Wolves players Nadeau, Morrow bring commitment to professional career | TheAHL.com

by Danny Karmin | AHL On The Beat

Friday night March 2024 in Orono, Maine, Bradley Nadeau's University of Maine Black Bears faced off against Scott MorrowThe Mass-Amherst Minutemen team.

Nadeau, who was recently selected in the first round (30th overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL Draft nine months ago, was the leading rusher for the Black Bears, while being one of the youngest players (18) on the team and in the nation.

Morrow, a third-year defenseman (then 21) and second-round pick (40th overall) by Carolina in the 2021 NHL Draft, led all Minutemen skaters in assists (14) and points (16) in 24 conference games.

The promising top prospects, now enjoying their rookie seasons with the Chicago Wolves, were about to experience the successes and failures that come with being professional athletes.

The young stars were familiar with each other's talents but had yet to really get to know each other.

That changed quickly.

“The University of Maine was a great team,” Morrow said. “(Nadeau) killed it there and it was someone we had to keep an eye on.”

Nadeau's Black Bears got the best of Morrow and UMass that night, with Nadeau scoring a goal in Maine's 2-1 victory – one of Maine's three wins over UMass last season.

“Those games were a lot of fun,” Nadeau said. “It was great to fight him and their team and come out on top in the end.”

Morrow, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound blueliner, could have signed with Carolina after his sophomore season, but decided to sit out his junior season to continue his fast-growing career in Massachusetts.

“I wasn't afraid to stay three years (at Mass) because I saw that it was a good place for my development,” said Morrow. “My body changed a lot as I was there. I got very strong and spent a lot of time in the weight room.

“When I got to college, the things I needed to work on were refining my defensive game and my swing,” he continued. “Mass plays a defensive style and plays in a big rink. Those were the two biggest areas in my game that I needed to improve on.”

Morrow, a native of Darien, Conn., had been away from home, attending Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Minnesota. She spends her alone time maturing and learning to be independent.

“You have to take care of yourself, cook for yourself and prepare yourself,” Morrow said. “So, it was good from that point of view. Being alone forces you to mature.”

At UMass, Morrow had to manage the day-to-day life of being a college athlete, giving himself free time outside of the rink, including classes and homework. Morrow, who is studying sports management at the UMass Isenberg School of Management, said he enjoyed college and was able to graduate in three years.

“I had to take on a very difficult job,” he said. “My last year was very difficult.”

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Nadeau took a different path to the betters as a skilled and powerful forward. A native of St-Francois-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, Nadeau played his senior season in the British Columbia Hockey League, a minor league traditionally known for developing NHL players.

It turns out that Nadeau got his breakthrough – and then some. He registered 113 points (45 goals, 68 assists) in 54 BCHL games with Penticton in 2022-23 and was named the league's most valuable player after leading all BCHL skaters in goals, assists and points.

After two years in the BCHL, Nadeau went the NCAA route by going to Maine in 2023-24. The game on the ice was easily translated, but the work away from it took time. Adjusting to a college hockey schedule is no easy task, even for someone as talented as Nadeau.

“The short season comes with its own challenges,” said Nadeau. “We lift a lot during the week and everyone is already stronger and bigger. So, you have to be strong every day and work hard. Every game is a hard-fought game and it was good for me to compete against older and stronger players.”

After staying for one year in Maine, Nadeau turned professional and signed his three-year contract, to enter with Carolina in April 2024, joining Morrow and the Wolves. They met at Carolina's 2023 development camp but didn't spend much time together until eight months later.

That's when they almost broke up. Wherever Morrow went, Nadeau followed. Whenever Morrow spoke, Nadeau listened. Although both are pro rookies, Nadeau is three years younger and looks up to Morrow, taking in as much experience as possible.

“Obviously he is a top player so I can learn a lot from him, both on and off the rink,” said Nadeau. “He's older, so he's got more experience and he's a really good person.”

The pair were joined by a 22-year-old Wolves defender Ronan Seeleythey spend a lot of time living together in Carolina during the summer, training and adjusting to their new realities.

Unlike their time in college, the young stars found as much independence as possible while navigating their lives away from home.

“I think (being independent) prepares you for what's next,” Nadeau said. “I learned to cook and to be away from everyone and to do things by myself. It was really good.”

Between Morrow, Nadeau and Seeley, there were no celebrity chefs in the home, making it a team effort and a kind of learn-on-the-fly kitchen.

“Seeley was the most mature of the three of us,” Morrow said with a laugh. “Bradly and I took things from him in the kitchen.”

While their potential could put them on the path to the NHL, they are currently improving and thriving with the Wolves. On November 30, Morrow became just the third Wolves defenseman in history to record a hat trick. Nadeau's 11 points trailed Morrow (12) and Ryan Suzuki (13) in the list of Wolves.

Each admitted it took some time to adjust to the AHL. In the first quarter of the season, there has been a big change in their confidence on the ice.

“There are a lot of games (in the AHL) and we have three-on-three divisions,” Nadeau said. “You don't really do that in college so that was a big change. Everyone is older, stronger and faster and they think the game is faster too.”

The rookies share one thing in common: their youthful love for the sport. Come to a Wolves practice and Nadeau and Morrow are often the last two players on the ice working on their skills and feeding off one another.

They motivate each other to be better and achieve more by simply talking hockey.

“He's very happy to be around because of that,” Morrow said of Nadeau. “It's great to have someone else who has the same passion for the sport and just go pro at the same time.”

Although Morrow and Nadeau did well in the AHL, they can remember their time playing college hockey and how that experience helped them change their career paths.

“Everything in college prepared me for this moment,” Morrow said.