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03/25/2015 12:00 AMWhen North Branford's ice hockey team competed in a state championship, one of the town's best athletes wasn't even on the ice. Instead, Nik Allain, a sophomore at the high school, was in Maine competing for Team Connecticut at the USA Hockey New England District Festival.
Nik, who competes for the Connecticut Wolf Pack U-16 midget minor squad of the Atlantic Youth Hockey League (AYHL), was selected to Team Connecticut for the third time in his career.
"This is my third year making Team Connecticut and every year there's a tryout in the winter for the team," says Nik. "I made it my first time when I was in 6th grade and ever since then I've been trying out and trying to make it. It's been a thing I've always tried to do."
Nik plays center for the Wolf Pack and Head Coach Steve Novodor felt confident that his size would prove a huge asset at the regional event. Nik didn't disappoint, scoring three goals and adding three assists in five games at the festival.
"His toughness around the net, I think that's where he's going to be most effective for Team Connecticut, winning battles in the corners and taking the puck to the net," says Novodor. "When he goes to the net hard is when he's playing his best hockey."
Nik's style has made him a key power-play contributor. Novodor says he screens the goalie well and slaps home rebounds with the man-advantage. Nik has 13 goals and 15 assists for the Wolf Pack this season, yet as well as he's done on the score sheet, Nik still believes that face-offs are his strongest suit.
"I love taking face-offs and having more freedom defensively. I got pretty good at taking face-offs and it's a really important part of hockey that's kind of underestimated sometimes," says Nik. "You get your team the puck off of a face-off, so it's pretty important. I try and knock the guy's stick out of the way first and then I try to take the puck back to my defenseman."
Playing with the Wolf Pack means a lot of traveling for Nik as the team ventures throughout the country. Traveling is something that runs in Nik's family. His father, Keith Allain, is the head coach for Yale and so he, too, often hits the road. Nik, who was frequently with his father when Keith was an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues, says that hockey is in his blood.
"When I was growing up, my dad was a coach. That's what he does for a living, so I was kind of brought up with that. That's what he's been doing his whole life, so you can say that I didn't have a choice, but I fell in love with it," says Nik. "I got pretty good at it, so it kind of made it more fun. What's better than playing a game your whole life for a living? It's pretty sweet if you really think about it."
For now, Nik strikes a balancing act between traveling with the Wolf Pack and going to high school, where he takes Advanced Placement and honors classes.
"You become really close with your teammates because you're living with them, you're rooming with them, and you're with them pretty much every day, so they become your family. It's really nice," says Nik.
At the New England Festival, Nik had the opportunity to be seen by some of the country's top hockey scouts and possibly earn a roster spot in the United States Hockey League, which is regarded as the best junior league in the country.
"It's pretty cool," says Nik, who also plays midfield for T-Birds' boys' lacrosse. "Obviously, it's very hard to make it all the way to the national camp and make that team, but it's something that I'd like to get the opportunity to do."
Nik also feels excited about the opportunity to play hockey at the prep school level, which he will most likely do next year. Nik applied to four schools, was accepted to all four, and is contemplating which one he wants to attend.
"Prep school hockey is very good and most players do go there to play hockey there and then they play split season [with their club teams], so it's just kind of what everyone does, so it's what I'm going to do, too," says Nik. "I think playing prep school hockey can really help me become a better player because you're playing against other guys that are great. A lot of great players have come out of prep schools and a lot of college coaches go and watch, so it gives me a great opportunity to showcase my skills."