Nolan Nenow's life all about hockey, former Jay having fun

Dec. 21—JAMESTOWN — When Nolan Nenow reaches out to you and asks if he can skate with your team, Jamestown High School head coach Matt Stockert said:

"It's a no-brainer to say yes."

Nenow, a former Blue Jay himself, was drafted by the North America Hockey League's (NAHL), Bismarck Bobcats last summer, giving him the chance to cut his high school hockey career short and start his junior hockey journey a year earlier than expected.

Nenow topped the 343-person list of North Dakota prep boys hockey scorers with 65 total points in his last season with the Blue Jays. In addition to netting a state high 32 goals, he was credited with 33 assists.

After a powerhouse prep season, Nenow was a natural selection for the team that represented North Dakota at the 2022 CCM High School National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

North Dakota ended up winning the NIT for the second straight year with a victory over the Minnesota Seniors this last spring. In the NIT title game, Nenow proved responsible for tying the game 2-2 with 3:01 left in the final frame and finished off his second showcase tournament by scoring the deciding shootout goal to win it 3-2.

North Dakota's first championship came just a year ago in 2021.

"It's not a real big secret that Nolan likes to play hockey 365, 24/7 so the exposure has been there both from the high school standpoint and the Team North Dakota side of things," Jamestown High School head hockey coach Matt Stockert said. "I started getting contacted and having conversations with junior coaches in the spring of 2021 and then it rolled into the fall and the main portion of it came in January."

Stockert was fielding calls from the Minot Minotauros, Aberdeen Wings, USHL teams, Saskatchewan junior hockey league teams and Manitoba junior hockey league teams.

Nenow was drafted by the Bobcats in the third round of the 2022 NAHL Draft on June 15. Nenow was 2022's overall 81st pick. The decision to compete in the NAHL was pretty easy for Nenow since it is the second-best junior league in the country.

"The coach called me about a month before the draft and told me to keep my ears open and that I was on their draft board," Nenow said. "I had heard that from a ton of other coaches but they had kept in contact so I was expecting to go somewhere else but Bismarck got to me and my heart just started racing.

"I was close to home — it couldn't have happened any better," he said. "It's the best thing that has happened to me."

Getting drafted was only the first challenge.

Before he moved to Bismarck permanently in August, Nenow traveled to Bismarck twice a week to skate while on other days of the week, he did workouts off the ice to continue to build his overall physicality. Nenow also participated in various camps throughout the summer months.

Nenow officially moved to the capital city on August 21 and the season began on Sept. 21. As of Dec. 19, the Bobcats are 11-12 overall. They are ranked

24th out of the 29 NAHL competing teams.

"It's been going good," Nenow said. "I am the third youngest on the team so I am still finding my way in junior hockey, it's a change from high school. I am playing against men. I just turned 18 so I am like a little kid again and that's been a change but I've improved for sure. I can see it in my game — it's been a benefit to me for sure."

Nenow is one of only five rookies on the team. The former Blue Jay has not yet netted a goal in his 17 games played but he has been responsible for two assists. Nenow is eligible to play junior hockey until the 2024 season.

"Nolan has worked hard for this opportunity and right now he's taking advantage of the opportunity and being an 18-year-old going into the North American Hockey League, it's not an easy task," Stockert said. "It's a whole different game. There will be some times that it's going to be harder than he's used to but eventually, he'll get more comfortable and as he gets more comfortable the more playing time will come and more opportunities will come."

Adjusting to a different pace of play has definitely been a challenge but unlike high school, Nenow has had to make mental changes now that he's living away from his family and friends.

"I left everything behind to follow my dreams," Nenow said. "My dream is to play D1 hockey and I am going to do whatever it takes to get there. That's my goal. I just hope other kids look up to me and recognize all of the hard work that I put in the off-season. I am not saying everyone has to leave, but I hope they follow their dreams and do whatever they can to reach them, too."

Nenow is a bit of an anomaly since it is unusual for the North American League to take North Dakota kids prior to graduation.

"The opportunity for Nolan is amazing for him," Stockert said. "If he continues to put his time in the kid's going to eventually end up playing Division 1 hockey somewhere. He fits right in with the group and I really believe that come the new year, he's going to see a little bit more playing time and I think that the sky is the limit for the young man."

Nenow will be back in Jamestown for about a week at the Christmas break mark but will not have any more breaks until the end of the season. The Bobcats' final regular-season game is scheduled for April 15.

"I live with a family in Bismarck and they've been great — I couldn't have asked for anything better," Nenow said. "We get up, work out, have a skate, then we eat then I do my online school, then I work with little kids who play hockey and then at night, this family has two little boys who like to play hockey so I'll play with them or go outside or watch a hockey game with them, it's fun. My life is — hockey — now."

Nenow said he is planning to be back in Jamestown over the summer and will try to make it to as many Blue Jay hockey games as he can.

"Hunter, (Nelson) Connor (McLachlan) and I all left and (the Blue Jays) have done a great job adjusting," Nenow said. "Our leaders like Max (Mehus), Brooks (Roaldson) and Reagan (Sortland) are unreal. They are great people to work with. They couldn't have asked for a better senior class. I am proud of them — it's hard to step away from them, I miss 'em."

Nenow may not be at Wilson Arena as much as he used to be but the support he has within the Jamestown hockey community is a huge contributor to his getting to and succeeding in Bismarck.

"Everyone here has faith in him," Stockert said. "He's got a whole bunch of support back here with the guys that are on the ice right now and in the community. That goes a long way — it really does.

"What you hope is that these guys want to be like him. You hope they will put in the time and the effort to be like Nolan Nenow," he said.