By: Danny Cumming | AHL Rhythm
On a Friday night in March 2024, in Orono, Maine, Bradley NadeauUniversity of Maine Black Bears vs. Scott MorrowUMass Amherst Minuteman Squad.
Nadeau, a freshman drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round (30th overall) of the NHL draft nine months ago, leads the Black Bears’ scoring race and is one of the youngest players in the league. One (18) team and country.
Morrow, a third-year defenseman (then 21 years old) drafted in the second round (40th overall) by Carolina in the 2021 NHL Draft, has recorded assists (14) in 24 conference games. and leads all Minutemen skaters in points (16).
These promising high-end prospects are now enjoying their rookie seasons with the Chicago Wolves and are about to experience the successes and failures of being professional athletes together.
The young stars are familiar with each other’s talents but don’t yet truly understand each other.
But that quickly changed.
“The University of Maine is a great team,” Morrow said. “(Nardeau) killed it out there and is someone we always have to watch out for.”
That night, Nadeau’s Black Bears defeated Morrow and UMass, with Nadeau scoring a goal to give UMass a 2-1 win — one of UMass’ three wins over UMass last season. one.
“Those games were so much fun,” Nadeau said. “It was great to battle with him and their team and come out victorious.”
Morrow, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound blueliner, could have signed with Carolina after his sophomore season, but decided to stay through his junior season to continue his career at Massachusetts The state’s rapid growth trajectory.
“I wasn’t afraid of spending three years at UMass because I realized it was a good place for me to develop,” Morrow said. “My body has also changed a lot since I’ve been there. I’ve gotten stronger and spent a lot of time in the weight room.
“When I first got to college, the things I needed to work on was improve my defense and my skating,” he continued. “UMass plays a real defensive style and plays on a big rink. Those are the two biggest areas of my game that need improvement.
Morrow, a native of Darien, Connecticut, had previously run away from home to attend Shattuck St. Louis. Mary’s School, Minnesota. He believed in his own time to grow and learn to be self-sufficient.
“You have to take care of yourself, cook your own food, be prepared,” Moreau said. “So, from that perspective, it’s good. Being on your own definitely forces you to mature.
At UMass, Moreau had to manage the daily life of a college athlete, carving out free time for himself off the ice, including classes and homework. Morrow, who studied sports management at the UMass Isenberg School of Management, said he enjoyed the academic side of college and was able to graduate in three years.
“I had to take on a pretty heavy workload,” he said. “My last year in particular was very hard.”
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Nadeau took a different career path as a skilled and dynamic forward. A native of St. Francois-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, Nadeau spent his draft-eligible seasons in the British Columbia Hockey League, a league not traditionally known for producing NHL players.
As it turns out, Nadeau evolved—and then some. In 2022-23, he scored 113 points (45 goals, 68 assists) in 54 BCHL games with Penticton and led all BCHL players in goals, assists and points. For the league’s most valuable player.
After two years in the BCHL, Nadeau heads to Maine to take the NCAA route for the 2023-24 season. The play on the ice is easy to translate, but the play off the ice takes some time. Adjusting to the college hockey schedule is not an easy task, even for someone as talented as Nadeau.
“The shorter season also brings challenges,” Nadeau said. “We’re lifting more weights this week and everyone is already so strong and bigger. So, you have to get stronger every day and work harder. Every game is a tough game to be able to compete with the older, stronger guys.” Players versus players is a good thing for me.
After one year at Maine, Nadeau turned pro and signed a three-year entry-level contract with Carolina in April 2024, joining Morrow and the Wolves. They met at Carolina’s development camp in 2023 but didn’t spend much time together until eight months later.
They were almost inseparable by then. Wherever Moreau went, Nadeau followed. Whenever Moreau spoke, Nadeau listened. Although they are both professional rookies, Nadeau is three years younger than Moreau. He respects Moreau and absorbs as much knowledge as possible.
“He’s obviously a great player, so I can learn a lot from his performance, both on and off the ice,” Nadeau said. “He’s a little older so he has more experience and is a really good guy.”
The 22-year-old Wolves defender also joins the duo Ronan SeeleyThey spent considerable time together in Carolina over the summer, training and adjusting to their new reality.
Just like their time in college, these young stars gain as much independence as possible while living away from home.
“I think it (independence) prepares you for what’s next,” Nadeau said. “I learned how to cook, get away from everyone, and do things by myself. It was really good.
Between Moreau, Nadeau, and Seeley, there’s no celebrity chef in the house, making the kitchen more of a teamwork and learning-on-the-fly type of kitchen.
“Ceely is definitely the most mature of the three of us,” Moreau said with a smile. “Bradley and I got some stuff from him in the kitchen.”
While their potential could put them on an NHL career path, for now they are developing and thriving with the Wolves. On November 30, Moreau became the third defender in Wolves history to score a hat trick. Nadeau’s 11 points trailed only Morrow (12 points) Ryan Suzuki (13) on the Wolves roster.
Everyone admits it takes time to adjust to the AHL. Their confidence on the ice has changed dramatically in the first quarter of the season.
“There are more games (in the AHL) and we have some three-and-three games,” Nadeau said. “You don’t really do that in college, so it’s a big adjustment. Everyone’s getting older, stronger, faster, and they think the game is fast.
These rookies have one more thing in common: their youthful passion for the game. When watching Wolves practice, Nadeau and Moreau are usually the last two players on the ice practicing skills and feeding each other.
They inspire each other to be better and often benefit from talking about hockey.
“He’s fun to be around because of that,” Moreau said of Nadeau. “It’s cool to have other people who are equally passionate about the game and getting into their careers at the same time.”
While Moreau and Nadeau excelled in the AHL, they can recall their time playing college hockey and how those experiences helped change their career trajectories.
“Everything in college prepared me for this moment,” Morrow said.
