April 15, 2013
Peoria, Ill. – Notre Dame senior left wing Nick Larson (Apple Valley, Minn.) has been signed to an amateur tryout contract by the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League (AHL). Peoria general manager Kevin McDonald announced the signing on Friday, April 12. Larson played in his first pro game on Saturday (April 13) in the 4-3 overtime win by the Rivermen versus the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Larson, a four-year regular with the Irish, closed out his Notre Dame career on March 30, in the 5-1 loss to Saint Cloud State in the NCAA Midwest Regional. As a senior, Larson played in 40 games, scoring four goals with five assists for nine points with one power-play goal on the year. The 6-2, 198-pound winger had 16 penalties for 32 minutes and was -1 on the year.
Over four seasons, the hard-working forward played in 152 career games, scoring 25 goals with 22 assists for 47 points. He scored five power-play goals and had five game winners. Larson closed out his career with 78 penalties for 198 penalty minutes. His best season came in 2010-11 when he scored 10 goals with nine assists for 19 points in 43 games.
In his pro debut, Larson had one shot on goal and was even for the night as the Rivermen scored just 20 seconds into overtime for the win that helped them clinch a playoff spot in the upcoming AHL playoffs. He will next be in action on Tuesday, April 16 when Peoria plays host to the Charlotte Checkers in a 7:05 p.m. game.
Larson was selected in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 108th overall by the Calgary Flames. He is a political science major at Notre Dame and will graduate in from the University in May. He is the second Irish player to start his pro career since the end of the season as he joins junior Anders Lee (Edina, Minn.) who signed with the New York Islanders on April 1.