually impaired people are capable of,” Schramm said.

From skill on the ice, to belonging outside. 

“When I was diagnosed when I was 14 years old, I completely shut down. I thought I was the only blind person in the world,” Schramm said.

So you might wonder, how does this work? What’s the Backstory of Blind Hockey? 

All players are legally blind and are classified by their level of vision. B1’s have no vision at all to B3’s having the most. This is signified on the court by the color of their helmet. 

“I mean our goalies having no vision, to myself of having more vision, just how we interact with each other and just fill each other’s gaps with vision. It’s an incredible experience,” Schramm said.

A few rule changes include the length of the net and the size and sound of the puck. 

“The really key difference is that this one rattles as it moves around and it allows our lesser-sighted players to know where it is and our goalies to be able to track it on the ice,” Miller said.

The team was in town to prepare for the big match-up against Canada for the International Blind Ice Hockey series.  

While the series might take place in October, the community found here in Nashville is year-round. 

“We’ll be in touch between now and then. We do our very best to make sure that this is a team all year round. When we go home, we don’t forget about what we did here, we carry it forward to October,” Miller said.

All with the hope of being more inclusive for all players in all sports. 

“The more inclusive we are in society is critical to everyone’s mental health and well-being. This is no different in this community,” Brown said.

The dates and the location for the international series have not been set yet.