Iqaluit player chases hockey, school dreams in the south

An Iqaluit athlete is chasing his hockey and school dreams playing for the Cornwall Colts in Ontario.

With the Colts facing the Smiths Falls Bears in the second round of the Central Canada Hockey League playoffs, Nunatsiaq News caught up with Bradley Nowdluk-Fraser before the series-opening game last week.

“I just want to keep the motor rolling, help the team win and hope the points come,” he said of his own hopes for the series.

Born and raised in Iqaluit, Nowdluk-Fraser, 20, said he has been an avid hockey player since he was a child. By the time he turned 14, he was ready to take the leap and head south to play.

He went to the Ontario Hockey Academy, a private high school in Cornwall, a city on the Canada-U.S. border about 100 kilometres southeast of Ottawa.

After three years there, Nowdluk-Fraser earned a spot on the junior A team in Cornwall, where he has played for the past three years.

The Colts’ website lists him at six feet tall and 189 pounds. During the regular season, he racked up 16 goals and 21 assists over 31 games, with 48 minutes in penalties.

Cornwall Colts’ Bradley Nowdluk-Fraser (27) pictured before a CCHL playoff game in Smiths Falls, Ontario on April 5, 2024. The 20-year-old right winger from Iqaluit scored his second goal of the playoffs in Game 1 of the CCHL semifinal series against the Smiths Falls Bears. (Photo by Mike Carroccetto, special to Nunatsiaq News)

He said he patterns his style after National Hockey League forwards David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins and Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders — two players he said are “super dynamic and fun to watch.

“They do whatever they can to help their team win.”

Nowdluk-Fraser, whose mother is Inuk, said he considers Jordin Tootoo, the NHL’s first Inuk player, a great role model and someone he grew up watching as a child. His favourite player is Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“I have been fortunate to have lots of help from friends and family who have been able to support me throughout my journey ever since I was a kid,” Nowdluk-Fraser said.

My family “knew this was something I wanted to do since I was a little kid” and they have been very supportive.

Cornwall Colts’ Bradley Nowdluk-Fraser (27), right, is shown during a CCHL playoff game in Smiths Falls, Ont. on April 5. (Photo by Mike Carroccetto, special to Nunatsiaq News)

Though he has lived in the south for several years, he tries to make it back to Iqaluit for Christmas and the summer.

“Playing here in Cornwall is a great opportunity for me to go further with hockey and with school,” Nowdluk-Fraser said.

He is eligible for another year of junior hockey and hopes to get a scholarship for a Division I school in the U.S.

While hockey has been his life, he said it’s important to take stock of what really matters.

“Every day, try to be a good person away from the rink,” he said.

“It’s not all about hockey. You want to be a good son. Good brother. So just try to be the best person possible every day. I think that’s super important.”

In the short term, he said he likes the Colts’ chances in their series against Smiths Falls.

“We have a really good group here and have a chance to win it. I just want to help the team win,” he said.

In the series opener on April 5, Nowdluk-Fraser scored Cornwall’s only goal in a 2-1 loss to Smiths Falls. He was held off the scoresheet in game two, another 2-1 victory for Smiths Falls.

The third game in the seven-game series was set for April 9 in Smiths Falls.