Nolan Volcan looks to lead by example as the new Thunderbirds captain

In one of the early practices during Thunderbirds training camp, things got a bit heated. During a drill in the corner, two players became agitated with each other and had to be pulled apart by their teammates. The two would-be combatants retreated to separate ends of the ice to cool off. Nolan Volcan eventually skated over to each one and had a brief one-on-one conversation with them. There was no more bad blood after the conversations and Volcan assumedly reminded the two about what the team was trying to accomplish and how everyone needed to be pushing in the same direction.

It’s something that a veteran player has the respect and experience to do. Its something that a leader does.

Wednesday the Thunderbirds announced that Volcan would be the team captain for the upcoming season. It is a logical decision that wasn’t too much of a surprise.

“It’s the way he plays, the way he leads by example,” Seattle head coach Matt O’Dette said before practice on Tuesday. “He exemplifies our identity as a team, what we want to be about. He’s been around a long time and demands a lot of respect from his teammates.”

Entering his fifth season with the Thunderbirds, Volcan has appeared in 263 games with the club – by far the most on the current roster. He has won a WHL Championship, he’s lost a WHL Championship series, he’s seen the ups and downs that come with playing junior hockey.

He’s also coming off a career year that saw him set new highs in goals (32), assists (44) and points (76). He’s been part of the team’s leadership group in the past and wore the ‘A’ on his sweater last year as an alternate captain. He is proud to wear the ‘C’ now.

“It’s a huge honor and I’m just excited for the opportunity,” Volcan said this week. “We have a lot of good guys on this team that are leaders, a lot of guys pulling on the rope.”

There are many different types of leaders and all can be effective in their own way.

In his time with Seattle, Volcan has played with a number of different captains, each with a unique personality. That list includes Turner Ottenbreit, Scott Eansor, Mathew Barzal, Jerret Smith, Shea Theodore, and Justin Hickman.

That group included vocal leaders and guys who were more soft spoken. Volcan says he’s traditionally been more of a lead-by-example type of player but expects he’ll need to speak up more now, something he’s seen from captains past.

“I took something from all of them,” Volcan said. “They’re all great captains and I want to be looked at in the same way by the younger players. Lead by example and help out whenever I can. At the end of the day there are similarities but each of them had their own spin and style, the way they do things. I’m sure I will to. I just picked little things up along the way and definitely will use some of the things I’ve learned.”

Eansor played on a line with Volcan for most of their time in Seattle. Similar style of players, the two would wreak havoc with speed and tenacity on the ice. The former Thunderbird Eansor praised Volcan earlier in the summer, saying he would make an excellent captain.

The respect goes both ways.

“Eansor was a really hard-working guy, a good captain,” Volcan said of his former linemate. “I learned a lot from him and I just want to go into this and do the best job I can.”

It also turns out that being a leader may run in the Volcan family blood.

Volcan’s father, Marty, played briefly for Seattle during the 1984-1985 season but would move on to be named team captain for the Victoria Cougars the next year.

“My dad has always talked to me about being a leader throughout my whole hockey career,” he said. “You don’t need a letter to be a leader and there’s a lot of guys in the room, guys with ‘A’s’ or without, we have a lot of guys who can lead the way.”

Not only will he be counted on to be a leader on and off the ice, Volcan will also be looked at to provide scoring. During the preseason he looks like he’s been shot out of a cannon and entering his final season in the WHL, could be in line for his best campaign yet.

He says that having the ‘C’ on his jersey won’t change the way he plays the game. We can expect to see him flying around the ice and hitting everything that moves, just as he’s done since arriving in Seattle.

Being captain does bring one on-ice change with it however. He’ll be the guy to go talk to the officials after penalty calls.

“Maybe try to get a better relationship with the refs,” he says with a chuckle. “That’s about the only thing that will change.”

He’ll get his first opportunity to do so this Saturday when the Thunderbirds open the season at the accesso ShoWare Center against the Portland Winterhawks with a 6 PM faceoff.

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