Jumped The Pond

One of the things I do here on HBIC is track players in the ECHL that have played in Canada West or players who I know thanks to a connection. There are a pile of players who have moved around the ECHL this year from the nine Canada West teams, so keeping up with who is playing where is a challenge sometimes. It gets even harder when the press releases from the ECHL aren't distributed very well, so keeping up with player movement can be a bit of a challenge. That brings us to Kamerin Nault, former University of Manitoba forward, who was playing for the ECHL's Reading Royals, but is now a member of the EIHL's Fife Flyers! How did this happen?

The first thing we had to source was a release from the Reading Royals. Kamerin had played nine games for Reading this season, scoring one goal and adding three helpers, and seemed to be contributing after being activated from the Royals' reserve list on December 2. On December 4, he scored his first goal in Royals colours which prompted the launch of teddy bears in Reading on their annual Teddy Bear Toss, and he had picked up assists on both December 2 and 3 in his weekend debut.

While it appeared things were rolling for Nault, the good times ended on December 14 when the ECHL transaction report showed the following transaction made by the Reading Royals:

That seemed a little surprising considering Nault had a solid weekend, but Reading couldn't seem to find a fit for Nault in their lineup beyond those first few games. It would seem like Nault would need to regroup and find out if another ECHL team needed a versatile forward, but it was near Christmas so rosters would be close to being frozen. Maybe we'd see him resurface in the new year?

The transaction reports for the ECHL had no further news over the next two months as I scoured them more frequently. Kamerin Nault's name hadn't shown up for any team. My hope was that he hadn't shelved this season after his short stint in Pennsylvania, but it turns out that he had been working something new behind the scenes!

Nigel Duncan of The Edinburgh Reporter was one of the reporters who broke the story that Nault was off to play in the EIHL after coming to an agreement with the Fife Flyers! Head coach Todd Dutiaume said of Nault, "He skates well and can play on the wing or up the middle. It was important to provide the guys with some much-needed support as well as create some healthy competition. We look forward to getting him in as quickly as possible."

My guess was that Nault was excited for the opportunity to play in Fife as former teammate in Greenville Shawn Cameron already was playing there before he was injured and returned to Canada for surgery, and recent University of Manitoba defender Reece Harsch also plays there. It would be the first time that Nault suited up in the EIHL where other former teammates had played, so there were good chances in seeing other players he knew and with whom he played.

The only problem? Nault's debut in the EIHL was delayed by a week after the Manitoba-born forward arrived in Edinburgh only to discover there were visa issues. Nault's whirlwind tour took him back to Toronto where things were cleared up, and he hopped back on a plane for Scotland once more, arriving on January 13 where he donned a #79 jersey for warmups! He didn't play that night for the Flyers, though, as Flyers associate coach Jeff Hutchins told Allan Crow of Fife Today, "It was unfair to put him in a position where he hadn't skated for a week and a half. The expectations on him will be high, and we wanted to make sure the fans' first look at him is after he has had a few skating sessions."

Nault's first action came against Coventry two days later where he was held off the scoresheet in a 1-0 shootout loss, so there weren't many Flyrs who scored in his first game with his new team. However, Nault made his impact in Game #2 on Janaury 21 against Coventry when he assisted on the game's first goal by Bari McKenzie at 2:19 of the second period in a 3-2 overtime win for the Flyers. He'd light the lamp for the first time in the EIHL the very next night as he potted the empty-netter with 1:11 to play in a 4-1 win over the Dundee Stars! Two points in three games is a good start for Nault as he settles into the EIHL with his new squad!

The Cardiff Devils laid a beating on Fife on January 28 by a 7-1 score, and Nault didn't factor into the lone Flyers goal. However, Nault scored a big goal the next night against the Manchester Storm as he notched the tying goal with 2:44 remaining to make the score 4-4, pushing this game into extra time where Fife would win in a shootout by a 5-4 count! Make it three points in five games for Nault to close out Janaury!

February's first game on February 3 was against Manchester once again, and Nault picked up a power-play assist on the opening goal by Janne Laakkonen at 12:29 of the first period. He then doubled his point total for this game by assisting on the second Fife goal scored by Jonas Emmerdahl at 15:16 of the second period as the Fife Flyers shutout the Storm by a 2-0 score! Saturday's game against the Glasgow Clan was a 3-1 loss where Nault was held off the scoresheet, and Sunday, February 5 was a 9-4 loss to the Belfast Giants where Nault picked up another helper on Bari McKenzie's second period goal at 8:33. After eight games, Nault sits with two goals and four assists with the Fife Flyers!

The Flyers are on a break right now as they won't play again until January 18 when they host the Sheffield Steelers. This should allow Kamerin time to settle into the city of Edinburgh, get some good practice time under his belt, and get some chemistry bubbling with his linemates and teammates. Based on his first eight games with Fife, it seems like he's already a good fit for the team.

It always sucks to see a former Canada West player bumped from a team because, most times, they're still chasing down their professional hockey dreams. What I've always maintained on this blog is that there are many paths to a successful professional hockey career, and it seems like the EIHL might be a good spot for Kamerin Nault to keep chasing those dreams.

Here's hoping Nault continues to find success in Edinburgh with the Fife Flyers as his EIHL career takes flight!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!