Prospect Watch: Nolan Fitzhenry 'Brings A Ton' To NTDP As Leader On And Off The Ice

In this week’s edition of Prospect Watch, Ryan Kennedy speaks with 2027 NHL draft prospect Nolan Fitzhenry about his time with the NTDP before breaking down Wisconsin's hot start to the NCAA season.USA Hockey's National Team Development Program's under-18s had a rough start to the season, winning just two of their first eight games and getting mauled by the likes of NCAA Denver and Boston College. But playing for 'The Program' is always about the process and facing older, stronger competition is part of the appeal: Once you take your lumps against the college boys, all of a sudden your fellow teen competition isn't so daunting.With that in mind, the NTDP has just returned from Switzerland, where the Americans went 3-1 at a Five Nations tournament. A lot of kids found their range at the tournament, from Cannon Thibodeau and Finn Sears to Nolan Fitzhenry, who leads the team in scoring now with 21 points in 18 games. He's also one of the top NTDP players to watch this season for the 2027 NHL draft.So what does Fitzhenry bring to the table?Related stories"He brings a ton," said coach Kevin Porter. "He's one of the leaders on the team. He's super-skilled, he works, he competes, he battles every night. I really like the way he plays. He sees the ice really well. More of a distributor than a goal-scorer, but he can also find the back of the net.""The biggest thing is not to force it," he said. "Be yourself, be the person you are. We have some vocal guys and we have guys who lead by example. I'm more of the second one. Just be a good guy and make sure you're gelling with the boys every day and pushing each other to get better."The Minnesota native cut his teeth at Shattuck-St. Mary's, following in the skate strides of luminaries such as Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini. Needless to say, it was a crucial part of his development."It was a blast, I loved it," Fitzhenry said. "I did two years there and learned so much about myself as a player and a person. I was living away from home for the first time and I learned how to be independent. The coaches were unreal there and I learned so much."After he finishes this season with the NTDP, Fitzhenry has committed to the University of North Dakota."A lot of it was the staff and the culture they've built there," he said. "I fully believe in the people and players they have. You want to be part of that culture and they have a great chance to win."As he continues his developmental journey, Fitzhenry still has aspects of his game he wants to improve on, though he has already clearly pinpointed what those areas are."Using my speed in the O-zone and possessing the puck more," he said. "Using cutbacks and puck protection to find plays, extend plays and try to make plays out of nothing if I can."With a nice array of skills already - not to mention a great motor - Fitzhenry will certainly be one to watch in the coming years. Especially when the first round of the draft comes around this summer.CHLThe CHL's final roster for its clash against the NTDP in the third annual CHL-USA Prospects Challenge is out now and it's a pretty solid crew. It's also very international, with nine players born outside of Canada - including Americans Jamie Glance and Carter Meyer, both of whom played for the NTDP program last year.And while the majority of the team is made up of those who got 'A' ratings from Central Scouting, there are three 'C' kids getting a great opportunity to boost their future stock: Prince Albert's Ben Harvey, Drummondville defenseman Filip Kovalcik and North Bay's Camryn Warren. Kovalcik will likely play for Slovakia again at the world juniors after making his tournament debut last year, so he's getting some big-time exposure in his draft campaign.NCAAOn, Wisconsin, indeed! The Badgers are the No. 1 team in the nation for the second week in a row thanks to a 7-0-1 record. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised at how good Wisconsin is since the team went to the national championship game last year, but I am surprised, considering they lost three of their top four scorers. Nonetheless, defenseman Luke Osburn (BUF) has been hot, fellow blueliner Logan Hensler (OTT) is on pace to smash his previous offensive bests, while the goaltending duo of Daniel Hauser and Alexis Cournoyer (MTL) has been virtually unbeatable. That's a pretty good recipe for success.For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.