Nordh proves ‘huge addition’ in OHL debut
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
FULL PHOTO GALLERY | GAME HIGHLIGHTS
If one game proves an accurate representation, the Soo Greyhounds have found themselves a Swedish standout.
In his first OHL game on Friday, 19-year-old (2005 birth year) Noel Nordh notched a goal and two assists – figuring in on all three Soo goals – as the Hounds edged the Ottawa 67s 3-2 in front of 4,188 at GFL Memorial Gardens.
Nordh’s contributions, and those of second-year netminder Landon Miller – who was also outstanding – helped the Soo win its fourth in a row and sixth in the last seven tries.
“Noel is obviously a huge addition to our lineup. His intelligence caught my eye right off the hop. He has the ability to protect the puck and he shows poise under pressure,” said head coach John Dean, whose team is now 5-1-0-0 in one-goal games and takes a 7-5-0-0 record into next Wednesday’s start of a three-game road trip in Windsor (7:05 p.m.). “He does a lot of little things right on both sides of the puck.”
Asked about Miller, who was particularly impressive in the third period as the visitors outshot the home side 14-3, Dean used the word “fantastic” to describe his performance.
“He battled for us. Late in the game, 6-on-5 when they pulled their goalie, we were under siege a little bit and he looked really confident,” the coach continued. “I’m really happy for Landon and super excited to see him get this win.”
On a night when he helped set Andrew Gibson up for a tiebreaking goal that stood as the winner, Nordh spoke of how this was “a good game for me. I got into it a little bit in the first period, but I was really in the game in the second and the third.”
Taken by the Hounds in the first round (No. 44 overall) of the 2022 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, Nordh had been incubating in his native Sweden, before beginning this season with the American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners.
The six-foot-two, 200-pound winger, who has signed an NHL contract, was sent to the Hounds by the Utah Hockey Club on Monday.
Selected by Arizona in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Nordh wowed local fans with his first career goal.
He deftly lifted the stick of an Ottawa defenceman, swiped the puck and quickly fired on netminder Jaeden Nelson, beating him on the blocker side.
The unassisted tally from the slot gave the home side a 1-0 lead just 3:35 in.
“That’s one of my strengths,” Nordh said of stealing the puck in that manner. “My first game was a lot of fun. The fans here are really good, there’s a nice group of guys who’ve made me feel welcome and I think I’ll enjoy my time here.”
A season ago, Nordh skated for both the Brynas juniors and Brynas IF in Sweden’s top professional league. As an 18-year-old pro, Nordh had six goals and nine assists in 50 games.
Asked for his thoughts on the new Greyhound, Gibson said: “He’s unreal.”
The 18-year-old (2006 birth year) Miller, who has bounced back after struggling in his first two starts this season, talked about how Friday’s showing was “what I expect from myself. I think I can be a big-time performer in this league and my confidence grew tonight as the game went on.”
Asked what he liked most about his play, the Barrie native said he felt he was “calm and relaxed. I got into the right spots and the puck was hitting me.”
With the score tied 2-2 late in the second period, Brodie McConnell-Barker won a key puck battle behind the Ottawa goal. He fed Nordh who skated out along the right-wing boards before finding Gibson in the high slot.
The veteran rearguard teed one up and beat Nelson on the blocker side for his third goal of the season. That gave the Soo a 3-2 lead at the 17:20 mark.
“I feel like we played hard, a full 60 minutes,” said McConnell-Barker, who was making his 2024-2025 debut after missing the first 11 games with a lower-body injury. “We blocked a lot of shots at the end. We put our bodies on the line to win the game.”
Asked about his return, the second-year rearguard talked about how “it felt amazing to get back. I missed the game a lot.”
Brady Martin, who deposited the rebound of a Nordh shot for a power-play marker, had the other Soo goal.
Matthew Mayich, who scored from the point through traffic, and Zach Houben, who redirected a point shot past Miller, had the Ottawa goals.
On a night when his club held a 32-23 edge in shots, 67s head coach Dave Cameron thought his squad “deserved better. We stuck with it. But their goalie was real, real good.”
Now 0-5-1-1 in their last seven games and 3-6-1-1 overall, the 67s have made their coach “very proud of my guys through this whole thing. There’s no quit in us.”
Notes:
The Utah Hockey Club announced on Friday the signing of Owen Allard to a three-year, entry-level, NHL contract. The overage centre is an Ottawa native drafted by the Hounds in the seventh round of the 2020 OHL draft. Utah took him in Round No. 5 of the NHL Entry Draft last summer.
“It’s a tremendous honour,” Allard said following the victory. “I appreciate everyone who’s helped me.”
Charlie Schenkel and Christopher Brown both sat out due to lower-body injuries. Dean said Schenkel could have played if Friday’s clash was a playoff game.
Oshawa native Reid Thomas dressed as the backup goalie.
Team captain Caeden Carlisle sat out the second of a two-game OHL suspension.
Beginning Wednesday, the Hounds play eight of their next 12 on the road.