Nick Capone couldn’t believe it. Truthfully, the 18-year-old from East Haven, Conn., still thinks it’s too crazy to be true.
But there it is, for the world to see, Capone’s name on National Hockey League Central Scouting’s preliminary players to watch list for the 2020 NHL Draft, which was released in October.
“Growing up and loving hockey as much as I do, seeing my name on that list was mind-blowing,” said Capone, who was at 5-7-12 in 20 games this season with the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound right wing’s name also appeared on the bureau’s players to watch list, which was released the next month. In both cases, Capone earned a C rating, signifying that he’s a candidate to be selected in the fourth, fifth or sixth round.
“Nick is big, strong, powerful and aggressive,” Storm associate coach Ethan Goldberg said. “On the ice, he’s got an attitude, in a good way. And his personality off the ice fits the way he plays. He’s a driven kid and works hard.”
Capone’s hockey journey to Tri-City began when, as a kid, he was introduced to the sport by his dad, Pete, and brother, Peter. His father played one year at Northeastern and his brother most recently skated for Southern Connecticut State University (ACHA Div. 3) last season.
Before suiting up for the Storm, Capone played for the Southern Stars, Connecticut Wolf Pack and Yale Junior Bulldogs, as well as one year at East Haven High School, two seasons at Salisbury School and four games with the USHL’s Central Illinois Flying Aces.
The first coach to have a significant impact on him was none other than his father, who coached Capone until his bantam year with the Stars.
“My dad was on the bench yelling at me and getting me going,” Capone said. “It was tough at times because I was the one who would be yelled at a little more. But it definitely helped.”
Capone’s coach with the Junior Bulldogs, Steve Novodor, was the first one who wasn’t related to him to have a major influence on his budding career.
“Coach Novodor is a great guy and made me the player I am today,” Capone said. “He always pushed me and pushed me because he knew I would keep going. The way he connected with me off the ice and with my family outside of hockey made it so much better when we got on the ice together. He made it more personal.”
Another bench boss who left his mark on Capone was Salisbury’s Andrew Will.
“Coach Will always ran me through drills and pushed me to work harder,” Capone said. “He’s a great coach and we had great workouts there. He was calm in every situation, which helped you when you were nervous. He always knew what to say.”
By the time Capone left Salisbury, the right-handed shooter had become a highly touted draft prospect, and he says a large reason for his rise was that school.
“Salisbury completely changed me,” he said. “It made me a better person and player.”
After finishing Salisbury’s slate of games in his first season there, 2017-18, he made his USHL debut with the Flying Aces. In his fourth and final contest with Central Illinois, he recorded an assist for his first point in the circuit.
“The USHL was completely different,” Capone said. “The speed of the game is so much faster, and I wasn’t used to it, but I started to get more comfortable. It was a big step, and I’m glad I was able to make it.”
Capone again headed to the USHL last season after completing Salisbury’s schedule, except this time he suited up for the Storm. He appeared in five regular-season games, scoring a goal in his debut with Tri-City, and skated in a pair of Clark Cup playoff matches. Having already gotten his feet wet in the league, he felt more at ease his second time around.
“During my first experience, I was in awe of the guys and their speed, their size and everything they could do,” Capone said. “Last season, because I had grown more, I was more comfortable right away. And with the caliber of team we had in Tri-City, we had great practices every day.”
When the playoffs ended, Capone took two weeks off to clear his mind and rest his body. Then it was time to get busy.
Focusing on what he had learned from his two spells in the USHL and what he needed to do to improve his game and play at his peak level in his first full campaign in the USHL this season, Capone started working out three times a week and power skating two times a week.
The latter task was of utmost importance. Already boasting a large frame and being one of the stronger guys on the ice during his shifts, Capone sought to upgrade the one knock on his game — his skating ability and his explosiveness.
To accomplish that, he worked with Karl Linden, a coach at South Kent School.
“The game is getting faster and I want to keep improving my speed,” Capone said. “When you advance to a higher level, the game gets faster, and I want to be able to step right in.”
Goldberg already has noticed improvements in Capone’s game since he made his debut with the Storm last year.
“He’s moving better, and it goes back to the work he put in during the summer to get stronger and tighten up his body a little bit and what he did to improve his skating and his edges,” Goldberg said. “He’s also improved his overall details in how he has to play to have success at this level. His overall consistency in the way he has to play is better, too. Last year, he would have two good games and then a couple of bad ones. Now, he’s thrown together consistent solid games.”
Goldberg is most impressed with Capone’s ability to remain committed to what he needs to work on, even if it takes time to realize the rewards.
“There was a point early in the season where he was struggling,” Goldberg said. “He stayed with it and pushed through a little bit of adversity, and he’s starting to see the results of his work now.”
In addition to fine-tuning his hockey skills, Capone, now in his senior year at school, is toiling in the classroom as well. Managing his time between hockey and his studies is a difficult chore, but it’s one he’s intent on mastering.
“It’s tough,” Capone said. “You wake up at 7 a.m., go to school to about 1 o’clock, then head right to the rink and do two skates. You miss many days of school, too, when you’re on the road, so when you come back you’re getting flooded with work. But you have to get it done and focus on what you have to focus on.”
Capone made waves in both the school and hockey worlds in September when he committed to play for the University of Connecticut, starting with the 2020-21 campaign. The main reason he selected UConn is he’ll be close to home and will be able to play in front of family and friends.
But before Capone returns to again play in his home state, he has a major hockey event circled on his calendar — the NHL Draft. And he’s already started peppering his already-drafted pals with questions about what to expect.
Said Capone: “I’m interested in the process, and I’ve gotten a lot of knowledge out of them about the draft and the scouting combine.”
Soon enough, future draft prospects might probe Capone for information about the experience. And that’s not too crazy to be true at all.
@LeoScaglioneJr
