For Isaac Nurse, the road to the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs was never easy.
The 18-year-old St. Thomas More and Hamilton Huskies grad was drafted in the 11th round by the Bulldogs in the spring of 2015 and failed to crack the lineup a few months later.
Undeterred, he joined the Junior Brantford 99ers, where he saw a lot of ice and scored 15 goals and 16 assists.
It was back to the Bulldogs the following season, but the speedy forward was in and out of the lineup, scoring two goals and adding six assists over 54 games.
But the hard work continued, and this season Nurse is a noticeable presence on the ice with nine goals and 11 assists over 40 games so far in the 2017-18 campaign.
“Seeing more ice always helps,” said Nurse, who is a cousin of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse and UConn basketballer Kia Nurse. “Playing with some good players really helped improve my game.”
The five-foot-nine, 165-pound winger doesn’t hesitate to crash into much bigger opposition players while aggressively pursuing the puck in the attack zone.
“It doesn’t matter how big the guy you’re going against is, you just keep playing your way and hope things work out,” said Nurse, who agreed a big part of his job is to stir things up on the ice. “It’s fun going out there, get the energy going and getting the guys up for you.”
So far this season, they have worked out very well.
“He was one of those guys having to come in and earn a spot, and he’s earned it,” said Bulldogs head coach John Gruden. “He’s come back this year with another energy level and another gear.”
Gruden called Nurse “a kind of a rat” who is a relentless forechecker and strong on the backcheck.
“He’s hard to play against and he fits right into how we want to play,” Gruden said. “He’s been a big part of why this team is where it’s at right now.”
Heading into the week, the Bulldogs' record was 25-9 plus three overtime losses and three shootout losses, good for 56 points and first place in the OHL Eastern Conference.
For Nurse and the other Bulldogs veterans, anything short of a long playoff run would be disappointing.
He’s also hoping to get a shot at playing professional hockey in the future.
For now, Nurse keeps busy between games and works hard on and off the ice at FirstOntario Centre each day while many of his teammates are in high school.
While the Nurse name is well-known in Hamilton sports circles, the young forward said doesn’t feel extra pressure because of it.
“I’ve grown up with the name so you kind of get used to it after a while,” Nurse said.
And by the way, he’s still having fun each day at the rink.
“If you’re not having fun, why be out there?”
For Isaac Nurse, the road to the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs was never easy.
The 18-year-old St. Thomas More and Hamilton Huskies grad was drafted in the 11th round by the Bulldogs in the spring of 2015 and failed to crack the lineup a few months later.
Undeterred, he joined the Junior Brantford 99ers, where he saw a lot of ice and scored 15 goals and 16 assists.
It was back to the Bulldogs the following season, but the speedy forward was in and out of the lineup, scoring two goals and adding six assists over 54 games.
But the hard work continued, and this season Nurse is a noticeable presence on the ice with nine goals and 11 assists over 40 games so far in the 2017-18 campaign.
“Seeing more ice always helps,” said Nurse, who is a cousin of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse and UConn basketballer Kia Nurse. “Playing with some good players really helped improve my game.”
The five-foot-nine, 165-pound winger doesn’t hesitate to crash into much bigger opposition players while aggressively pursuing the puck in the attack zone.
“It doesn’t matter how big the guy you’re going against is, you just keep playing your way and hope things work out,” said Nurse, who agreed a big part of his job is to stir things up on the ice. “It’s fun going out there, get the energy going and getting the guys up for you.”
So far this season, they have worked out very well.
“He was one of those guys having to come in and earn a spot, and he’s earned it,” said Bulldogs head coach John Gruden. “He’s come back this year with another energy level and another gear.”
Gruden called Nurse “a kind of a rat” who is a relentless forechecker and strong on the backcheck.
“He’s hard to play against and he fits right into how we want to play,” Gruden said. “He’s been a big part of why this team is where it’s at right now.”
Heading into the week, the Bulldogs' record was 25-9 plus three overtime losses and three shootout losses, good for 56 points and first place in the OHL Eastern Conference.
For Nurse and the other Bulldogs veterans, anything short of a long playoff run would be disappointing.
He’s also hoping to get a shot at playing professional hockey in the future.
For now, Nurse keeps busy between games and works hard on and off the ice at FirstOntario Centre each day while many of his teammates are in high school.
While the Nurse name is well-known in Hamilton sports circles, the young forward said doesn’t feel extra pressure because of it.
“I’ve grown up with the name so you kind of get used to it after a while,” Nurse said.
And by the way, he’s still having fun each day at the rink.
“If you’re not having fun, why be out there?”
For Isaac Nurse, the road to the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs was never easy.
The 18-year-old St. Thomas More and Hamilton Huskies grad was drafted in the 11th round by the Bulldogs in the spring of 2015 and failed to crack the lineup a few months later.
Undeterred, he joined the Junior Brantford 99ers, where he saw a lot of ice and scored 15 goals and 16 assists.
It was back to the Bulldogs the following season, but the speedy forward was in and out of the lineup, scoring two goals and adding six assists over 54 games.
But the hard work continued, and this season Nurse is a noticeable presence on the ice with nine goals and 11 assists over 40 games so far in the 2017-18 campaign.
“Seeing more ice always helps,” said Nurse, who is a cousin of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse and UConn basketballer Kia Nurse. “Playing with some good players really helped improve my game.”
The five-foot-nine, 165-pound winger doesn’t hesitate to crash into much bigger opposition players while aggressively pursuing the puck in the attack zone.
“It doesn’t matter how big the guy you’re going against is, you just keep playing your way and hope things work out,” said Nurse, who agreed a big part of his job is to stir things up on the ice. “It’s fun going out there, get the energy going and getting the guys up for you.”
So far this season, they have worked out very well.
“He was one of those guys having to come in and earn a spot, and he’s earned it,” said Bulldogs head coach John Gruden. “He’s come back this year with another energy level and another gear.”
Gruden called Nurse “a kind of a rat” who is a relentless forechecker and strong on the backcheck.
“He’s hard to play against and he fits right into how we want to play,” Gruden said. “He’s been a big part of why this team is where it’s at right now.”
Heading into the week, the Bulldogs' record was 25-9 plus three overtime losses and three shootout losses, good for 56 points and first place in the OHL Eastern Conference.
For Nurse and the other Bulldogs veterans, anything short of a long playoff run would be disappointing.
He’s also hoping to get a shot at playing professional hockey in the future.
For now, Nurse keeps busy between games and works hard on and off the ice at FirstOntario Centre each day while many of his teammates are in high school.
While the Nurse name is well-known in Hamilton sports circles, the young forward said doesn’t feel extra pressure because of it.
“I’ve grown up with the name so you kind of get used to it after a while,” Nurse said.
And by the way, he’s still having fun each day at the rink.
“If you’re not having fun, why be out there?”