Julien Nantel (born September 6, 1996) is a Canadian former professional

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. He was drafted in the 6th round by the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Nantel played 40 games for the Laval-Montreal Rousseau Royal in the QMAAA as a 15 year old, and scored 11 goals with 17 assists and 8 penalty minutes. In his second season with the Royal's he led the team in the playoffs to capture the championship and earn honors as the playoff MVP with 17 points in 17 games. He was selected by

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League based in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The team plays its home games at the Aréna Iamgold, Aréna Glencore. The Huskies finished first overal ...

in the second round (30th overall) of the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft. Despite being ranked much higher, he was drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 NHL Entry draft but continued to play in the

QMJHL The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

; over the next two seasons he improved both his offensive numbers and his skill as a defensive forward. On March 9, 2016 he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche. In his rookie professional season in 2016–17, Nantel was assigned to American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, on October 1, 2016. Used in primarily a defensive forward role, Nantel appeared in 59 games with the Rampage for 8 points. On March 8, 2017, Nantel was re-assigned to secondary ECHL affiliate, the

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hockey League and ...

. Provided a larger role with the Eagles to continue his development, Nantel remained with the club through the post-season, flourishing in recording 8 goals and 16 points in 20 games to help the Eagles capture their first

Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

. As an impending restricted free agent following the conclusion of his entry-level contract, Nantel's tenure with the Avalanche ended after he was not tendered a qualifying offer on June 25, 2019. After exploring free agency, Nantel opted to return and continue with the Colorado Eagles, accepting a one-year AHL contract on July 23, 2019. In the 2019–20 season, Nantel in his fourth AHL campaign registered career best marks of 8 goals, 5 assists and 13 points in 35 games before the season was ended prematurely due to the

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. Sitting out the ensuing

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

season, Nantel returned to the professional ranks in agreeing to a contract with inaugural ECHL club,

Trois-Rivières Lions The Trois-Rivières Lions ( French: ''Lions de Trois-Rivières'') are a professional minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The team began play in the 2021–22 season, with home games held at Colisée Vid� ...

, on July 16, 2021. In the 2021–22 season, Nantel was limited to just 33 regular season games due to an ankle injury and later a concussion, however was able to contribute with 17 points. After appearing in the opening two playoff contests, Nantel was demoted as a healthy scratch and later left the club announcing his retirement from professional hockey to pursue a career in finance.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nantel, Julien 1996 births Living people Canadian ice hockey forwards Colorado Avalanche draft picks Colorado Eagles players Rouyn-Noranda Huskies players San Antonio Rampage players Ice hockey people from Laval, Quebec Trois-Rivières Lions players Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States 21st-century Canadian sportsmen