The University of Maine’s Josh Nadeau had a memorable freshman season for the Black Bears while combining with younger brother Bradly to help them earn their first berth in the Hockey East semifinals and NCAA Tournament since the 2011-12 campaign.
The Nadeaus were UMaine’s leading scorers last season with Josh finishing just one point behind his brother.
Bradly Nadeau had 46 points on 19 goals and 27 assists in 37 games while Josh had 45 points on 18 goals and 27 assists in 37 contests for the 23-12-2 Black Bears. Josh was a third team All-Hockey East selection. His brother was a second team pick.
After the season, Bradly signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, who drafted him 30th overall in the first round in 2023.
Josh, who is undrafted, is back with the Black Bears during their optional six-week summer workouts in Orono. He is coming off an impressive stint at the Montreal Canadiens’ development camp during the first week of July followed by a week with brother Bradly at the Hurricanes’ development camp.
Development camps are for the NHL teams’ draft choices as well as non-drafted invitees and are designed to help them prepare for pro careers.
At the end of Montreal’s camp, they had two 25-minute, four-on-four games between two teams, a Red Team and a White squad, at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, Quebec.
The shifty, talented and tenacious Josh Nadeau led all goal scorers with four in the two games.
They tied 2-2 in the first game and Nadeau had one of the goals for the Red team before collecting a hat trick in the second one, a 7-1 win.
“Things went really well. It was a good experience. I learned a lot of new stuff,” said the 5-foot-8 Nadeau.
Nate Duffett, who writes for the Winning Habit, the Canadiens’ news and opinions site, wrote that the Canadiens “loved what they saw from Josh Nadeau. He was one of the smallest players at camp but he made up for it with his elite offensive skill, which he has been doing all his life. Nadeau’s crowning moment was in the scrimmage when he scored a hat trick with some beautiful shots.”
He also wrote that if the Canadiens decide to pursue him after his college career ends they could have a diamond in the rough.
“There are only so many more times that people can doubt him. He has been undervalued his entire career but shows up and records points wherever he goes,” Duffett wrote.
Even though Nadeau was one of the older players at the camp at age 20, Duffett called his potential “promising.”
Nadeau said going to the Canadiens’ camp was like a “dream for me because that’s the team I grew up watching.”
Nadeau said they didn’t play a formal scrimmage game at the Hurricanes’ camp but the practice sessions went very well.
“I played with other (good) players and that is really going to help me,” said Nadeau, who also benefited from going up against bigger players and holding up well against them.
Josh Nadeau said he has been working out hard all summer and has put on some muscle and weight through their workouts. He has gone from 163 pounds to 171.
“I feel better about myself,” said Nadeau.
“He looks stronger,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr.
“I’m excited to see what he’s going to do this year,” Barr added. “He is as good as anyone in the country. He is a difference-maker. He has produced at every level and in every situation.”
Nadeau acknowledges that it will be different not playing with his brother and long-time linemate this season after spending two seasons with him with the league champion Penticton Vees in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League and last season at UMaine.
“It’s going to be a big adjustment. But we have some great players so we’ll see how it goes. It should be just fine,” said Nadeau.
Josh Nadeau’s 1.22 points per game average last season was 17th best in the country among players at 64 Division I schools and he was sixth among freshmen. The five freshmen who finished ahead of him were first round National Hockey League draft picks like his brother Bradly.
Josh Nadeau led the team in power play goals with eight and game-winning goals with five.
He is excited for the upcoming season.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be a fun year,” said Nadeau. “The new guys are great players and great guys. I think we’re going to be a lot deeper than last year.”
He is looking for a better year from himself and the team after losing to Cornell 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Springfield (Mass.) Regional.
“We weren’t happy with how the season ended,” he said.
