Grove Itching to Get Started

At 5′10, 190 pounds, Aces defenseman Nick Grove may not be the biggest or strongest player in the lineup this season, but he has two things in abundance that put him in a league of his own.

Smarts and heart.

However, like fellow teammate Dan Rohanna, Grove has been out of professional hockey for a while, having played his last game during the 2006-07 season with the SPHL Pee Dee Cyclones.

Nevertheless, he’s ready to resurrect his career in Brooklyn this season.

“This is a chance for me to prove to myself that I can play again,” the New York City Native said. “I’m ready to go.”

Ironically, Grove was a teammate of Rohanna’s at SUNY- Fredonia before transferring to Johnson and Wales University in 2004 and has remained close to him over the past few years. Nevertheless, during his time at Fredonia with Rohanna, Grove battled serious leg injuries that limited his ability to develop as a forward. Once at Johnson and Wales however, Grove developed into an excellent two-way defenseman, scoring 36 points in 52 games, while serving as the team’s lone captain.

That proved to many that a future in pro hockey was still within his sights.

Immediately becoming comfortable at the blue line, Grove was a force his last two seasons in college and will give the Aces an excellent option on the powerplay this season. A smooth skater and hard worker, Grove admits he gets a kick out of stopping forwards in their tracks and making the big pass out of the zone. If everything goes as planned, he plans to be doing a lot of both this season.

“Since I played forward, I think my skating is up to par with them,” Grove, who compares his game to former New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer, said. “Usually, you see these big defensemen that can’t keep up with these guys, but are factors down low. I’m different though. Having experience at forward allows me to play smart and take advantage of their mistakes and at the same time, be a factor on offense. I love springing guys with a big pass.”

In spite of his development in college, Grove’s pro hockey career hasn’t been as successful as he would have liked. A wrist injury while with the Cyclones and subsequent release afterwards temporarily ended his career and left him contemplating his future in the sport. Spending the next year in the banking industry and training in an MMA camp, Grove didn’t know if he’d ever get a chance to play pro hockey again.

Then in July, his old friend Rohanna came calling about a new team in Brooklyn that was having tryouts.

“He’s one of the reasons why I’m playing again,” Grove said of his teammate. “He heard about what was going on here and I really wasn’t skating, probably only about once a week and he got me back on the ice.”

Now that he’s back on the ice, Grove is ready to prove he belongs in pro hockey again.

“I’m happy that I have a second chance,” he said. “I’m really excited to play again.”

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