Former University of Maine All-Hockey East winger Bradly Nadeau scored his first National Hockey League goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period of Thursday night’s 6-2 victory over the New York Islanders at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Hurricanes kept the puck in the Islanders zone following a faceoff and the puck squirted out of the corner to Nadeau at the left faceoff dot.
He wasted no time snapping a wrist shot that beat Islanders goalie David Rittich for the game’s opening goal.
You can watch that goal here on the NHL’s website.
It was Nadeau’s third game for Carolina after being called up from the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves, where he had two goals and two assists in three games including a highlight-reel lacrosse-style goal where he balanced the puck on the blade of his stick at chest-level before flipping it past the goalie.
He hadn’t registered a point in his first two games since being called up.
The 20-year-old Nadeau scored 32 goals in 64 games for Chicago a year ago and became the sixth teenager since 1940 and the third since 1950 to score at least 30 goals in the AHL He led all rookies in goals and was second in points with 58 as he had 26 assists to go with his 32 goals.
He was chosen to the All-Rookie team.
Nadeau led the Hurricanes in goals and points during the preseason with three goals and five points in five contests.
He appeared in two games for the Hurricanes last season and picked his first NHL point with an assist on a third-period goal by Tyson Jost against Montreal.
Nadeau — a St.-Francois-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick native — led the University of Maine in scoring his freshman year with 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points in 37 games as he and his brother, Josh Nadeau, helped lead UMaine to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2011-12 season.
He was chosen to the All-Hockey East second team and to the All-Rookie team.
The first round draft pick of the Hurricanes in 2023 and the 30th overall pick signed with the Hurricanes after UMaine’s season ended and appeared in one game with the Hurricanes. He didn’t register a point.
Nadeau and the Hurricanes will play next at 1 p.m. Saturday when they visit the TD Garden in Boston to take on the Boston Bruins.
