ECHL Alumni Profile - Jordan Nolan

By MIKE ASHMORE
Special to ECHL.com
 

NEWARK, N.J. – For once, it was all about him.
 
The talk wasn't about Ted Nolan. The reporters didn't want to know about Brandon Nolan.

After his assist on Colin Fraser's goal in the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals, nobody was asking about his father or his brother, they were curious about Kings winger Jordan Nolan. The former Ontario Reign forward set the play up in the first period by forcing a turnover behind the net, then calmly flipping a pass to Fraser in the right circle to put Los Angeles up, 1-0.

While there was quite a crowd around him after the game, Nolan was as approachable as it gets at media day, and he was kind enough to chat with ECHL.com for a few minutes.

Mike Ashmore, ECHL.com: The Kings took you in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL Draft...what do you remember about that day?

Jordan Nolan: "I just remember sitting at home and watching the draft.  I didn't really assume I was going to get drafted or anything like that, so then my mom called me and told me that my name popped up.

That was an exciting day for me. Then Mike Futa called me, he's one of the scouts for L.A. and one of the guys that probably had a big influence in L.A. picking me. I owe him a lot."

ECHL.com: Going to the ECHL after juniors, was that something you were expecting at all?

Nolan: "Our season ended, and I knew the American League and ECHL were still going on. I knew that I was a seventh round pick, so chances are they were going to send me to the ECHL and kind of see how I do. I thought I'd probably play a few games there, and I did OK. Then they called me up to Manchester just to practice and get the feel for it up there."

ECHL.com: Do you remember anything specific about the three games you played?

Nolan: "I remember thinking that it's a good league, but I also knew that I could play in the AHL, that's where I wanted to play and that's where I wanted to start out the next year. That summer, I worked hard and made it to the American League."

ECHL.com: You made your NHL debut just a few months back in February...does it feel like it was longer ago? Just like yesterday?

Nolan: "It feels like it was a little while ago. We've had a long playoff run now, so it's just all looking ahead, but it feels like quite some time ago where I was playing my first NHL game and I was nervous and everyone was texting me; all my buddies and my parents were excited for me."

ECHL.com: What do you remember about that debut?

Nolan: "Just the shock of waking up and having my roommate, Dwight King, knock on my door and say we both got called up. We had a four hour drive to New York to practice with the team. I remember just being nervous for a bit."

ECHL.com: You got your first goal in your next game...memories of that?

Nolan: "We played Dallas that night, and it was me, Kinger and (Brad Richardson) on the line. He's a skilled player, and Kinger scored earlier on in the game, so I said that he got his so I'd might as well try and get mine. There was a nice play in the slot, and it worked out to being the game-winner."

ECHL.com: I'm sure people bring up your dad a lot, but I'm curious about your brother Brandon and his experience in the ECHL. Did he give you any advice about playing there?

Nolan: "Just that it was a rough league. Don't run your mouth too much, those are grown men. Obviously, I was a young kid going in there and playing against grown men and tough guys, so I just tried to go in and play my game. I tried to play a rough, solid game. I was only there for a few games, but it was a good experience."