Long Commits to Canadian Junior Hockey Team

by Jonathan Weaver

Armstrong High Senior Nick Long may have skated his last hockey shift at the Belmont Complex, but he is taking a leap forward in his hockey career this Fall.

Long, of Cowansville, skated the past three years for the Armstrong River Hawks, and while some of his linemates will go on to play college hockey, Long has a different destination.

“I’m going to play junior hockey for the Elliot Lake Wildcats of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League,” Long said.

Lake Elliot coaches scouted Long while he played for Team Pittsburgh during the America’s Showcase at Robert Morris University in April. Long scored before Team Pittsburgh lost in the semi-finals to Team Wisconsin.

Long said Wildcats Head Coach Nathan Hewitt talked Long into the commitment.

“He was telling me about the program and Lake Elliot in general, and it just sounded like a blast,” Long said. “You can only play junior hockey once, so I figured I might as well take this opportunity to go play.”

Long will defer his commitment to Penn State University this Fall and instead move 11 hours north to the small city above Lake Huron. Training camp for the Canadian junior “A” ice hockey team begins in August.

Long hopes some of his fellow Team Pittsburgh linemates also make the trek to Elliot Lake.

Long is used to the grind of a long season – playing for both the high school River Hawks and the U18 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite the past few years.

“It’s a big stepping stone. In juniors, you’re on the ice five/six days a week whether its playing games or practicing – you eat, sleep and breathe hockey,” Long said. “Up there, the biggest priority (Elliot Lake) has is to move you on to the next level.”

To prepare for training camp, Long works out with and gets advice from U16 Armstrong Arrows Head Coach Lee Grafton and former Kittanning Senior High Wildcats Hockey Head Coach Jamie King.
“I think its wise for a hockey player that wants to further his career to take a year and play junior hockey before college,” Grafton said.

Grafton played junior hockey both in the Pittsburgh area and for the now-defunct Casper (Wyoming) Wranglers.

Long also practices with the U16 Armstrong Arrows.

King played for a defunct-Sault Ste Marie, Michigan junior hockey team from 1998-2000.

“(Long and I) have always talked – I’ve known him and helped him out when he was younger. I told him that I was here for advice if he needed somebody who has been through it,” King said. “They’re your kids – you coach them, you care about them and you want them to do well. You want to help them become better people.”

Long is saving up for Elliot Lake by working at A&A Concrete in Evans City (Butler County) this summer. He will live with a host family during the season.

Former Freeport Area High hockey right winger Cole Hepler has also played the past two seasons at Elliot Lake, registering nearly 150 points the past two years.

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