When the Penguins held their NHL training camp earlier this month, there was only one player on the camp roster who didn't have an NHL contract.
Jordan Nolan.
Nolan, a 31-year-old center and wing, signed an AHL-level contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in December after spending the previous year as captain of the San Antonio Rampage, at the time the affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. He then signed a professional tryout contract with Pittsburgh that allowed him to attend the NHL camp, but not play in any regular-season games or join the taxi squad.
Nolan brings with him considerable experience, including 375 NHL games over eight seasons, and two Stanley Cup runs with the Kings in 2012 and 2014.
He's looking to turn his AHL contract into a full NHL deal and get back to that level. That didn't happen at Penguins training camp, though. He was released from his professional tryout contract and re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre.
When Wilkes-Barre opened its training camp on Friday, Nolan was back on the ice to begin that work to get back to the NHL.
I asked Nolan after practice what the message was from Pittsburgh's coaching staff when it comes to what he needs to do to earn that NHL contract.
"I just have to come down here, work hard, and get my game going," he said. "I haven't played in a long time. When the (last) AHL season ended, I just went home, I wasn't part of the (NHL) bubble (with St. Louis). So I think that they knew that I wasn't going to play any games to start the season, and that chances were the forwards on the taxi squad weren't going to get many games. They just wanted me to come down here, get my speed back, get comfortable again, and see where it goes from there.
"Right now, I'm just focusing on working as hard as I can and getting comfortable and getting a couple of games, showing them what I can do and making a tough decision for them if they want to sign me or not."
Nolan said that he didn't know much about Pittsburgh or Wilkes-Barre before signing with the organization, other than noting that his father Ted had a brief stint in Pittsburgh, just 18 games for the Penguins in the 1985-86 season. Now that he's in Wilkes-Barre for camp, he's impressed with way the Penguins run things at that level.
"Most (AHL) teams don't have a (practice) rink like this," he said. "The dressing room, the staff, we get meals. We get pretty spoiled here compared to most teams, definitely. It's been a really nice transition."
Nolan said that he spoke with Trevor Daley, now a hockey operations advisor for the Penguins, before he signed with the organization about what the Penguins would be looking to see from him. As a veteran, he's expected to be one of the leaders in the dressing room this season.
"I've been around awhile, I've been a young guy on an AHL team and an NHL team," he said. "I've transitioned the past couple of years of my career to one of the leaders, with the development side of things in the American League. ... I think we have a great group of older guys here that will tackle the challenge together. It's a strange year, there's not much to do outside the rink. I think when most guys come here, it's an escape for them. You come here, work hard, and you have to take advantage of the time you're here. ... It's a business, and you have to approach it seriously, because it can be gone just like that."
Whether Nolan is able to turn that AHL contract into an NHL one, or he just serves as a leader in Wilkes-Barre this season, he's just thankful to be where he is. With three AHL teams (Charlotte Checkers, Milwaukee Admirals, Springfield Thunderbirds) opting out of participating in this season, the number of total roster spots in the league shrunk. More young college players opted to turn pro this year than in a typical season, because their college teams aren't playing out of coronavirus concerns. They took spots that may have otherwise gone to veteran players.
As a result, it was a tough time to be on the market as a veteran AHL player in the offseason. Nolan said that he has a lot of friends who either are still trying to find a place to play in North America, or made the jump to Europe so they didn't have to wait for an opportunity that might not come.
"It's been a tough year for everyone," he said. "I think we all understand why it's tough, it's just kind of hard to accept. It's a tough position for everyone, I don't think it matters what kind of field you're in. It's going to be tough to find work and get paid. I'm just thankful to be here and thankful that they gave me an opportunity."
