| Nolan Patrick | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1998-09-19)September 19, 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| team Former teams | Free agent Philadelphia Flyers Vegas Golden Knights | ||
| NHL draft | 2nd overall,2017 Philadelphia Flyers | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Nolan James Patrick (born September 19, 1998) is a Canadian professionalice hockey player who is anunrestricted free agent. He was drafted second overall by thePhiladelphia Flyers in the2017 NHL entry draft and played four seasons with the Flyers andVegas Golden Knights of theNational Hockey League (NHL).
As Patrick became more involved in hockey, his father transformed their family garage into a home gym and he trained with his uncle during the summer.[1] He played AAA Bantam Hockey League Division 1 ice hockey with the Winnipeg Hawks during its 2012–13 season, where he recorded 75 points in 19 games.[2] He missed nearly half of the season due to a shoulder injury, but nonetheless was regarded as a highly touted prospect.[2][3]
Patrick was selected in 1st round, fourth overall, by theBrandon Wheat Kings in the 2013WHL Bantam Draft. In December 2013, during the midst of the Wheat Kings'2013–14 season, a high number of injuries to the roster caused him to be called up from the Midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers.[4] He was initially unavailable upon being called up due to a shoulder injury, and did not play during the call-up.[5][6] He eventually played three games with the Wheat Kings at the conclusion of his Winnipeg Thrashers' season.[7][8] He began his rookie season in the2014–15 season, where he scored 30 goals and 56 points in 55 games. Between mid-February and mid-March 2015, Patrick missed 12 games with an upper-body injury, although initial reports were that it was a lower-body injury.[9][10][11] He was subsequently awarded theJim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL's rookie of the year despite missing a total of 17 games that season.[12][13]
During the2015–16 season, Patrick finished fifth in league scoring and was the first 17-year old Wheat King to score over 100 points since 1976–77 whenRay Allison andBrian Propp both eclipsed the century mark.[14] He played an integral part in winning theEd Chynoweth Cup, leading all players in post-season points and was named theWHL Playoff MVP.[15] After the season, it was revealed that Patrick had suffered asports hernia injury on April 27, 2016 during Game 4 of the WHL's Eastern Conference Final series against theRed Deer Rebels and had played through the WHL Finals and2016 Memorial Cup with the injury.[16] Following the 2015–16 campaign, he received sports hernia surgery.[16]
For the2016–17 season, Patrick was named captain of the Wheat Kings. Beginning the season, Patrick was widely considered the top prospect of the2017 NHL entry draft. Dan Marr, NHL director ofCentral Scouting said "Patrick is as complete an NHL package as you are going to find. From his pedigree, his skills, and assets, to his performance impact to date, he has everything any NHL team is looking for in a top prospect."[17] After playing six games to begin the season, however, the Wheat Kings announced on October 14, 2016 that Patrick had once again been sidelined with an upper-body injury.[18] Despite initially being diagnosed as day-to-day, the injury continued through November, when it was revealed to be a complication of the previous season's sports hernia injury.[19] On December 5, 2016,Hockey Canada announced that Patrick had not been medically cleared to participate in Team Canada's 2017 World Junior training camp and thus would not play in the2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[20]
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Despite missing most of the regular season and all four playoff games due to injuries, Patrick was ranked the No. 1 North American skater byNHL Central Scouting. Dan Marr stated "He has more than proven over the last three years that he is the real deal and he will be an impact NHL player". On June 23, 2017, Nolan Patrick was selected 2nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2017 NHL Draft.[21] On July 17, 2017, Patrick was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.[22] Before the Flyers development camp started, it was announced Patrick would not participate because he was recovering from abdominal surgery performed on June 13, 2017.[23]
Patrick made his NHL debut on October 4, 2017 against theSan Jose Sharks.[24] He registered his first NHL point in his third game with an assist on sophomoreIvan Provorov's goal against theAnaheim Ducks in a 3–2 OT victory. He scored his first NHL goal against theNashville Predators in his fourth game on October 10, 2017. Patrick scored his first goal with 9:25 remaining in the second period.[25] Patrick was hit byAnaheim Ducks playerChris Wagner on October 24, 2017 and missed 9 games to recover from the injury.[26][27][28] Patrick ended the regular season with 30 points in 73 games.
