The Dispatch is chronicling the second pro season of Blue Jackets defenseman Nick Holden. Occasional installments will monitor Holden's progress.

If all went as scheduled, Blue Jackets prospect Nick Holden said goodbye to his fiancee this morning in Edmonton, Alberta, and flew to Syracuse, N.Y., for a late-afternoon practice with a last-place minor-league hockey team.

It's not exactly uplifting material for a modern-day Christmas carol.

This season has been a lesson in hard realities for Holden, a 22-year-old Syracuse Crunch defenseman.

A bout with mononucleosis robbed him of a chance to compete for the Jackets seventh-defenseman spot in training camp. His team, the Crunch, is the worst in the American Hockey League, and Holden's play has not merited a promotion to a parent club in need of an upgrade on defense.

"So far, it's been an up-and-down road," Holden said. "We will win a game and then get blown out. It's been a frustrating season with all the guys coming in and out of the lineup. We don't know what team will show up night to night."

On this Christmas, perhaps the most stable thing in Holden's life is his relationship with Angela Bergstrom. The couple was engaged a year ago and plans to marry July 3.

He appreciates her drive and dedication to family.

She likes his sense of humor and maturity.

Each understands how pro sports can be difficult on serious relationships.

The Tiger Woods saga is the latest reminder that enticement for millionaire athletes -- and those with the potential to become one -- is everywhere.

The Crunch has only two married players, Derek MacKenzie, 28, and Jon Mirasty, 27.

"Some guys might find it tough, but I haven't," Holden said. "I'm not a typical hockey player. We get bad reputations for cheating on our girlfriends. Ang (Angela) has nothing to worry about. I made a commitment and I'm going to honor it."

Bergstrom, 23, an Alberta native, was familiar with the "reputation" prior to going out with Holden in the summer of 2008. She caught a previous boyfriend, also a hockey player, being unfaithful while he was away at college.

"You see that stuff in the hockey world, but you see it everywhere," Bergstrom said. "I have been in this situation before and I was the naive one."

The couple was living under the same roof before their first date. The Bergstroms were Holden's host family when he played junior hockey in Camrose, Alberta.

How smitten was Holden?

"I remember calling my mother and telling her, 'I'm going to marry her,'  " Holden said.

Bergstrom is finishing her sixth year of college and wants to teach physical education at elementary schools.

Separated by more than 2,300 miles during the season, Bergstrom says she focuses on her studies while staying in the two-story Edmonton bungalow the couple purchased in the summer.

Bergstrom will join Holden next season wherever he plays. He currently lives in a rented house with two teammates.

"Nick is a down-to-earth person," she said. "Some guys change when they get a little money, they blow it on vehicles. I love his dedication to everything, including making us work from far apart."

The couple speaks twice a day and after each game. Bergstrom watches the Crunch in Edmonton thanks to a minor-league TV package, and they chat briefly about the game.

Bergstrom and Holden don't talk a lot of hockey, and right now that's probably a good thing. Discussing table centerpieces for their wedding reception might be a more enjoyable topic.

Holden is getting ample playing time, and has two goals and six assists in 21 games. But it's already been a long season as reflected by his team-worst minus-16 rating.

A late bloomer, Holden is working on ways to improve his game. He has been taking power-skating lessons and has started to notice a difference.

The Crunch entered its five-day, holiday break on a four-game losing streak, a stretch made tolerable in part by a weeklong visit from Bergstrom.

"It's nice coming home from practice and having Ang there," Holden said. "Much of our lives are focused on hockey, so it's nice getting to spend a little time with her."

The couple flew home Sunday and celebrated Christmas on Monday. They haven't spent Dec. 25 together in two years.

These are tough times for Holden. Fortunately, stability is only a phone call away.

treed@dispatch.com