Defeneseman Nick Neville Commits To DU

(above) Nick Neville will play for DU next season
From: NAHL.com
by Corey Hersch

The Texas Tornado announced that defenseman Nick Neville [6'0 177 lbs-Bloomfield Hills, MI] has made a commitment to play hockey at the University of Denver. Neville will suit up for the Pioneers next season. 

"I had been talking to a few pretty good schools throughout the season," Neville said. "But when I found out the Denver was interested, and knowing about their history, I really felt that was the right place for me."

Neville in his second season with the Tornado in 2012-2013 and was named to the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in both of his NAHL seasons. He picked up two assists and a +3 rating in three games at Top Prospects last season.

"Nick came to us out of Little Caesars as a solid player with a lot of raw skills and developed into one of the top defenseman in our league," Tornado head coach and general manager Tony Curtale said. "We're extremely happy and excited for him as he takes the next step at a prestigious program like the University of Denver."

Neville had a successful rookie campaign last year, totalling 5 goals and 24 assists in 59 regular season games. This year, he's continued to stay active at both ends of the ice, with 5 goals and 18 assists in 45 games so far. His assist and point totals are both ranked in the Top 10 of NAHL defenseman, while his 5 goals are tied for 19th among league blueliners.

"I came here not knowing much about juniors or college hockey. As a man, I'd say I've grown a lot having to live on my own for the first time. But with the help of Tony, I've definitely become more of a complete player. When I first came here, I was kind of a sheltered player, someone who didn't really think outside the box. The more I played, the more Tony seemed to trust me. And as I saw that trust, my confidence grew."

"I talked to a few of their coaches and Tony's known one of their asssistants for a really long time. It felt like a good fit, and taking all that into account made the decision to commit to Denver that much easier."
2013 Recruiting Class Updated Stats
D Matt Van Voorhis (Sioux Falls, USHL) - 37 gms, 3 goals, 15 assists
F Brad Hawkinson (Lincoln Stars, USHL) - 33 gms, 6 goals, 2 assists
F Landon Smith (Chicago, USHL) - 30 games, 10 goals, 5 assists
F Connor Chatham (Omaha, USHL) - 40 games, 14 goals, 13 assists
F Ray Pigozzi (Chicago, USHL) - 35 games, 6 goals, 16 assists
D Will Butcher (U.S. Under-18) - 39 games, 7 goals, 13 assists
F Trevor Moore (Tri-City, USHL) 38 games, 16 goals, 26 assists
D Gage Ausmus (U.S. Under-18) 38 games, 7 assists
D Nick Neville (Texas, NAHL) 45 games, 5 goals, 18 assists
.
2014 Recruiting Class Updated Stats
F Tyler Pham (Indiana Ice, USHL) - 40 games, 3 goals, 13 assists
F Jared Fiegl (U.S. Under-17) 38 games, 4 goals, 9 assists
F Garrett Gamez (Tri-Cities, USHL) 30 games, 6 goals, 5 assists
F Cody DePourcq (Penticton, BCHL) - 43 games, 10 goal, 8 assists
.
2015 Recruiting Class Updated Stats
F Dylan Gambrell (Dubuque, USHL) 34 games, 5 goal, 15 assists

2 comments:

DU_Hockey_1 said...

**Bloomfield Hills

Nincompoop said...

AWESOME news! Love to see those "NAWL" guys moving up. Before I moved to Colorado, I lived in Colleyville, Texas and was a Tornado season ticket holder at the NYTex Sports Complex off Grapevine Highway and Wautauga Road in North Richland Hills. And before that, it was called Blue Line Ice Arena!