In his rookie season, the Flyers made theStanley Cup playoffs and faced thePittsburgh Penguins in the first round. In Game 2 of the series, Patrick notched his first NHL Playoff goal.[29] Patrick ended the post-season with 2 points in 6 games. On July 21, 2018, Patrick was selected as the number 1 breakout player for 2018–19 by NHL Network.[30]
While exercising during the 2019 off-season, Patrick began to feel headaches and felt his performance suffer as a result. He was initially diagnosed with an "upper-body injury" at the Flyers' training camp, and in September, aneurologist from theUniversity of Michigan diagnosed Patrick with amigraine disorder.[31] When Flyers general managerChuck Fletcher announced Patrick's diagnosis, he clarified that the migraines were not believed to be related to hockey, and that the condition ran in Patrick's family.[32] He began skating with the team in February 2020, and had hoped to start playing before the end of the regular season.[33] The2019–20 NHL season was suspended indefinitely on March 12, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. When the NHL began their "Return to Play Plan" in July, Patrick was not on the Flyers' training camp roster.[34]
On October 16, 2020, Patrick accepted a one-year qualifying offer from the Flyers, with a value of $874,125.[35] Going into the Flyers'2020–21 training camp, Patrick cleared all medical protocols and began practicing on a line withTravis Konecny andCarsen Twarynski.[36] Patrick scored a goal in the Flyers' season opener, a 6–3 rout of thePittsburgh Penguins. It was his first NHL game in 650 days.[37] He failed to carry that momentum through the rest of the pandemic-shortened season; Patrick played in 52 of the Flyers' 56 games, scoring only four goals and five assists and putting up a -30 plus-minus in the process.[38] Patrick told reporters afterwards that he felt "like I came in behind the eight-ball", and that, at the start of the season, he had avoided strong contact due to his migraine disorder.[39] He missed two games in the middle of April after taking a shot from teammatePhilippe Myers off of the ear, an injury that Patrick worried would amplify his headaches.[40]
After the 2020–21 season, Patrick acquired a newagent, leading to rumors that he was going to request a trade from the Flyers.[41] On July 17, 2021, shortly before the2021 NHL expansion draft, the Flyers traded Patrick and Philippe Myers to theNashville Predators in exchange for defencemanRyan Ellis. While Myers remained in Nashville, the Predators immediately flipped Patrick to theVegas Golden Knights to acquire forwardCody Glass;[42] the trade reunited Patrick withKelly McCrimmon, Vegas' general manager who was Patrick's head coach (and general manager) during their time together with the Brandon Wheat Kings.[43] Two months later, Vegas signed Patrick to a two-year, $2.4 million contract.[44] The Golden Knights suffered a rash of injuries through the first few games ofits 2021–22 season, and Patrick was sidelined with an upper body injury on October 22, following his first goal of the season in a loss to theEdmonton Oilers.[45]
The Golden Knights won theStanley Cup in the2022–23 season without him and ultimately chose not to ask for an exemption to allow his name to be engraved on the Cup with the rest of the team. On June 30, 2023, the Golden Knights chose not to qualify Patrick, a restricted free agent, a contract, and he became an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.[46]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| IH18 | ||
 | 2014 | |
In November 2014, Patrick was named captain for Canada Red at the2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[47]
Patrick was not medically cleared to play for Team Canada at the2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships,[48] although he was later invited to Team Canada's World Junior Summer Showcase prior to the2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[49]
Patrick has an impressive athletic lineage. His father,Steve, played 250 games in the NHL and his mother, Carrie (née Chernomaz), played volleyball for theUniversity of Winnipeg and theCanadian national volleyball team – she earned a Team Canada roster spot for the1996 Summer Olympics but a torn ACL prevented her from participating. On his paternal side, his grandfather,Stephen Patrick, playedfootball for theWinnipeg Blue Bombers and later became a politician. His uncle,James Patrick, played 1,280 games in the NHL and served as assistant coach for theBuffalo Sabres andDallas Stars prior to securing his current position as head coach of theVictoria Royals of theWHL. As a teen, Patrick trained with his uncle during the summer and has credited his uncle's influence as “huge” to his career.[50] His paternal aunt, Tara, played collegiate volleyball at the University of Winnipeg where she and Patrick's mother were teammates.[51] On his maternal side, his uncle,Rich Chernomaz, played 51 games in the NHL and currently serves as head coach of theRavensburg Towerstars of theDEL2.[52]
Patrick's two sisters also play hockey. His older sister, Madison, was a defenceman for theUniversity of British Columbia from 2014 to 2019.[53] His younger sister, Aimee, plays for theUniversity of Manitoba.[54][55]
Patrick is of Ukrainian descent through his paternal great-grandfather, with the original family surname being "Patrebka."[56]
Patrick and his family are also avid hunters. They own a cabin onFalcon Lake where he hunts with a rifle, bow, or spear.[57]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | Winnipeg Thrashers | MMHL | 39 | 33 | 30 | 63 | 42 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 55 | 30 | 26 | 56 | 19 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 14 | ||
| 2015–16 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 72 | 41 | 61 | 102 | 41 | 21 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 16 | ||
| 2016–17 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 33 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 73 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 72 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 52 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 25 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 222 | 32 | 45 | 77 | 83 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Canada Red | U17 | 6th | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2015 | Canada | IH18 |  | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 12 | ||||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Philadelphia Flyers first round draft pick 2017 | Succeeded by |