Former University of Maine All-Hockey East winger Bradly Nadeau has certainly proven himself at the American Hockey League level.
His 59 goals for the Chicago Wolves over the previous two seasons is third most among all AHL players.
Now he is fighting for a roster spot with the Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes, which will be without goal-scoring leader Seth Jarvis until later this year due to right shoulder surgery in June.
The 21-year-old Nadeau, a first round draft pick of the Hurricanes and the 30th overall selection in 2023, is one of several former UMaine players participating in the NHL’s shortened training camp campaign, which has seen the number of exhibition games cut from six or eight games to four this season. That is to help accommodate the increase in regular season games from 82 to 84.
The regular season will get underway Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Two years ago, in his first pro season, Nadeau became just the third teenager in 50 years to score at least 30 goals in the AHL when he scored 32 goals to go with 26 assists in 64 games.
Last year, he had 27 goals and 29 assists in 52 games and he also appeared in 12 games for the Hurricanes and scored three goals while playing on the fourth line.
Nadeau had a goal in Carolina’s exhibition opener, a 6-3 loss to Florida on Sunday.
There are 13 returning forwards who played in at least one playoff game for the Hurricanes a year ago so Nadeau has plenty of competition for a roster spot.
In a story in NHL.com, Nadeau said he isn’t just looking to serve as a fill-in until Jarvis returns.
“I look at it as I want to battle for a (permanent) spot. I’m coming to take someone’s spot. I’m looking at it more that way and not as a fill-in option for someone who is missing,” said Nadeau.
The list of forwards include several impressive youngsters and a solid corps of veterans.
Nadeau said having such a quality group of forwards to compete against “makes you work even harder.”
Chicago coach Spiros Anastas used Nadeau on the penalty kill last season to help him develop his overall game and he noted that “it forced him to be a little bit grittier.”
He expects Nadeau to take another step forward this season.
“He’s got an exceptional shot, which I think is NHL-ready,” said Anastas. “But the work he puts in on a daily basis….he trains extra. He’s the kind of guy you have to peel off the ice. He trains with a group that has a high pedigree, guys like Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand.”
As for the other former Black Bears, former Mike Richter Award winner (nation’s best goalie), Hobey Baker Award finalist and All-American Jeremy Swayman will return as the Boston Bruins’ No. 1 goalie after being one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the league’s best goaltender. It was the 27-year-old’s first nod as a Vezina finalist.
He was 31-18-4 with a 2.71 goals-against-average and a .908 save percentage in 2025-26 and finished in the top three in the league in goals-saved above expectations, wins above replacement, save percentage above expectation and saves on shots on net.
Defenseman Ben Hutton, 33, signed a professional tryout agreement with Ottawa after spending last season with Vegas, where he had a career-high six goals and nine assists in 55 games for the Stanley Cup finalists.
The former UMaine All-American has appeared in 575 regular season games for five NHL teams and has tallied 30 goals and 109 assists. He was on the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup championship team in 2022-23.
Winger Taylor Makar had a goal in his first exhibition game for the Colorado Avalanche. The brother of the Avs’ two-time Norris Trophy (best defenseman) and Rookie of the Year recipient Cale Makar had 14 goals and 10 assists for the Colorado Eagles’ AHL team a year ago and played in 12 games for the Avalanche without registering a point.
Forward Gustav Nyquist, 37, who has appeared in 914 NHL regular season games with 210 goals and 333 assists, had a goal and 11 assists in 51 games with Winnipeg a year ago but is a free agent and hasn’t signed with any team yet. He hasn’t announced his retirement, either.
Hard-nosed winger Ryan Lomberg has left Calgary for Columbus, signing a two-year, $2.6 million contract.
He had four goals and five assists in 57 games for the Flames in 2025-26 and now has 35 goals and 37 assists in his 394-game (regular season) NHL career along with 475 penalty minutes.
Other former Black Bears who were on preliminary NHL training camp rosters included forwards Eduards Tralmaks (Edmonton), Felix Trudeau (St. Louis), Donavan Houle (San Jose), Harrison Scott (Dallas) and Josh Nadeau (Montreal); defensemen Frank Djuracevic (Toronto), David Breazeale (Pittsburgh) and Brandon Holt (Utah) and goaltender Victor Ostman (Seattle).
Center Devin Shore, who played in 498 NHL regular season games, will be spending his second season playing in Czechia.