Giancarlo Nadeau
When he first saw the Pittsburgh Penguins with his father, Patrick Dolan knew he wanted to be a hockey player. “At the time, it was called Civic Arena, and I remember thinking it was awesome, and I wanted to be Sidney Crosby,” he recalled.
His family has played a significant part in his junior hockey career and follows him as closely as possible from their home in Pennsylvania. “Special thanks to my mom, dad, and sister for helping me chase this goal [playing hockey], and I know I’m fortunate to have people in my life who can support me like that. I’m grateful for them,” he said.
Dolan first entered the PJHL on November 25,2023, against the Surrey Knights as a North Vancouver Wolf Pack member. He played in 36 games with North Vancouver, registering four goals and 16 assists. While he didn’t know it then, his last game with the Wolf Pack occurred on October 29, 2024.
“I wasn’t thrilled when I got the news that I was being traded because I would have to leave my friends and all the relationships I had developed the previous year, but the trade was probably the best thing for me.” In his first game with his new team, Dolan scored twice and assisted on two goals to earn first-star honours in a 7-2 thrashing of the Port Moody Panthers on November 8.
That trade taught him that “everything happens for a reason,” as he admitted that “the Coast was the best place for me to be, and I’m glad that it happened. I’m going to take that lesson and live the rest of my life with it,” he added.
As the only 20-year-old on his team with more than one year of PJHL experience, Dolan had much to share with his teammates.
“My leadership shines through the most at the rink. I’m a pretty active voice on the bench. I like to keep the boys motivated during the game.”
As for how he has matured as a player since that first game with North Vancouver back in 2023, Dolan feels his offensive game has developed. “Even just looking at my points. I think I had more points in my first eight games this year than last season. Offensively, I have developed ”
Dolan finished his PJHL career with 13 goals and 30 assists for 43 points in 65 regular season games between the North Vancouver Wolf Pack and the Coastal Tsunami. “Hopefully, the fans remember me well. I had a lot of fun playing in front of them, and I hope they had a lot of fun watching me play,” he said.
He will spend this off-season preparing for college, where he will continue playing hockey. “I wouldn’t be here without everybody who supported me, so thank you,” he concluded.
