Bradly Nadeau became the fourth University of Maine player in its hockey history to be selected in the first round of the National Hockey League draft when the Carolina Hurricanes chose him with the 30th overall pick.
The 5-foot-10, 161-pound center from St. Francois-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, joined winger Paul Kariya (4th overall, Anaheim, 1993), defenseman Shawn Anderson (5th, Buffalo, 1986) and winger Barrett Heisten (20th, Buffalo, 1999) as a first-round pick.
Nadeau led the Penticton Vees to their second straight Fred Page Cup championship awarded to the British Columbia Junior Hockey League playoff winner.
He led the league in scoring with 113 points on 45 goals and 68 assists in 54 games and added 35 points in 17 playoff games courtesy of 17 goals and 18 assists.
Nadeau was chosen the Most Valuable Player for the regular season and the playoffs.
Nadeau said it is an “honor” to be chosen in the first round.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” he said after the draft on Wednesday. “All the work and effort finally paid off. It’s an awesome moment.”
Nadeau said he is looking forward to coming to UMaine this summer and attending the optional workouts with his teammates.
“It should be a real good summer there. It will help me get ready for next season,” Nadeau said.
He said one of his points of emphasis will be to get stronger.
“And I have to work on my play in the [defensive] zone. I played more in the offensive zone,” Nadeau said of his time in Penticton.
He is looking forward to playing in front of the lively Alfond Arena crowds.
“I watched a game there a few years ago and it was really awesome,” said Nadeau, who recalled the enthusiasm of the student section as well as the other fans.
“And Orono is a nice place. I’m really excited to get started there,” he added.
After Nadeau was selected, Carolina president and general manager Don Waddell told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that Nadeau “brings it every night. He has a tremendous work ethic. And he has great skill. We do interviews and background checks. You have to have good players but you also have to have good people. And he certainly checked all the boxes.”
Logan Horn, the director of prospect coverage for thehockeywriters.com, a website devoted to coverage of the National Hockey League, called Nadeau the “best Junior A player in Canada,” and felt he was worthy of a first round selection.
Junior A players are amateurs who don’t get paid while Major Junior players are considered professionals in the eyes of the NCAA because they receive financial stipends. That makes them ineligible to play college hockey in the United States.
Horn wrote that Nadeau’s game is “pretty well-rounded.”
“But his speed and shot clearly stand out. His wrist shot and one-timer are both NHL-caliber and are good enough that I am comfortable saying he is one of the five best shooters in the draft and I don’t think he’s number five,” he wrote.
Nadeau — along with his brother and Penticton linemate Josh — is expected to give the Black Bears a significant boost offensively.
UMaine was 44th among 61 Division I teams in scoring with an average of 2.56 goals per game. The Black Bears were also 34th on the power play at 18.9 percent.
Josh Nadeau had 110 points in 54 games for Penticton with 44 goals and 66 assists and he also notched 36 points in 17 playoff games with 16 goals and 20 assists.