Playing on a team with elite scoring forwards like Alex Newhook, Alexander Campbell and Riley Hughes, you might think it would be hard for a player like Victoria Grizzlies forward Ryan Nolan to stand out. However, this hasn’t been the case as Nolan has put together a solid season thus far and it has earned him a scholarship to play for the Merrimack College Warriors for the 2019-20 season.
After putting up 17 points in his first BCHL campaign, Nolan has started to contribute more offensively this year, compiling 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 32 games. The Winnetka, Ill. native has also stepped up his game recently in the absence of Newhook, Campbell and Hughes who are all away at the World Junior A Challenge. He has scored three goals in the two games that his team’s top scorers have missed, including the game-winner Saturday in a 2-0 win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Merrimack is an NCAA Division I school located in North Andover, Mass., playing out of the Hockey East conference along with Boston College, Boston University, UConn, Maine, UMass, UMass Lowell, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Providence and Vermont.
The Warriors roster this year features Wenatchee Wild alum August von Ungern and former Alberni Valley Bulldog Christian Simeone.
Nolan is the fourth BCHLer to commit to Merrimack in the last few weeks, joining Coquitlam Express forward Regan Kimens (2019-20), Vernon Vipers forward Nicholas Cherkowski (2020-21) and Wenatchee Wild defenceman Jacob Modry (2019-20).
