Not many seventh round draft picks have their name on the Stanley Cup. Jordan Nolan is one of the few.
Being the exception to the rule is nothing new for Nolan though. He played for three teams in the OHL during his junior hockey days – the Erie Otters, Windsor Spitfires and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Then, he spent a few games with the Ontario Reign (ECHL) after the Kings selected him 186th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft.
During the 2010-11 AHL season, his rookie year as a professional, he posted 17 points in 75 games and racked up 115 penalty minutes. Prior to his call-up last season he had already accumulated 119 penalty minutes in just 40 games. Of course, everybody knows the story from there – he and Dwight King were summoned by the Kings soon after Darryl Sutter took over as a coach and their dream season continued all the way through to raising the Stanley Cup in mid-June.
With the NHL players locked out at the moment, Nolan is starting the season in Manchester once again. As we first reported on MayorsManor a few weeks ago, he was initially on a line with Russian snipers Andrei Loktionov and Nikolay Prokhorkin, yet that changed as training camp wore on. We’ll talk about that on today’s show, plus we’ll hit on these topics as well:
– His feelings on being in the AHL right now
– One of his teammates stealing his clothes (cough, Jake Muzzin)
– The thought of playing against former teammate and Kings prospect Ray Kaunisto
– How his Russian is coming along
– Fellow LA Kings prospects: Andy Andreoff, Brandon Kozun and Tyler Toffoli
– LA Kings players Mike Richards, Dustin Penner and Davis Drewiske
– His relationship with Dwight King
– Who he’s rooming with right now
– Scouting his opponents
– His Stanley Cup Day and what he would have done differently
– Fighting Chris Stewart during the Kings-Blues playoff series
– His mom’s cooking and getting advice from his dad
– Hockey superstitions and more
So, turn those speakers up, here we go…
NOTE: If you’re on an ipad or iphone, click here to listen to today’s episode.
Recently, we’ve had several Monarchs players on MayorsManor radio – including Toffoli, Muzzin and Martin Jones. If you missed any of those shows, click here to see the full list. Some of the Kings players have also been dropping by too – guys like Alec Martinez, Kevin Westgarth and Colin Fraser.
Plus, last week we had Monarchs head coach Mark Morris on the show. He provided lots of commentary on all of the Kings top prospects. So, give it a listen here.
Great interview John! Thanks for getting my question in. Nolan was my favorite King last year.
Great interview. My only comment is that you kind of minimize Nolan’s ability and seem to imply he’s nothing more than a 4th line grinder. I strongly believe this, and have since he was drafted, that Nolan could be a solid 3rd liner who pots 10-15 goals per year and brings the physical edge.
Nothing he’s done since his call up makes me think otherwise. He’s a good skater with good agility, creativity and offensive instincts.