Cornellian, Riley Nash Goes National

Whether it be the youth leagues in his hometown of British Columbia, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) or Division I at Cornell University where he is currently the starting forward, Riley Nash has always earned high accolades as a hockey player.

In his freshman season, he led the Cornell Big Red in power play goals (7) and assists (20), earning him the Ivy League Rookie of the Year Award. Before going to Cornell, he was chosen as the 21st overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Despite all these achievements, Nash’s proudest moment came this past November, when he got the opportunity every Canadian hockey player dreams of. He got invited to try out for the Canadian team that would play in the World Junior Championships.

“In Canada, a tryout for the National Junior Team is almost like trying out for the Olympics,” the Cornell sophomore forward said.

Growing up in Kamloops, British Columbia, Nash always played hockey.

“Playing hockey is what you do in Canada, and I was no exception to that,” he said.

He and his brother, Brendon Nash, play together on the Big Red, but never really played on the same team during their childhood. Brendon, currently a junior defensemen at Cornell, stands two inches taller and almost 30 pounds heavier than Riley. Although he has a different role on the ice, Riley said there is a bit of sibling rivalry between him and his brother off the ice.

“He pushes me when we’re working out and I push him back, but it’s pretty limited once we get on the ice,” he said.

Nonetheless, Riley’s family, friends and the entire Ithaca community were extremely happy for him when he got the phone call notifying him of his opportunity.

Two weeks after receiving the phone call, Nash was off to Ottawa for four days of camp. The tryout was intense, and meant to simulate the wear and tear that six games in 10 days would take on the team. After an initial skate the night following his arrival, the second day of the tryout consisted of a 45-minute morning skate and a scrimmage in the evening. The scrimmage split the athletes up so that there were 10 forwards per team. Pat Quinn, head coach of the Canadian team, substituted players in and out as he mixed up line combinations to see how effectively the players worked together on the ice.

The Cornell forward was honored to work with such a big-name head coach in both NHL and Canadian hockey.

“It was unbelievable to be able to talk to him and be in the same place as him because of all of the things he’s won and done over his hockey lifetime,” Nash said.

During his four-day tryout in Ottawa, Nash was roommates with top prospect John Tavares, an NHL prospect expected to be an early first round pick in this year’s NHL draft who played center on the 2008 squad.

“It was a pretty cool experience to see all the things he goes through on a daily basis and the incredible amount of media attention he gathers,” Nash said.

Tavares knew the position Nash was in since he had tried out and made the team only a year ago. Nash said Tavares gave him some advice, mainly to work hard and stay focused.

Although Nash was drafted in 2007, he has yet to play in an NHL game. He said that the tryout gave him the opportunity to compare himself with other up and coming prospects as well as players from his draft class.

“It opened my eyes to a whole group of prospects that I never got to play with,” he said.

Overall, the experience was a bittersweet one for Nash since he did not make the final roster. He made it clear that he had no regrets about his performance on the ice.

“I left everything out there and that’s all I could do,” he said.

Riley and the Big Red are currently focused on winning the Eastern Conference Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament, which would earn them an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.