The Corpus Christi IceRays and the Kansas City Scouts of the North American Hockey League’s South Division both suspend operations last week for the 2020-2021 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Both teams expect to resume operations for the 2021-22 season. On Friday, the league decided to hold two dispersal drafts for the remaining NAHL teams to select one player from each organization.
The Maine Nordiques, heading into their second year as an NAHL team, selected a pair of forwards, Jake Suede from the IceRays and Josh Adimey from the Scouts.
The two organizations’ decisions to sit out the 2020-21 season created a busy week for the Nordiques, who were left without much time between the Scouts and IceRays announcing their intentions and Friday’s dispersal draft.
“It’s been a grind the last couple of days, the last 72 hours. A lot of credit to (assistant) coach Matt Pinchevesky and (general manager) Eric Soltys, really our entire staff, we really buckled down,” Maine Nordiques coach Nolan Howe said. “We had to go through both rosters extensively, (watching) video, contacting (family) advisors, their previous coaches, trying to get a sense how other teams were thinking they would go with their picks — ultimately, try to find guys who fit our culture and brand of hockey.”
The draft for Corpus Chrisi players was held in the reverse order of the 2019-20 standings. The Nordiques selected Suede, a soon-to-be 20-year-old entering his final year of junior hockey, sixth overall. Suede spent last year with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League — the lone Tier I junior hockey league under the USA Hockey umbrella — and finished with three goals and two assists in 33 games. He signed a tender with Corpi Christi for the upcoming season.
The Nordiques took a flyer on Seude.
“It was an exciting pick for us, he’s going to continue with Youngstown through their camp and continue with that process,” Howe said. “But he has made it clear to us that if the USHL doesn’t work out in his age-out year that he will be reporting to us.”
The 5-foot-8, 150-pound Macomb, Michigan native spent the 2018-19 season in the NAHL with Lone Star Brahmas, tallying six goals and 15 assists in 45 games. He also played in 10 games with Youngstown.
Adimey, meanwhile, will be reporting when the Maine Nordiques open training camp, which starts on Sept. 14. The Nordiques selected Adimey 19th in the Kansas City Scouts dispersal draft, which was held in a lottery format.
Adimey was a sixth-round pick by the Scouts in this summer’s NAHL Entry Draft. He spent last season with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres organization, recording 12 goals and 12 assists in 36 games with the Jr. Sabres 18U midget team. He also spent time with the Jr. Sabres junior hockey team in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (one assist in 10 games).
The Jr. Sabres OJHL team is also sitting out the season because, as the lone American-based franchise in the OJHL it can’t cross the border into Ontario.
Adimey, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-2, 216-pounder from Lancaster, New York, caught the eye of Nordiques general manager Eric Soltys last season.
“He really made an impression on Soltys when (Adimey) played against our U18 team last season,” Howe said. “Coach Soltys knew (from) playing against him, ‘Man, that guy would push for a roster spot.’ When we were going through Kansas City’s (draft) board, (Soltys) was like, ‘Man if that guy is there, he will be a great fit.’”
Adimey has appeared in one game in the NAHL, in the 2017-18 season for the Springfield Jr. Blues.
HARVEY COMMITS TO CONNECTICUT COLLEGE
Tyler Harvey, who started last season with the Nordiques, will play college hockey at Connecticut College, a Division III school that plays in the NESCAC.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound defenseman signed a tender with the Nordiques before the 2019-20 season and played in 32 games (five goals and five assists) before being released midseason. He finished last season playing seven games with Seacoast Spartans of the Eastern Hockey League, a Tier III junior league under the USA Hockey umbrella.
Harvey becomes the second former Nordiques player to commit to a NESCAC school, joining Ethan Prout, who committed to Williams College.
Connecticut College finished the 2019-20 season 11-12-2 overall record and finished eighth in the NESCAC standings.
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