Rockville Hockey Player Vying for a Spot on the Montreal Canadiens

Nick Sorkin made his first NHL appearance Tuesday

September 26, 2014 10:42 a.m.

On Tuesday night, 23-year-old Rockville native Nick Sorkin played in his first exhibition game with the Montreal Canadiens.

The watchful hockey-loving Montreal media weren’t exactly gentle on him, describing his game as “plain white toast” in the Montreal Gazette, but he did receive some accolades from the reporter who noted that “good things happened Tuesday when Sorkin was on the ice in his first NHL appearance.”

A pass by Sorkin led to the tying goal in the Canadiens’ 3-2 comeback win against the Boston Bruins in Montreal. He also just missed a shot in front of the net, and muscled two Boston forwards off the puck in front of the goal to get a much-needed clearance early in the third period.

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“The atmosphere was awesome,” Sorkin said Thursday afternoon in a phone interview, after he finished his day at Canadiens training camp. “It’s kind of a dream come true. It was a lot of fun, I made some plays and we won, so it was good.”

Sorkin signed a two-year contract with the organization in March after four years as a standout forward at the University of New Hampshire. The Bullis School grad played nine games in the spring with the Canadiens’ farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, an experience he said helped prepare him for NHL training camp.

But now he’s playing with the big boys. He’s shooting against Montreal’s Carey Price, widely considered one of the best goalies in the world, and lining up with the team’s scoring phenom Max Pacioretty.

“It’s pretty cool to be around these guys,” Sorkin said. “You just try to learn from those guys, the veterans. I try to pick up little things here and there to help my game. They definitely lead by example.”

A total of 64 players entered the Canadiens camp in mid-September. The final roster will include 23 players. Sorkin said he’ll know if he makes the team in about a week. If he doesn't, he'd likely get placed back with the Bulldogs. Sorkin did not play in the Canadiens’ second exhibition game against the Avalanche on Thursday night, which they won 3–2.

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When asked about his chances, Sorkin said, “You never really know. When they call your number all you can do is play as well as you can. It’s a process. The NHL is a big, strong, fast league and that’s definitely the goal for everyone.”

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