Scholastic Players of the Month | Nico Laforge Profile

On July 16, 2020 the Saint John Sea Dogs featured a story on their social media with the headline : “Nico Laforge has been firing pucks in his driveway ever since he found out he was drafted to the Saint John Sea Dogs. He’s up to a million now”.

This level of focus and determination has continued, both on and off the ice, since Nico joined the team in 2020.

Nico is very goal oriented. He knows what he wants to achieve and plans his strategy carefully to get there. Nico was named the Saint John Sea Dogs’ Scholastic Player of the Month in December of 2022 because of that same focus and determination, but also for his emerging leadership qualities. He has been identified by his UNB Professors as both a leader and a role model in the classroom.

Prior to joining the Sea Dogs, Nico played for the Forestiers d’Amos in Quebec’s U18 AAA League while completing his secondary education program at Polyvalente La Forêt, in Amos.  After joining the Sea Dogs, Nico enrolled in Cégep à Distance to continue with his post-secondary academics.

Nico was very interested in what educational options were available to players and how each of them fit within his future plans, both in hockey and in life. He has identified the UNB hockey program as one of interest, should that become his post-QMJHL route. He was also interested in strengthening his English language, given that he had studied only in French, and wondered if the programs his teammates were following at UNB could be an option for him.

In the Fall of 2022, Nico was accepted to the Bachelor of Arts Program at UNB in Saint John. Nico enrolled in two courses, How Business Works and Psychology, achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.5 in his first semester, all while moving to an English study program. A laudable achievement, but not surprising given Nicos’s drive. He is now enrolled in Biology and another Psychology course for the Winter semester and is looking forward to continuing to evaluate and build his plan for the future.

Nico exhibits a very mature approach to life. He is independent, thoughtful and focused.  He knows what he wants and works very hard to achieve his goals. He asks for help when he needs it and offers help when he sees others struggling. He has earned the respect of his professors at UNB Saint John and sets a clear example for his teammates of the focus and balance required to succeed as a student-athlete.

_

Text written by Shelley Rinehart, Academic Advisor of the Saint John Sea Dogs