In a city where hockey has always lived a little bit in the shadows, Nick Beam has done something that no one from St. X or Louisville has done before. The former Xavier News member and St. X hockey standout recently signed a tender with the Rochester Jr. Americans of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). This is the biggest accomplishment ever by a St. X hockey player.
To understand how big this opportunity is, it helps to understand the structure of junior hockey in the United States. Junior hockey is divided into tiers with the NAHL operating as Tier II. This is the second best league for sending players to NCAA Division I. This league is one of the best leagues to develop young players into high end college players. For Beam, playing in the NAHL will give him a chance to continue improving his game while putting himself on the radar for high end college programs.
By joining the Rochester Jr. Americans, Beam steps into a league known for producing NCAA Division I players every year. Many hockey players use the NAHL as a springboard to college hockey. For a player from Louisville, reaching this accomplishment is very rare. Doing it as a product of St. X is even more significant.
Beam’s path was not built overnight. Playing both St. X hockey and AAA in Indiana, he developed his game in a city that does not shine as much light on hockey as other sports. While many high-level players across the country grow up surrounded by junior programs and are constantly being scouted, players in Louisville often have to work harder to be noticed. Beam consistently trained and slowly built a reputation as one of the most promising players to come out of Louisville.
Beam fought through much adversity this season as well before signing his tender. Breaking his collarbone twice and needing surgery once, he was out for almost the entire first half of the year. He did his rehab and came back stronger than he was before. Averaging impressive numbers brought many eyes to him and eventually, landing his tender with Rochester.
Nick Beam’s story is not just about one player signing a tender, it is about showing young players in Louisville that the path can exist. Beam has set a new standard for Louisville hockey players and gives the future generations something to aim for.
