PROFILE
NICOLAS
G R AV E L
L’ETOILE MODESTE
B Y J O H N P L O S Z AY
Photos by James Carey Lauder
3 6 | G AME O N | D EC EM BER 2017
Known to his teammates as Nico,
Nicolas Gravel is a high scoring,
hard shooting defenseman who
just happens to be the backbone
of the Transcona Railer Express.
He’s not only the Captain of the Railer
Express, but the undisputed leader of
his team and last spring was named
the 2016-17 winner of the George
Cadzow Trophy as the Outstanding
Defenseman in the Manitoba Major
Junior Hockey League But there is
more to Gravel than just hockey.
He’s a young man who chose school
ahead of hockey and thanks to the mere
existence of the MMJHL, he’s able to
concentrate on his studies and still play
the game at a high competitive level.
Gravel was born in Winnipeg but
played his minor hockey in Lorette. He
played midget with the Provincial Triple
A Eastman Selects and was signed by
the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons. However,
when he completed high school, he
decided his education was too important
to delay. Now in his fourth year at the
University of Manitoba and completing
his honours degree in psychology, Gravel
indicated it wasn’t a tough decision to
join the Transcona Railer Express.
“When I decided not to pursue the
Pistons I spoke to several MMJHL
teams,” Gravel said. “Transcona
was a really good choice for me.
They’re a committed organization
and the fit just seemed perfect.”
Gravel wears No. 4. As a defenseman
you’d think he coveted that number from
the start and maybe out of admiration
for one of the greatest hockey players
of all time – Bobby Orr. However, that’s
not the case at all. He actually wanted
to wear No. 3 – the number he always
wore before joining Transcona.
“When I came to the Railer Express,
one of the best and most respected
veterans and a guy I built my game
around wore No. 3,” Gravel said.
“That guy was Isaac Bellan (twice
named MMJHL Defenseman of
the Year) so I had to take No. 4.”
Gravel was a bit of a late starter. He