Ryan Nolan has had a letter on his chest all season for the Victoria Grizzlies.
The one he sports now is just a little different shape from the one he normally wears.
The 20-year-old Nolan has been sporting the captain鈥檚 鈥楥鈥� in the absence of Grizzlies regular captain Alex Newhook. Newhook, projected to go early in the first round of the 2019 NHL draft, along with Grizzlies teammates Alex Campbell, expected to go in the late rounds of the 2019 NHL draft, Riley Hughes, who鈥檚 a 2018 draft pick of the New York Rangers, Carter Berger and Jeremie Bucheler, are currently leading sa国际传媒 West into the medal round at the World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta.
They鈥檝e all missed the last two sa国际传媒 Hockey League games but, thanks in large part to Nolan, the Grizzlies haven鈥檛 missed a beat.
Nolan scored three goals in last weekend鈥檚 two victories, including the Teddy Bear goal on Saturday night against Salmon Arm. He now has 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 32 games this season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been fun but a lot of hard work,鈥� said Nolan, who hails from Winnetka, Illinois, just outside Chicago.
鈥淲e鈥檝e all had to up our game and I just try to lead by example on and off the ice.鈥�
Nolan鈥檚 recent success also got rewarded this week. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound power forward just accepted an NCAA Div. 1 scholarship to play for the Merrimack College Warriors starting next fall.
鈥淚 just went and visited the school and liked it a lot and the coach is new and he鈥檚 bringing some new guys in and really turning the program around, so I鈥檓 looking forward to going there.鈥�
Merrimack, located in North Andover, Massachusetts, about a 30-minute drive from Boston, plays in the Hockey East Conference, which just happens to house schools like Boston College, where Newhook is headed, UConn, where Berger just committed to, and Northeastern, where Hughes and Bucheler will attend.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be a lot of fun playing against those guys, a little strange at first, but we鈥檒l have fun with it,鈥� Nolan said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e all great players going to great programs, obviously, so it鈥檒l be great keeping up with what they鈥檙e doing and seeing them every now and then.鈥�
But that鈥檚 for next season. Right now, Nolan and his teammates, who have been booted from their regular dressing room at The Q Centre this week to make room for sa国际传媒鈥檚 world junior team hopefuls, have turned their attention to the final road trip before the Christmas break 鈥� a trip tonight to Nanaimo to face the Clippers and then to Port Alberni on Saturday to take on the Bulldogs.
鈥淚f we keep our same mindset as we had last weekend of working hard and attacking the net and taking care of own end first, we鈥檒l be in good shape even if we are on the road,鈥� Nolan said.
Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon agreed with his new captain.
鈥淲e certainly gained a lot more confidence in the group [last weekend]. If their habits continue to be what they鈥檝e been and they continue to outwork the other team, there is a good opportunity on the road as well,鈥� said Didmon, whose club leads the Island Division at 22-10-0-1.
Didmon will use the same call-ups from the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League 鈥� Sean Ramsay, Kahlil Fontana, Matthew Clark and Reid Lindsay 鈥� as he used last weekend but his club will likely get a big offence boost by the return of Cam Thompson. Thompson, who has 30 points in 28 games, has missed the last three games due to an injury but looks ready to draw back in.
And the 20-year-old鈥檚 presence will be needed to help ease the pressure off the likes of Nolan and veteran blue-liner Nico Somerville.
鈥淣olan and Somerville have really raised their game and were huge factors [last weekend]. We will need those two to continue to carry the burden and I鈥檓 sure they are up for the challenge,鈥� Didmon said.
After this weekend鈥檚 games, the Grizzlies players will disperse for the Christmas break before returning for a Dec. 29 home game against the Clippers.
