studentized

D - Paolo Nano

 

@Phil

 

Biography

 

   Owen Liam Nolan was born on July 2nd, 1998 in the small town of Bangor in Belfast, Ireland. He became the youngest of three children, joining eldest brother Patrick and middle sister Elizabeth, to be born to parents Christopher and Katherine. At the time of Nolan's birth, hockey was not even remotely on the radar of the family. The Nolan's have tended to a legacy corn field that has been in their family for generations, earning them a reputation among Belfast as the best corn in Ireland. As is the case with most farm families, every member was expected to help out any way they could, with Christopher taking on the majority of work along his own dad (Nolan's grandfather) Thomas Nolan, while Katherine primarily looked after raising the children. Everything about the Nolan's painted a very 'Nuclear Family' type picture, right up until tragedy struck and Owen took the ice for the first time.

 

The Nolan corn field

 

 

A dream

 

   Owen rarely had his interests captured with school, even from a young age. He prided himself on being a very hard worker and being able to lend a hand to help his brother, father, and grandfather back home on the farm. When asked about his favourite school subject he remembered growing up, Nolan answered "Geography, probably. I have always wanted to travel the world". Owen remembers textbooks depicting children his age playing unfamiliar sports like baseball and basketball and wondering why he had never been shown anything but Rugby and Football. After seeing a picture of players on an outdoor ice rink playing hockey, Owen became "obsessed", his father jokingly remarked. 

 

   The Nolan's were regulars at ice rinks in the area, because older sister Elizabeth had been involved in figure skating from the age of 7. But when Owen tried to describe the picture of hockey he saw to his parents, neither had any idea what he was talking about. They signed him up with his sister for figure skating instead, much to his dissatisfaction. Owen was a natural on the ice claims his sister. "Better skater than I was from the moment he stepped on". However it quickly became apparent that he was not going to figure skate at a high level. "Better skater, but much much worse dancer" Elizabeth joked. After a while, Owen forgot about his picture of hockey, associating it with other fairy tales he was told growing up. He prepared to get involved in rugby.

 

The accident

 

   In April 2008, when Owen was 9 years old, Katherine was involved in a car accident that would take her life. "No one is prepared for that kind of thing" Owen says. "I remember the whole family having a hard time coping. Those following months were kind of a blur… and the farm got in pretty bad shape." Owen recounts that older brother Patrick soon after dropped out of school and never went back. Patrick would spend most of his time trying to maintain the farm and driving Elizabeth to and from figure skating practices. His father spent most of his time working, trying to hold his family together. On his 10th birthday, Owen received a gift to attend a hockey camp in Dublin, something his Mom had arranged months prior. "I just thought they wanted to get rid of me. I only found out it was Mom's idea until I was much, much older". He went on to say "it was exactly what I needed."

 

A first taste of hockey

 

   Owen was on his own for the first time in his life, adding to an already exhausting summer. "I remember knowing nobody and feeling like I didn't measure up to the rest of the kids from the get go". "I still didn't believe that hockey was real" he went on to say.  It took some time for Owen, but stepping onto the ice, all geared up, would become a form of therapy that summer. Nolan recalls having a lot of fun throughout the camp. "I think I would have enjoyed it even if I never played. Just reading the rules of the game was amazing". On the last day of camp, parents were invited to come watch their children play in a tournament composed of teams from players at the camp. Owen played 3 games that day, winning all of them, and collecting 15 points. He was named MVP. "After that, some of the coaches talked to my dad and I've been playing competitive hockey ever since".

 

A big move

 

   Hockey dominated the rest of Owen's childhood and he dominated hockey in Ireland. At age 15, a scout told Owen's father that if Owen was serious about hockey, playing in Canada was the best way to get noticed. Nolan and his brother packed up and moved to St. Jacobs, Ontario the following year. "St. Jacobs has got to be the most Irish looking town in all Ontario", Owen laughs. That doesn't mean the transition wasn't hard. New country, new house, new friends, new school, and new hockey talent to go up against all played a role in Owen's new life. "I was told by my Dad that I could only stay in Canada if I kept my grades up. I studied lots those years". As much studying as Nolan claimed he did, he must have worked out even more. Nolan shot up to 6'1" and approached 190lbs as a senior in high school. "A couple of the lesser known junior teams wanted me to play for them because of size alone. I think I accepted the very first offer". Owen found eventually found success in everything; grades stayed good, hockey games were won, and he established himself as one of the best hockey prospects in the game. "After graduating high school, I was hoping VHLM was a possibility right away. I didn't know it would take 2 more years".

 

Drafted

 

   As Owen aged up, he played better and better. Unfortunately this worked against him with many scouts knocking him for being an "overager" and crediting most of his success to being older than his competition. "At some point I had to stop listening to the scouts and just do it". Nolan declares himself for the VHLM draft, fully preparing himself to not get drafted and to have to live in a future without playing professional hockey. On his 21st birthday, July 2nd 2019, the draft began. "You hope to get lucky. That someone saw you play enough times and remembered you enough to want you". In the 6th round, Nolan was selected by none other than the Halifax 21sts. "Going to the 21sts on my 21st birthday was unreal. The luck of the Irish was with me that day". Nolan is excited to start his next chapter in the VHL. There is still lots of work ahead of him.

 

  

 

F - Edwin Preencarnacion

 

@Gaudette

D - Maxim Kovalchuk

 

@Phil

5 hours ago, fonziGG said:

1.) How do you think Halifax did in the draft? Any hits or misses?

2.) How was the draft experience for you?

3.) What do you think of our current roster?

4.) How do you predict us doing this season?

5.) What are your goals for the season?

6.) Can you describe the type of player you are?

