Every athlete must carve their own path to success, no matter how nonlinear it may be.  For Nico Blachman, growing up in South Florida and becoming a professional hockey player along with developing several hockey business ventures has been unconventional to say the least.  However, the path the Iowa Heartlanders Assistant Captain has forged has been extremely rewarding and immensely promising, allowing Blachman to make his mark on the game.

Growing up in Aventura, Florida, roller hockey was what first caught the attention of Blachman at a young age, playing until he was seven years old.  After the unfortunate closure of the local roller hockey rink, he was thrust onto the ice instead, playing in Pembroke Pines, Florida while being coached by former professional hockey player, Rob Kenny.  Blachman gives immense credit to Kenny for teaching him the game and instilling a passion that still burns to this day.  He soon made the jump to AAA hockey before leaving the Sunshine State to attend Shattuck St. Mary’s in Minnesota, in what would be the first of many moves in pursuit of his professional hockey career. 

Attending a prestigious hockey school such as Shattuck St. Mary’s was an eye-opening experience that Blachman hadn’t had while growing up in Florida. Even the small details such as the proximity to so many rinks.  By contrast, Blachman’s closest arena was 35 minutes away in Florida.

“In Florida, it felt like you were only a hockey player when you were at the rink,” reflected Blachman.  “I found the hockey culture to be the biggest difference.  Once you left the rink there was no one to talk hockey with. It was the polar opposite in Minnesota.”

Blachman was invited to the Sioux Falls Stampede training camp, a team in the USHL.  As Blachman recalls, there were five fights throughout camp.  He was involved in all five.  The Stampede signed him as an affiliate where he could be called up to play when needed. In his only year with the Stampede, there were two 16-year-olds that played, Blachman and Kieffer Bellows, who would become a first round draft pick of the New York Islanders.  “That was where it all clicked for me.  I knew I could get to the next level without being as good as the goal scorers.”

During his time in the QMJHL with the Saint John Sea Dogs, Blachman was taken under the wing by another future professional hockey player, Bokondji Imama. “I learned how he goes about his business, and that became how I went about my business.”  Blachman describes Imama as one of his best friends to this day.  The enforcer role that was once believed to be diminishing is growing thanks to players such as Imana and Blachman who can change the outcome of a game by their rugged style of play.

“If you are playing a team that has a guy and you don’t have a guy to fight back, it’s easy to get bullied and teams don’t want that,” Blachman explained. “I always say, guys like me employ guys like me because of the trickle-down effect.”

Despite the constant change of scenery for Blachman, who has played for 22 teams across 12 different leagues since 2014, he always made it a priority to form bonds and keep in touch with teammates. Blachman speaks highly of the strong relationship he has formed with Iowa Heartlanders Head Coach and General Manager, Derek Damon, which has led to his success and stability in Iowa, and in turn has allowed him to find a home for the first time in his hockey career.

“We understand each other.  I understand my role on this team and he respects my role on this team.”  Blachman has found a sense of stability for not just himself but also his family.  Beyond that, he was named an Assistant Captain.  Being appreciated by your team is what can make all the difference as Blachman has found with the Heartlanders.  Despite his high praise and gratitude for this aspect of his career, Blachman has dealt with the negative aspects of professional hockey and striving to find a home.

“You start to feel like you don’t have a lot of value and it becomes really hard to keep that momentum going for yourself,” Blachman described.

Blachman has strived to be a leader in every locker room he’s walked into.  The only obstacle has been sticking with a team long enough to solidify himself as a leadership presence. After representing the Heartlanders at the 2024 PHPA Annual Meeting of Player Representatives this past summer, which Blachman described as an “unbelievable experience”, he made it a mission to become the team’s full-time PHPA Player Rep.  As a player who has been around the league, Blachman never felt like he truly understood the sheer number of benefits that the PHPA could offer him. He called the Heartlanders immediately after signing to express his interest in being the team’s Player Rep for the 2024-25 season, and is striving to ensure his teammates are kept well informed. 

“Once I learned what the PHPA does I just wanted to be able to inform my teammates of all the benefits we have and how valuable it all is,” Blachman explained. “I got a taste of the PHPA at the meetings in Orlando last year and found out how truly unbelievable is it what the PHPA does for us.  There have been many examples where the staff really went to bat for us.  Even after our playing careers are over, you’re a member for life.”

Blachman has expanded his foray into hockey beyond the ice.  He currently hosts a weekly podcast with Zach Solow of the Toronto Marlies called “The BuzzPod”.  While attending Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, he had the idea to reach out to his many contacts and would just chat for an hour about their hockey journeys and what they’ve learned along the way. The joint venture with Solow, who is also the Marlies’ PHPA Player Representative, has grown into an amazing friendship for Blachman and Solow while they set their sights on using this podcast as a tool to help players, coaches, parents, fans, or anyone else to learn about the nuances of the game that can at times be overlooked.  

“We are hoping to bring value to kids and teach them about not only what professional hockey players do, but also how they got out of their ruts. We want to talk about the ups and downs of a career because everyone has them.”

Ultimately The Buzz Pod has allowed Blachman to catch up with friends and former teammates through the ability to talk about hockey for one hour a week.

“Zach and I are boys so getting to catch up with him once a week is the best.  You don’t get to talk hockey too much in the offseason so it’s nice to sit down and hear about a new hockey journey.”

Another venture that Blachman has been a part of creating is SoFlo Hockey with the mission of bringing the hockey community together in Southeast Florida to foster new opportunities for players of all ages. This stemmed from the fact that Florida has many talented hockey players, however, Blachman noticed that a lot of them weren’t training together. The idea was to take the best players from Florida and play 3-on-3 once a week. This led to the creation of a four-team league with schedules and standings. SoFlo has continued to gain traction and is growing at a fast pace with many Anaheim Ducks players and prospects who train in Florida now joining SoFlo (including Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson) as well as many NHL veterans who live in Florida in the offseason (Ryan Lomberg, Nikita Zadorov, Anthony Duclair). Now with a significant number of sponsors, a hired media team, customized jerseys, and an official draft, SoFlo has grown from a summer league into a true powerhouse hockey league in Southeast Florida. Typically, a roster is made up of four NHL players with the other three being AHL, ECHL, or NCAA D1 players. Despite the rapidly growing success, Blachman has not lost sight of what got them to this point.

“It started as a way for players from South Florida to get better together and has now grown into this huge product.  I want it to continue to grow naturally.  Sometimes people think success needs to be bigger and better but there’s a reason we got to this point.”

With what some might consider an unconventional path to professional hockey, the fire continues to burn brighter than ever for Blachman. He hasn’t lost his motivation and reminds himself that hockey is what he loves.  “This is the best job in the world.  I wake up in the morning and get to go to the rink and then I have meetings about hockey.  Even my bad days are great days because I get to go to the rink and play hockey.”

Outside of hockey, Blachman has endless amounts of motivation thanks to his wife and daughter, with his second child on the way. “I will never run out of motivation.  There are endless amounts around here.”

Looking forward, Blachman has his sights set on helping the Iowa Heartlanders get into the Kelly Cup Playoffs, a feat they have yet to achieve as an organization. “I have never been in the playoffs in my five years in this league and this team hasn’t either, both of which I would like to see happen this year.  Once you’re in you never know what can happen.”