The season is still young, but the Maine Nordiques are well on their way to establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in both the North American Hockey League and at the U-18 level.
Riding a 6-1 start, the NAHL Nordiques are in first place in the East Division. The organization’s Development Program Prep Academy U-18 team is 16-1-1, losing only to a loaded Boston Junior Eagles team.
NAHL coach Nolan Howe was confident that his team would take a step forward after finishing in the division basement last season as a first-year team. He says success begins at the top.
“I’m surrounded by so many tremendous people. It starts with our owner, Dr. Darryl Antonacci, and our general manager, Eric Soltys. We wouldn’t be here without guys like Eric and Doc,’’ said Howe, who also singled out the work of assistant coach Matt Pinchevsky.
Rookie Tyler Gaulin, tied for the NAHL scoring lead with 4-6-10 in seven games, has been a standout for the NAHL squad. His strong start earned him a commitment to the University of Maine.
“It was smart of Maine to lock him up early because he’s only just scratching the surface on the type of player he can become,’’ said Howe, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Howe and grandson of the legendary Gordie Howe.
Gaulin is a graduate of Berwick Academy, where he put up big numbers as captain last season.
“Just because they’re not a power program doesn’t mean they can’t produce terrific student-athletes. And that’s exactly what Berwick did,’’ said Howe. “They provided us with a young man who was ready to compete at our level.’’
While Gaulin could have moved up to a higher level last season, he was “bound and determined to finish what he started (at Berwick). That’s the exact kind of character that we take a lot of pride in and that we believe in,’’ said Howe.
The Nordiques organization already has produced three Division 1 commits this season in Gaulin, forward Isaiah Fox (Long Island University) and goalie Ansel Holt (Army) of the U-18s. Howe promises there will be more.
Plenty of junior teams pay lip service to promoting from within, but the Nordiques actually do it. Six players were brought up from the U-18 team last season; three have been promoted so far this year. They are Holt, defenseman Kadsen Johnson and forward Jack Kurrle, a Vermont commit.
“We look at ourselves as an NHL organization through and through. Our NA team, that’s our NHL team. The 18s, they’re our AHL team. The 16s are our East Coast League team,’’ said Howe.
Moving players up “is something we really pride ourselves on,’’ said Soltys.
“The big thing for us is our guys are on the ice with (the NAHL team) every day,’’ said Nick Skerlick, who coaches the U-18s. “Two to three guys a day skate with the NAHL team and the (development) process is expedited that way.’’
When players get the call, they know what is expected of them. “When I’m able to pull up an 18, he knows our vocab, he knows how we want to play,’’ said Howe.
The teams have been vigilant in adhering to COVID-19 protocols, with good results so far.
“Most of the credit is to (the players). They’ve kind of created their own bubble. They are laying off the local scene, the girls and that kind of stuff. They are scared to death that (hockey) will be taken away from them. Is it a normal junior hockey experience? No. But the discipline of these kids, to keep on keeping on, is great,’’ said Soltys.
Howe sees bigger things ahead for the organization.
“I know we believe and our owner believes that if we continue to build things the right way, good things are going to keep happening. It’s been great that the season has started off this way, but we’re only scratching the surface of what we can do.’’
NCDC’S schedule woes
The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc with the National Collegiate Development Conference schedule.
The trouble started immediately after the first game of the season was played on Sept. 22. Games scheduled for the next day and the following weekend were postponed after a spate of positive tests. Since then numerous games have been postponed as teams grappled with positive tests and quarantines.
Some teams have been able to play many of their games, but others haven’t. The Rockets Hockey Club and the Islanders Hockey Club have both played eight games so far. The Connecticut Junior Rangers have played just one.
Now, with rinks in Massachusetts and New Hampshire closed for the time being, six of the seven teams in the North Division can’t practice or play games in their home rinks.
At least for the foreseeable future, the word that best describes the NCDC schedule is fluid.
Winning start for Danbury
Getting significant offensive contributions from former New England prep school players, the Danbury Junior Hat Tricks of the NAHL are off to a strong start with four wins in their first five games.
The team’s top four scorers are Mark D’Agostino (Gunnery), Cody Hoban (Loomis Chaffee), Alexander Krause (Taft) and Shea Courtmanche (Loomis Chaffee). D’Agostino is a Connecticut commit, while Hoban, Krause and Courtmanche are committed to Dartmouth.
“It’s been a great relationship so far with (prep) schools supporting what we’re doing at the Tier 2 level and allowing those kids further opportunities before they get to college,’’ said coach Bill McCreary.
The franchise moved from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., to Connecticut over the summer. Only two players remain from last year’s team.
“Our goal is to be one of the last teams standing at the end of the year. We’re about just going through our process on a daily basis the right way, putting in the practice hours. The results — obviously we’re trying to win hockey games, but it’s not our focus. We’re believers that our process, if we execute it, will give us points,’’ said McCreary, who coached the Danbury team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League last season.
“Just because we’re 4-1 doesn’t mean we’re going to keep going at this pace. We’re still prepared for some adjustments, to go through some growing pains. We’ll work through them as we see fit.’’