7.) Any questions about how the league is run?

8.) Tell me something the GM and AGM should know about you?

 

1) Really happy with the draft class. Some of them are doing insanely well already so keeps me motivated to not fall too far behind

 

2) Draft started minutes after me signing up, so was surprised to get drafted at all. Both GMs reached out to me right away though so it everything felt smooth from my end. Was happy to get picked

 

3) Roster looks deep. Look to have that nice mix of scoring, D and a goalie

 

4) I will predict a conference finals appearance. At that point anything can happen

 

5) Contribute to some wins any way I can. Would be nice if I can squeeze my way up into the top 6 at some point this year

 

6) A big scoring, physical winger. Hoping to get lots of hits and pot a few goals but not take too many penalties

 

 

 

 

 

S67

Trans: 6A363695BK9625716

 

5 TPE

5 TPE

1M Cash

Doubles week

+4

+2

I guess I will just go

 

F - Matt Thompson

 

@Gaudette

@Phil you going?

 

 

Review: Nice to see another west Europe prospect this season. Good write up and good formatting of the post altogether. A picture seems to be kind of standard with these things, so that would have been nice to see. Eager to see how an unusually small winger like Ritchie fares in the VHLM.

Review: Interesting profile. I like the safe, reliable type of defender since they tend to be underrated. Always root for the undersized guys as well. Graphic at the bottom is really well done. Giving me ideas

Review: Good write up and good luck in Minnesota. Like the pic of the rink in the small town; fits the setting of Slovakia hockey in my mind perfectly. Now go on and become that late round draft steal!

Review: Just joined the league a week ago, so still wrapping my head around the VHLM, let alone the VHL. These posts are awesome. Really helpful in getting me a little more familiar with the league and how much things change year to year. Already rooting for Seattle and Moscow. Thanks for your writeup!

Yes please

 

Name: Owen Nolan

Position: RW

Age: 21

Height: 6'1''

Weight: 211 LBS

Birthplace: Belfast, Ireland

Shoots: Right

 

 

Nolan is a relatively raw player out of Belfast, Ireland. He played junior hockey there until the age of 15, quickly rising above his peers to become one of the top prospects of the nation. His elite goal scoring ability and power forward build eventually drew the eyes of some savvy Canadian junior teams. Nolan moved to Canada at age 16 with the hopes of playing against some tougher competition and proving he was more than just a big fish in a little pond. After one and a half adjustment period seasons, Nolan eventually established himself as a bonafide top 6 presence. He continues to flash that offensive, hard hitting style of game that got him recognition in Ireland. Nolan declared himself to the VHLM draft on his 21st birthday, where he would be drafted in the 6th round by the Halifax 21sts.

 

Skills breakdown:

 

Scoring

Nolan's best attribute is his shot. Good velocity matches his great accuracy and quik release. His biggest potential for scoring more goals will be from in front of the net. Space on the ice will be a little harder to create in the VHLM, so Nolan needs to adapt and use his size to create opportunities in close; he has the size and skill to do it. Most of Nolan's goals in junior came from shots between the dots. This may still be his preferred avenue to score but the opportunities will inevitably become rarer against better defences and goalies.

 

Skating

Nolan is an above average skater. While undoubtedly having a slower top speed than others his age group, Nolan makes up for it in his edge work and creativeness around the boards. Nolan is not quite the perfect two way player, but his hustle up and down the ice to join the rush or backcheck can always be counted on. With a little more speed Nolan would project nicely as a top 6 VHL player.

 

 

Physical play

Nolan likes to hit everything on the ice, sometimes at the expense of making the smart play. He wears down opponents and makes them pay whenever he can. Every now and then he will have a game where he operates purely as an energy player and tend not to create much offensively. It's an effective style of game to play when he's surrounded by other offensively gifted teammates. Nolan's real challenge will be finding the balance; too much physical play and he will likely project as a bottom 6 forward, too little and he will get outshone by some of the faster, higher skilled prospects.

 

Playmaking

It doesn't take long to notice that Nolan looks much more comfortable finishing a play rather than setting one up for his teammates. When defences key in on him he has the tendency to overlook the open teammate and try to force himself through it. He has the skill to make this work most of the time, but it can be the case where a couple more passes in the offensive zone would create a better scoring chance and diversify the offence on his line. Becoming a more creative playmaker would open up a whole other dimension to Nolan's game and its something to out look for as he starts in the VHLM

 

Defence

Nolan is almost able to get away with being called a 2 way forward, but is not quite there. The effort and hustle in the defensive end is there, but he occasionally puts himself in unorthodox positions that don't work. He needs to refine his instincts and comfort playing behind his own blue line, something that he should be able to accomplish with strong coaching.

 

Puck handling

Puck handling is another element of Nolan's game that is a little inconsistent. When up against a player with a size mismatch in his favour, Nolan handles the puck exceptionally well, especially near the boards. This all breaks down when he is carrying the puck through the offensive zone against bigger defenders. Nolan needs to work at protecting the puck in open ice as best as he can to reduce his number of giveaways.

 

Overall

Nolan has the perfect blend of size and skill you want in a prospect. Being a more raw and underdeveloped player comes with a lot of unknowns about how certain skills will develop. If Nolan can hit on even a few of them, he will be a successful player in the league.

Canada

USA 

Scandinavia

Thank you both for your interest, but despite being a late entry to the draft, I was actually selected by the 21sts. Looking forward to playing against each of your teams

+2

+4

Player Information

Username: studentized

Player Name: Owen Nolan

Recruited From: Reddit

Age: 21

Position: RW

Height: 73 in.

Weight: 214 lbs.

Birthplace: Ireland

Player Page

@VHLM GM