Nico Blackman of the Iowa Heartlanders warms up before a recent game at Xtreme Arena in Coralville. (Photo from Iowa Heartlanders)
CEDAR RAPIDS – Internet Hockey Database Check out his page at www.hockeydb.com. That's all you need to know about Nico Brachman's career.
Never stay in the same place for too long. You can never stay in one league for too long.
He never quits and continues to play the game he loves until no one gives him a sweater anymore. He played for 20 teams in 10 years as a junior, college and pro, his 20th team being the Iowa Heartlanders.
“My journey has been long, but honestly, my hockey journey has been my life,” said Blackman, a winger who turns 26 on Thursday. “I left home when I was 13, and since then it's been like every season I've had a new team and a new place to live. You meet a lot of people. Yes, it's been a long time, I've had a lot of different experiences. But it was great, it was great. It made me who I am today.”
There is little in Blackman's fascinating story that is not interesting. He grew up in Aventura, Florida, and was a young boy who played roller hockey before switching to ice hockey.
He attended prep school at Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota, where one of his teammates was Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller.
“I had 24 points in 50 games and he had 163 points in 50 games,” Blackman said.
Determined to succeed in hockey, but realizing that he was not the most skilled player, Blackman decided from then on to play the role of a bailiff. He earned an invitation to the Sioux Falls Stampede's tryout camp in 2014 and was added to the United States Hockey League club's affiliate roster after appearing in five of four camp games.
“I realized, 'Wow, this is what I need to do,'” he said.
He played in four regular-season games with Sioux Falls later that season and seven games with the USHL's Chicago Steel the following season, although he sat in the penalty box for 15 minutes for an altercation (five for brawling, one for illegal 10 minutes) served as a deterrent. There he found his way to Quebec to play for the St. John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
He then spent the next four years traveling mostly around Canada, including playing collegiate hockey in Canada before turning professional. Blackman played for eight teams in the ECHL, one in the Southern Professional Hockey League and one in the Quebec Nord American Hockey League.
Iowa Heartlanders' Niko Blackman (left) and Wheeling's Michael Quercia face off during a recent ECHL game at Xtreme Arena in Coralville (Photo courtesy of Iowa Heartlanders)
This season alone, he has played for Kalamazoo, Adirondack, Iowa of the ECHL and Laval Petrilliers of the LNAH. Blackman, who was placed on waivers by the Adirondacks in March, appeared in 11 games with the Heartlanders, recording one assist and 40 penalty minutes.
“I told him that sometimes you have to play on the edge, but not over the line. For the most part, he got it done,” Heartlanders coach Derek Damon said. Ta. “We're over .500 because he's in the lineup. He gives us something we thought we were missing. We were pushed a little too hard this year. With him in the lineup That wasn't the case when I was there. It's important to have people like that.”
“It's a lot harder to find players to play this role now,” Blackman said. “I truly believe we need them. We're seeing that a lot now in the NHL. For me, it's a decision I made. I'm not scared (to fight). I play against other guys, I'm confident in myself. I thought, “Yeah, if it helps, I'll give it a try.'' ”
Blackman has a wife, Sarah, and a 10-month-old daughter, Ella Sophia, and they've been by his side everywhere he goes outside of Coralville this hockey season. The family will be reunited once the Heartlanders season ends this weekend.
A more permanent situation would be very nice. However, Blackman wants to play hockey for as long as possible and continue to improve his overall game and provide a physical element, which he hopes to do.
“It's been a long journey, but I still feel fresh and young. I feel like I can still go on,” he said. “Now that I have a daughter, I would like to have a little more stability. But it's great to live in so many places and meet so many people.
“I love being in the locker room and joking around with the boys. I love that and I think that's my favorite part of the game. When we walk into the locker room, we're still kids. Yes, we have a job to do, and it's serious work, and this work is my whole life, and it's everything to me. It's very serious, but at the same time, we have to do it for a living. I play children's games for.”
final week
Both Corridor clubs will conclude their 2023-24 seasons this week.
The Cedar Rapids Roughriders will play their final home game against Des Moines on Friday night at 7:05 p.m., then travel to Dubuque for Saturday night game. The Riders were officially eliminated from United States Hockey League playoff contention last week.
A fan appreciation night for riders will include prizes distributed throughout the game.
The Heartlanders will host the Kalamazoo Wings Wednesday night and Friday night at 6:35 p.m. Fan Appreciation Night begins Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. against the Kansas City Mavericks.
The club is sponsoring a pregame tailgate in the Xtream Arena plaza outside the main entrance from 3 to 5 p.m. The tailgate will feature games, food trucks, drinks and give away prizes including Heartlanders jerseys, Zamboni rides and team store gift certificates.
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