Article by Felicity Harding. Photo By St. Cloud State Athletics.
Born and raised in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, Huskies senior forward Nick Portz got his start in hockey around four years old and grew up watching the Huskies play at the Brooks Center.
“I think [growing up watching the Huskies is] probably what makes it so cool. I did come to so many Husky games when I was younger. I really looked up to those guys on the ice and wanted to be those guys. I wanted to be someone that the youth kids in St. Cloud want to grow up and play like and be like,” said Portz.
While he may not have realized it in the moment, playing hockey in Minnesota, and high school hockey, Portz now recognizes just how cool of an opportunity he had.
“I think [playing hockey in Minnesota] was probably something that I didn’t realize how cool that was until I got a little bit older. But now that I kind of get to see the state of hockey or playing in other states, kind of seeing what Minnesota has and the awesome hockey culture here, I couldn’t have asked for a better spot to grow up,” said Portz, “I think high school hockey is something that a lot of guys, if they could, they’d like to go back and play again just because you’re with your really good buddies. I still talk to a lot of those guys all the time.”
After completing his high school hockey career, Portz went on to play for the Minnesota Wilderness in the NAHL and then the Tri-City Storm and Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL. While moving away from home was a big jump, it was a leap Portz was ready to take.
“It was a pretty big jump. I think I was ready to make that jump. You kind of just learn. You just got to grow up a little bit quicker. You don’t have mom and dad around all the time. You kind of got to go out and find your way,” said Portz.
Portz then started his collegiate career. While Portz grew up watching the Huskies, his journey to becoming a Husky was a little different, as connections in North Dakota led to him starting his collegiate career at the University of North Dakota.
“At the time, I felt like it was a really good spot for me personally. I thought that I had a good relationship with the coach that recruited me. I had a good family friend of ours that played there before there. It just felt like it was going to be the right fit,” said Portz.
While things did not end up the way Portz had hoped at North Dakota, Portz was able to make his way back home and turn the dream of being a Husky into reality. The process of the transfer portal was not an easy or fun thing to go through, but Portz is very thankful that Larson and the coaching staff took a chance on him in St. Cloud. Even though the process of getting back to St. Cloud was not easy, being able to be a Husky made it all worth it for Portz.
“I’m just proud to be a Husky,” said Portz.
After returning home, in his senior season he was able to be a part of the Huskies’ leadership group.
“[Earning a letter] was pretty cool, especially going through some ups and downs the year before. I just felt that that was something that was a true honor, just with all the guys before me that have worn letters. Being a part of leadership with Josh Luedtke, Mason Salquist, and Ryan Rosborough, those guys have all been here for longer than I have. They really brought me in,” said Portz.
From being a part of the leadership group to getting to wear a Husky jersey, Portz had many memories, but one series stuck out a little more to him.
“The first [memory] that probably comes to my head is the homecoming game when we played Augustana. We had all the alumni and stuff, and the team won. I had two goals at the homecoming weekend,” said Portz.
Not only did Portz have two goals against Augustana, but both of Portz’s goals that weekend came in the same game and marked his first multigoal collegiate game.
While his time as a Husky has come to an end, he did have one piece of advice for future college hockey players.
“Don’t take any days for granted. It goes by a lot quicker than you think. Make sure you just come to the rink every day with a purpose and want to get better,” said Portz.
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