Nick Paul

History

2010-11: Nicholas Paul played for the Mississauga Senators minor midget AAA team in Ontario. He scored 14 goals with 11 assists and had 12 penalty minutes in 37 games. He played five games in the OHL Cup with the Senators and scored 2 goals with 2 assists.

2011-12: Paul played nine games in Canadian Junior A hockey with the Mississauga Chargers and played for the Mississauga Reps midget AAA team in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He scored 3 goals with 2 assists and had 4 penalty minutes with the Chargers. Paul scored 1 goal with 3 assists in five games for the Reps at the Ottawa Senators Midget AAA showcase in October. Paul was the MVP of the GTHL’s All-Star game and scored 14 goals with 8 assists in 38 games for the Reps. He was selected by Brampton in the fifth round (95th overall) of the 2012 OHL Priority Draft.

2012-13: Paul skated in 66 games for Brampton in his first OHL season. He scored 12 goals with 16 assists and was +6 with 21 penalty minutes. Brampton reached the playoffs, finishing second in the Central Division, but fell to third-place Sudbury in a first round playoff series. Paul had 1 assist and was -4 in the five-game series. He was ranked 124th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings and was selected by Dallas in the fourth round (101st overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Paul was the third-leading scorer for the re-located North Bay Battalion in his second OHL season. He scored 26 goals with 20 assists and was +12 with 39 penalty minutes in 67 regular season games. The Battalion finished first in the Central  Division and reached the OHL Finals against Guelph. Paul scored 12 goals with 6 assists and was +9 with 10 penalty minutes in 22 playoff games. The Senators acquired the rights to Paul in July 2014 as part of the Jason Spezza trade. 

2014-15: Paul led North Bay with 37 goals despite missing 10 games and played for the gold medal-winning Canada U20 team at the 2015 World Junior Championship. An assistant captain for the Battalion in his third season, he had 29 assists and was +25 with 49 penalty minutes in 58 regular season games. North Bay finished second to Barrie in the Central Division and reached the Eastern Conference finals against Memorial Cup champion Oshawa. Paul scored 7 goals with 8 assists and was +1 with 6 penalty minutes in 15 playoff games. He scored 3 goals with 2 penalty minutes and was +6 in seven games for Canada at the WJC. Canada defeated Russia, 5-4, in the gold medal game. Paul signed a three-year entry-level contract with Ottawa in December 2014.

Talent Analysis

Nick Paul is a strong, skilled power forward who excels in big games, as evidenced by his terrific performances for the North Bay Battalion in the playoffs, and for Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2015. The 6-foot-3 forward is quick for his size, and has some finishing ability around the net as well. Although he was often utilized as a left winger in major junior, the Senators envision him as the big centre the team has long needed.

Future

Although the Senators have plenty of skill up the middle, they don’t have much size—and the hope is that Paul is ready for the NHL sooner rather than later. Until then, he will continue to develop in Binghamton, where he began the 2015-16 season.