This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/12/2020 12:00 AMEast Haven native Nick Capone achieved his childhood dream last week. On Oct. 7, Capone, a former member of the Yellowjackets’ ice hockey squad, was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the sixth round of the 2020 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
During his 8th-grade season, Capone was playing forward for the Connecticut Wolfpack when his father Pete contacted East Haven Head Coach Lou Pane about coming to the rink to watch Capone play. Pane came to a game and, after just one period, he turned to Capone’s father and told him that he thought his son had the potential to play in the NHL one day.
Fast forward to Oct. 7 of last week, and Coach Pane was no longer watching Capone from behind the glass. Instead, Pane was sitting next to him in Capone’s living room as his former player watched the NHL Draft. While surrounded by family and friends, Capone received a phone call from the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Lightning notifying him that they had just selected him with the 157th overall pick. He is the only player from Connecticut who was drafted.
“It was a crazy feeling that I have always dreamt about. Being able to celebrate with people who supported me the whole way meant a lot to me,” said Capone, a freshman at UConn. “It’s really cool that such a great organization would pick me. I’m still at a loss for words. I never expected it. It’s the end goal, the dream, to get drafted. To actually see it happen was so crazy.”
Capone only played his freshman year at East Haven High School, but he made a big impact on the ice during the 2016-’17 season. Nick led the state in scoring with 40 goals and 48 assists in his freshman campaign, earning a spot on the All-SCC/SWC Division II First Team, as well as the Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State Team and the New Haven Register’s All-Area and All-State teams.
Coach Pane said that Capone had a dominant freshman season and immediately displayed that he was one of the state’s elite hockey players.
“I knew he was special when I first saw him. As a freshman, he was the best player in the state of Connecticut at the high school level,” said Pane said. “He did things other players couldn’t do. He could bull rush through you if he wanted to, he could finesse skate by you, and his shot was just incredible. He had a shot as a freshman that was the best in the state. You knew going forward he would only get bigger, stronger, and better.”
After spending one year with the Easties, Capone moved on to play for The Salisbury School at the prep school level. During his senior season, Capone joined the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League (USHL)—the top junior ice hockey league in the country—and recorded seven goals with 12 assists in 34 games played.
Capone said that playing hockey for East Haven helped him develop in all aspects of the game. As he continued through the sport at Salisbury and in the USHL, Capone found that competing in both of those leagues allowed him to get even better and shape him into the player that he is today.
Capone has suited up as a forward at every level of the sport. Capone, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 205 pounds, uses his size to his advantage and feels that physicality is his best offensive trait.
“I love to score goals, getting in there and using your body to create space. I really love playing forward,” Capone said. “I use my body to my advantage and always stay physical. I’m always moving my feet. I have a strong hockey IQ.”
Capone first stepped on the ice as a three year-old in East Haven’s youth development league. Capone’s father was his coach and continued in that capacity until he was 13. When Capone was playing for the Southern Stars at age 12, his father started encouraging him to pursue hockey seriously. Capone’s love of the sport grew from there, and he said that it was extra special to have his dad with him when he was drafted.
“It was great learning from him. He taught me everything I know about the game,” Capone said of his father. “He was right next to me when I got drafted, and it was a crazy moment to be able to spend it with him.”
Even though he’s now a part of the Lightning organization, Capone is still enrolled as a freshman at UConn, where he is a member of the men’s ice hockey squad. While getting drafted was a dream come true, Capone knows that his work isn’t finished and is looking to continue improving his hockey skills in his first season with the Huskies. In the end, though, Capone wants to play in the pros.
“[Being drafted] is a really cool thing I can say to people, but I would love to be able to prove myself and make a career out of it,” said Capone. “I’ve always been a hard worker, and now at this age, it consists of working out and skating three to four times a week. It took a lot of hours. I want to be able to help my team however I can and also try my best to be a top guy here and do whatever it takes to win.”
Coach Pane said that it was emotional to watch Capone get drafted. As a coach, Pane understands that every hockey player dreams of playing in the NHL, but that very few players will ever have that opportunity. Capone has now earned that opportunity in a sport that always has and always will be a huge part of his life.
“I didn’t always expect it when I was younger. But as I got older, I could see that if I kept working hard, I could do it. To say I did it is really cool,” Capone said. “Being a hockey player is so much different than other sports. It made lifelong friends for me. It changed my life.”