South Florida hockey player continues to rise through the ranks
AVENTURA, Fla. (BVM) – Since a young age, Nico Blachman has always found himself with a love and passion for hockey. Blachman is from Aventura, Fla., and his parents are from Argentina. There isn’t a very big Argentinian hockey population, or Floridian. It all started when he was just eight years old. Blachman’s older brother played roller hockey, a popular sport in South Florida due to a small amount of ice rinks and Blachman found himself enjoying and loving roller hockey. But the rink that Blachman had been playing at was demolished, and he found himself making the transition to ice hockey.
At ten years old, Blachman made his first travel hockey team, the South Florida Golden Wolves. After his first season, Blachman made the jump to making the AAA Florida Panthers Alliance. “AAA” is the highest level of youth hockey that you can play. Blachman would spend two years playing for the program before taking an interest in prep school for hockey. Blachman, with the help of a local coach, gained interest in a specific program, South Kent School. Blachman had high hopes to make the team, but with no tryout he received a phone call one day and found out that he did not make the team. “It wasn’t so much that it brought my confidence down, it kind of put my head in a blender. I didn’t even realize at that age it was adversity, but it put a chip on my shoulder.” Blachman said. Blachman was set on leaving home to pursue his dream of playing hockey, but at a young age of 14 and being fairly new to the game, he didn’t quite know the ins-and-outs of the best route to accomplish his goals.
Prep School
After hearing about another prep school through a former teammate, Blachman took more interest in another school, Shattuck St. Mary’s.
“I did a ton of research and saw all the players that had made the NHL from playing there, so my dad and I took a trip to tour the school,” Blachman said. “I ended up being waitlisted and a few months later I got a call that I made the team and I was ready to go.”
Leaving home at a young age helped Blachman mature as an athlete and as a person.
“Playing with the skilled players at Shattuck opened my eyes to how good other players truly are,” Blachman said. “I went from being a top player in South Florida to being lucky at being on the roster for that next game. I matured five times quicker, but the first few weeks being away from home that young were pretty rough.”
Being from Florida and playing for Shattuck St. Mary’s is an impressive accomplishment as Shattuck St. Mary’s is traditionally known as the best prep school for hockey.
“I went from wearing whatever I want at home, to having to wear a uniform, tucked in shirt, and a daily routine and structure,” Blachman said. “I learned how to plan, prepare, and how to essentially be a professional.”
Blachman says that hockey is his school due to the amount of knowledge he has learned from the sport. Blachman went on to reiterate that each team he played for, was a whole new group of friends and that he has learned a lot of social skills from adapting to new environments and new local cultures.
“The biggest thing I have learned in hockey is how to connect with people, you learn how to adjust to the room and learn how to feel yourself out with people,” Blachman said. “Another life skill is attention to detail, how important all the small things are, taking care of that with the game of hockey makes me do the same things in life.”
After Shattuck St. Mary’s, Blachman’s next goal was to play major junior hockey in Canada. He moved to Toronto and lived with his best friend’s family to attempt to be drafted in the OHL after the following season. Blachman believed that this would be his best route for the OHL as the scouting exposure in the province of Ontario is very big in the league he played in. However, things didn’t work out.
“This was the first big hit of my career,” Blachman said. “I was watching the draft in my room for the OHL locked in. I kind of knew I wasn’t going to get drafted but I remained optimistic. My two roommates both got drafted, so for me it was like I had failed my mission. I was devastated and lost a lot of hope for my career and my game.”
He would have to take a different route to achieve his goals. Blachman went back to the United States and played for Omaha AAA, and he had a new goal of committing to an NCAA Division I program. After not achieving his goal the previous season, he was extremely driven to achieve a Division I commitment. Blachman was fortunate enough to commit to Division I Lake Superior State University. Additionally, Blachman was affiliated with a team in the USHL. The USHL is the highest junior league in the United States, and being affiliated means you do not play for them, but they can call you up from your current team to play for them.
This was a big step for Blachman. Another impressive feature for a hockey player from South Florida, as not many players have been affiliated or drafted with the USHL. Blachman was called up to the USHL and played a few games and fought in his first game and gained respect from his coaches and his teammates.
“I wasn’t even drafted and was playing before players that were drafted,” Blachman said. “ I knew that dropping the mitts and fighting was a huge reason for me cracking the roster spot.”
The following season, Blachman was traded to the Chicago Steele, also in the USHL. Blachman’s situation did not pan out in Chicago, but he was starting to get interest from a major junior league in Canada, which was his original goal. Blachman saw the major junior league as the quickest route to the NHL and accepted a contract with Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL in Quebec, Canada. “I wanted to get the first fight in and gain the respect from the boys and show off my toolbox and a solid aspect of my game… showing the team I had their back and earning their respect was a good start to the semi-professional career.” Blachman said after recording his first fight in his first game.
Blachman played junior A when he was 20 and had a different role. He had more ice time and scored more points and goals and played less of a physical style then he previously had.
“I think it was great for my career as I found more love for the game,’ Blachman said. “I was getting more ice time and having more fun, but at the same time I thought to myself, ‘I should be dominating this league.’” Blachman said.
Over the course of his career, Blachman fell more and more in love with the sport.
“Hockey is always on my mind, and when it isn’t I’m with my hockey boys,” Blachman said. “When I am not doing something toward hockey I am sleeping.”
COVID, Injuries, and Rehab
Blachman had to have an emergency surgery on his wrist when he arrived back in Florida during the pandemic, “You become so grateful for when you are healthy, that you want to get back to your normal self, but you have to do it properly.” Blachman was fortunate enough that during his rehab stint, there was no hockey anywhere. It happened at the same time as the global shutdown. Blachman started to focus outside of hockey. He spent a lot of time reading and focused on mobility such as bodyweight exercises and hip mobility.
“I truly believe that all that stuff has helped my game so much more than I even know,” Blachman said. “I got so many more tools during the pandemic. I started to journal, started breathing techniques, and focused on my diet. I learned how important everything you do off the ice, affects what you do on the ice.”
Blachman finds it important to have a daily routine and to continuously follow his goals.
While most people were dreading quarantine, Blachman found it reflective and was able to learn a lot about himself. He found that time as an opportunity to get even better physically and prepare for whatever the next step of his journey through the hockey world may be.
Blachman went to Estero, Fla., to train with a former teammate. The rink that Blachman was training at was the rink that the Florida Everblades, of the East Coast Hockey League play at. Two weeks after Blachman returned home to Aventura, Fla., he received a phone call from the coach of the Everblades and found out the team wanted to sign him to a contract. Blachman was in the lineup for the first game.
“I was just training at the rink a few weeks before, and I was constantly thinking, ‘I wish I could play here.’” Blachman said. Blachman spoke to another fighter among the league who helped give him confidence prior to his first game. When Blachman stepped on the ice he immediately knew he was ready to go. Blachman said his first professional game for the Everblades is the highlight of his hockey career so far and was a huge step for his long term goal of reaching the NHL.
Over the course of his hockey career, Blachman has been all over North America trying to accomplish his dream of one day playing in the NHL. He accomplished his goal of committing to an NCAA Division I program, he accomplished his goal of playing major junior, and he accomplished his goal of playing professional hockey. But the road is not yet finished. Blachman is Argentenian, from Florida, and had to leave home at a very young age to try and accomplish his dream. Through the sacrifices Blachman has made, he has made his way to professional hockey, but it wasn’t a short or easy route. Just like many athletes, Blachman had faced adversity and doubt, but he kept bouncing back and stayed driven to one day accomplish his dream of playing in the NHL.
