REDS Land Larose
(FREDERICTON, NB) The defending U SPORTS and three-time Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey champion UNB REDS are adding heralded defenceman Nathan Larose to their recruiting class of 2021.
Larose, a native of Mirabel, Quebec, has signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent, and will join the REDS ahead of the 2021-2022 AUS season.
“He has a high-level offensive skill package, highlighted by excellent skating ability and a powerful shot,” said REDS head coach Gardiner MacDougall. “We heard great reviews from Eagles’ assistant coach and former UNB captain Chris Culligan about his maturity, passion for the game, and his potential to grow in our program.”
“He’s a player who has a lot of tools,” said REDS associate coach Rob Hennigar. “His shot is exceptional and can be a game breaker. It’s been fun watching Nate closely this past season. The more we watched, the more we realized how good a fit he’d be in our program.”
Larose recently completed a stellar major junior career that saw him play 206 regular season games with three QMJHL teams, including the Saint John Sea Dogs and the Cape Breton Eagles.
“It means a lot to be able to continue my development with the REDS,” said Larose. “When looking for universities, my main goal was to find a program where I can still develop and aspire to play pro hockey. That’s what you get with Coach Mac and UNB.”
Larose soared statistically with the Eagles the past two seasons while serving as one of the team’s assistant captains.
During the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, Larose scored 17 goals and 20 assists from the Eagles’ blue line.
In just 31 games of the on-again, off-again 2020-21 season, the 20-year-old led all Q-League defencemen in scoring, with 17 goals and 16 assists. He was named the league’s defenceman of the month in February.
“We think he’s just scratching the surface in terms of what he can be,” said Hennigar. “We can’t wait to build on what he’s learned from Chris (Culligan) and the Cape Breton organization.”
“I’m not the most vocal guy in the dressing room, but I enjoy leading by actions and I think that, sometimes, speaks louder than words,” said Larose, who also wore an ‘A’ during his time with the Sea Dogs. “My professionalism is what earned me a letter on my jersey.”
Larose is looking forward to his return to New Brunswick.
“My short-term goal at UNB is having a consistent season,” he said. “Being solid defensively, and being able create offensively is a goal for me. Long-term, along with winning championships, my goal is to leave UNB with a degree and a pro contract.”
Larose comes by his hockey prowess honestly. His father, Benoit, a 4th round draft pick of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, was a member of the Laval Titan team that won the QMJHL’s President Cup in 1993. That same season the senior Larose won the league’s Emile Bouchard Trophy, as defenceman of the year. In 1991, Benoit Larose won the Q League’s Marcel Robert Trophy, as the scholastic player of the year.
Larose has yet to decide which faculty he’ll enter while studying at UNB, but is leaning toward Business.