Portage’s own Nick Henry is enjoying his second season as a part of the American Hockey League. The 21-year-old forward was drafted to the NHL in 2017 by the Colorado Avalanche and he currently finds himself with their AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles. Henry says COVID-19 has made this a very unique year, he talks about how the team has performed.

“Obviously with COVID there’s a lot of player movement, as in guys going up and down with the taxi squad,” Henry explains. “So, I think at times when we have our top-end roster we’re a really good team and then at other times we’re a very young, inexperienced team. That’s just the year we’re in right now.”

He says with this being the case, he could have one game where he plays on the fourth line and then be up on the top line the next night. The forward adds this has made him have to continue adjusting throughout the season. Henry has put up a total of 4 points in 14 games this year in the AHL, however, in just four ECHL games the Portage product put up nearly two points per contest.

“I would say it’s definitely motivation,” says Henry. “Just the way the year is going, we have to carry a lot of players and guys have got to get games in. So, that was a way for me to get some games in when I wasn’t able to get in the lineup here. I think I went down there and did everything that they asked me to. I did everything that I possibly could to help the team win and we were able to get some key wins for the Utah Grizzlies.”

The Eagles have gone 13-11-3 so far this season with just eight games left to play. Henry says this upcoming stretch is what he looks forward to the most.

“Right now, we’re in the last playoff spot and we’re going to be fighting tooth and nail all the way to the end,” says Henry. “It’s exciting to play in these big games, I think. You train all summer and you do all those things to start the year, and that stretch run when you’re playing a ton and not really practicing is the best time of the year. You wake up every day, and it’s basically its game day. So, it’s a really exciting time to be around the rink.”

Henry hopes to finish out the season strong as it is still up in the air whether or not the postseason will take place. He says the most important thing is getting into a playoff position in case the league does go through with it but notes another objective of his is to continue to improve on the one area he believes is holding him back.

“The biggest thing for me is to just keep improving on my foot speed. I know that I can shoot the puck and I think the game well, but it’s always been a factor in hockey for me is my foot speed and my top-end speed,” Henry explains. “To be a good pro you need to have that speed and I think I’ve made some good strides in the last couple of years, but obviously you got to keep getting to that next step to get to really where you want to be. Obviously, that’s in the NHL, like every kid dreams of.”