Kodiaks’ Fielding tops coaches’ poll of high school hockey players

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This article was published 12/03/2025 (245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s natural for others to question whether they’re watching the same person when Nolan Fielding is on the ice.

An unassuming character away from the rink, the 17-year-old commands the spotlight once a stick is in his hands.

Fielding has been the engine of the River East Kodiaks’ offence during what has been a breakout season for the forward this winter, and his efforts have earned him the highest honours in the Free Press coaches poll of the province’s top players in varsity boys high school hockey.

Kodiaks’ head coach Ryan Gruener had a sneaking suspicion about the kind of year Fielding was going to have, based on the way he ended last season.

“I could already see it in Grade 11 as the year went on. He was our leading scorer by the end of the year, and I felt being in his senior year, he certainly (was) on the brink of having a big year. I don’t know if I could have imagined how big it was, but after the first few games, we kind of thought he’s got something going really well right now,” Gruener said.

Fielding finished the season leading the Winnipeg High School Hockey League in goals (26) and assists (41). He started hot, notching a hat trick in a five-point effort in the season-opener against the Springfield Sabres and following that up with a four-assist performance two nights later against Lord Selkirk.

The Sabres would witness the 5-11, 165-pound goal scorer’s prowess a few games later, as Fielding recorded another hat trick.

“Nolan brings pure offence,” said Sabres head coach Severyn Wojcik. “He’s highly gifted offensively. He’s got a great shot. He’s a part of one of the stronger lines in the league. I would say the three of them (Fielding, Griffin Rarog and Gavin Ulrich) play very well together, and I find he’s most effective on the power play. When he has some time and space, there’s a good chance the puck is going to be in the net.”

Fielding’s school is currently ranked No. 4 in the province. The team is pooled with Springfield (No. 5) and Brandon’s Vincent Massey Vikings (No. 1) for the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association AAAA provincial championship, which begins Thursday at Seven Oaks Arena. The Westwood Warriors (No. 3), Vincent Massey (Winnipeg) Trojans (No. 2) and Morden Thunder (No. 6) make up the other pool.

The top two teams from Thursday’s groups will advance to Friday’s semifinals (1:30 and 3:30 p.m.), with the winners playing in the championship final on Monday, March 17, at 6:30 p.m.

The Kodiaks are one of the most veteran teams in the field, with 12 seniors on the roster. It’s a reason why Fielding felt he would have an opportunity to breakout this season. He raised expectations for himself entering the off-season, spending more time on the ice, honing his shot, refining his skating and raising his fitness level to that of an elite player.

“After last year’s playoff, we lost to St. Paul’s, and I wanted to do better. I thought we had a really good team this year so I really tried to focus on scoring and leading, trying to make our way to finals,” Fielding said, adding his level of production has even caught him by surprise.

“I think I’ve been able to get shots off quicker. The year before, I couldn’t really shoot. Lots of shots would get blocked. And I feel like I could really get my shot off and get lots of area around the ice.”

Fielding’s lofty goals also meant maturing as a leader this season, an area he conceded has been a sore spot for him in past years.

“(Last year), I didn’t have an ‘A’ and I kind of thought I wasn’t the best on the bench. I would get angry with my teammates, and I really wanted to do better this year, try to be a better teammate and leader on the ice. And I thought I did a great job doing that,” he said.

Though the Kodiaks lost in the WHSHL’s semifinals, Fielding proved no moment was too big for him as he scored seven goals and dished out 11 assists in eight playoff contests. Gruener anticipates his team will get more of the same from their prolific scorer once the provincial championships get going.

Fielding has earned a reputation that his coaches and teammates shouldn’t expect anything less.

“The one thing is, it’s very easy to have one of your best players be the hardest-working player on your team. So, that’s the key. He just works every practice. Every time, he’s out early, doing things, working on things. So everything he’s accomplished, he’s worked for,” Gruener said.

“He is such a high competitor and has such a high competitiveness to him playing. He just wants to be successful.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca