Sabrina, who lives in New York, initially wrote to Browning after reading a profile of her in the Wall Street Journal published Feb. 20.
"My mom saw an article in the Wall Street Journal about Heidi and she said that she wanted to grow the fan base by attracting younger fans and more casual fans," said Sabrina, a New York Rangers fan who is a defenseman on a team based out of Long Island City, New York. "My mom suggested that I write a letter to her and come up with some ideas and see what she thought about them and it went from there."
Browning, who joined the League in October 2016, had the letter land on her desk in March.
"As a young and enthusiastic hockey loyalist, I think I am well-positioned to assist in the NHL's goal to connect with a more casual viewership," Sabrina wrote. She also offered to work during the summer as an unpaid intern.
Sabrina said she did not expect much of a response.
RELATED: [This is Hockey | My Hockey Life: Pat LaFontaine]
"I thought that I wouldn't get anything," she said. "They'd say, 'Thank you for your ideas' and send a letter with a sticker or something."
Browning was charmed by the letter and had a lot more in mind than a sticker.
"In that [Wall Street Journal] article I talked about some of the opportunities I saw after joining the League. She touched on all of those: that she was a young, passionate fan and she could help me find ways to get casual fans more interested in hockey and then more importantly how we could attract younger fans," Browning said. "And she offered up her services free of charge to work for the summer, which we couldn't do. But we did want to welcome her in and listen to her ideas."
Browning worked with Rachel Solomon, Sabrina's mother, to set up the visit. Her first meeting was with Browning and a roomful of executives from different League departments, among them Kevin Westgarth, vice president of business development and international affairs; Paul LaCaruba, director of corporate social responsibility; Amie Ray, director of direct marketing, database marketing and web analytics; and Joslin Warren, director of commerce and development, consumer products licensing.