Owen Nolan - Off-season #2

[studentized 166]

The sophomore season has ended for New York right winger Owen Nolan as he now looks for ways to improve this off-season. S69 saw him elevate his game into the makings of a solid forward. His 11 points in just 7 playoff games put him atop of the entire league (after the first round) and his 44 points in 72 regular season games made him a top 5 forward for NY. We caught up with Nolan yesterday to find out a bit more of what New York fans can look forward to seeing out of him next season.

 

#1) Skating

 

Nolan already took a big jump this past season in skating. Coming into the league, there was a concern that his lack of speed and acceleration would prevent him from being an effective player on the ice. While still not the fastest guy out there, Nolan looks like he’s starting to have the makings of a strong skater. His M.O has always been to shoot first, skate second, pass third, but this year, look for Nolan to try to create more space for himself and others by skating harder and protecting the puck. Having clean zone entries is an underrated aspect of any player’s game and there are really only two good ways to do it: either make crisp, clean, smart passes (which Nolan will probably never do) or just skate the puck in and weather any body/stick checks along the way. Nolan’s combination of size, strength and puck handling prowess makes the latter option a much better strategy, so New York should look forward to seeing more of that out of him.
 

 

#2) Net front presence

 

Nolan’s shot is fine; it’s not the best the VHL is going to see but it’s not the worst either. Where Nolan can really stand out is in front of the net. His hand-eye coordination is improving (he was just two deflections shy of the team lead) and he continues to get stronger every year making it harder for defences to push him around. All this being said: strong player + good hand eye + willingness to go to the front of the net = good things for NY. Look for Nolan to improve on his season last year in this regard, maybe even as far as establishing himself as one of the top deflection guys in the game.

 

#3) Leadership

 

Last season Nolan really wanted to be that player to stand up for his teammates. His 5 fights (and 0 losses) placed him atop his team in S69. This year, look for him to play a similar enforcer type role, but also to add some leadership on the ice that doesn’t require him to drop the mitts. The locker room is young in NY so he's got a good opportunity to have a voice.

Now that we know roughly what Nolan wants to work on, here on some goals we think he may be able to hit.

 

Now that we know roughly what Nolan wants to work on, here on some goals we think he should be able to hit.

 

30 goals and 60 pts: this is the type of player Nolan needs to be. He won’t ever lead the league in scoring, but he does have a chance to establish himself as one of the better depth players in the VHL. Let’s see if he can build on a strong post season and make a big jump in his 3rd regular season.

 

10 fights and 0 losses: 10 fights is rare in the VHL and never being on the losing end of one is even rarer. As a team NY should be involved in competitive games the whole year, and with higher stakes can come more emotion and fighting. Nolan is still really the only player to fill this void on the roster and his strength makes him a scary guy to go up against, so this is a possibility.

 

Make it out of the first round of the playoffs: The off-season is still young but New York is shaping up to be one of the better teams of the NA conference. Anything less than a second round appearance will be a disappointment. They have the potential to go even further so don't be surprised to see them compete for it all.