Great Britain Head Coach Pete Russell has not been shy of giving younger talent a chance in recent tournaments since taking charge of the men’s senior team.
Liam Kirk, Sam Duggan, Sam Jones and Josh Tetlow are more established players to have been given the call into the GB talent.
The recent addition of twenty-year-old Cade Nielson to the Great Britain squad for the 2022 World Championships turned more than a few heads.
Hockey is in the blood for Cade, with his dad Corey having spent eight seasons in the minor leagues of North America before settling in Nottingham.
Corey made his name in the UK as a player and the coach of the Nottingham Panthers. He then moved overseas to continue with a role behind the bench.
Corey has also been a part of Great Britain’s coaching set-up since 2014 and remains an assistant for Pete Russell.
Due to his father’s career, Cade moved around during his formative years, attending several schools including the Ontario Hockey Academy.
After three years in that particular hockey school in Canada, Neilson was discovered by Steve Jennings, a scout for the Aberdeen Wings at the time.
Aberdeen wanted to sign the British native but felt that he would benefit from another year of development.
Neilson headed to the Maritime Junior Hockey League in Canada.
In Nova Scotia with the Yarmouth Mariners, the fish out of water (only non-full North American on the roster) recorded 29 points (9G, 20A) in 43 games.
In the play-offs, Neilson more than played his part in helping the Mariners win the first championship in over a decade.
Seven goals and six assists meant he finished tied sixth in playoff scoring in what was his first go-around in a competitive league.
The Wings didn’t forget about Neilson and tendered him an offer in the summer of 2019.
Neither Neilson nor the Wings have looked back since.
His rookie season numbers weren’t huge but that was to be expected.
Nine goals and 18 helpers for twenty-seven points meant Neilson finished tenth in scoring.
In the 2020-2021 campaign, Neilson racked up 45 points (12G, 33A) in 55 games to finish fifth in scoring.
Aberdeen progressed to the NAHL championship game but fell short. The forward finished tied for fifth in scoring again, registering seven assists in the playoffs.
The most recent season has been one to remember for the centreman.
Neilson led the Wings in both goals (26) and assists (49) with 75 points.
He has rewritten the history books in Aberdeen.
Neilson owns the single-season points, career points and career assists records for the Wings.
There is a symmetry to Neilson’s regular-season success.
Before his third season, there was a coaching change.
Scott Langer, the winningest coach in NAHL history, left to coach the Fargo Force of the United State Hockey League.
He was replaced by Steve Jennings. The scout who first set eyes on Neilson and made sure he got his man.
The Aberdeen Wings are currently engaged in their play-off campaign at the time of writing and have swept Austin Bruins 3-0 in the first round.
In game one of the series, Neilson scored a power-play goal just two minutes into overtime.
He added a further two assists in the following two games.
Neilson has been part of the Great Britain system and represented at both the U18 and U20 levels.
He’s produced at better than a point per game in every competitive tournament for GB.
Neilson won gold at the U18 level and has bronze and silver medals for the U20s.
South Dakota could not be more different from the nation Cade Neilson is going to represent at the World Championships in Finland.
It’s made no difference as Neilson has become an extremely well-loved member of the Wings and the local community.
This hilarious Mic’d up video gives you some idea of Neilson’s vivacious character and how liked he is by his teammates.
The 20-year-old has his immediate future set in stone.
Neilson has committed to play hockey at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA Div I) where he will join former Abeerden Wings players Antonio Di Paolo, Riley Murphy, Payton Matsui, Nátán Vertes and Jakob Breault.
He’s not just a colourful character but a young man who enjoys his life playing hockey and can see the larger picture.
“What I’ve always lived by is that you’ve always got to have fun. If you’re not doing something you love, there’s no point in doing it.”
“Any memory that’s not a good memory is a good learning curve. It’s a chance to learn and get better from.”
Before Neilson takes the next step in his journey, the stage of the World Championships will be his to grace in May.
Something he could have only dreamt about before this season began.
His demeanour and life outlook will see him fit easily in a GB roster full of larger than life characters but mostly older players.
The 20-year-old will be the younger sibling of the group, but looks can be deceptive. Neilson will give as good as he gets when it comes to the banter.
The addition of Neilson to this roster not only provides younger legs.
He is a talented young centreman, capable of being creative with the puck on his stick.
His minutes will likely be managed but do not be surprised if the boy from Nottingham turns a few heads with his play.
He’s already had to do so to make it this far.
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