Nijhoff staying busy and staying ready for Pats to resume

Regina Pats centre Logan Nijhoff might need to call a timeout before the start of the 2020-21 season.

While many WHL players struggle to remain occupied during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nijhoff has been juggling a packed schedule for most of this prolonged off-season.

“I know lots of guys have been like `I don't know what to do,' ” said the native of Comox, B.C. “For myself, it hasn't been too difficult.”

Now that's an understatement. Over the summer, Nijhoff had a full-time lawn-care job during the day while his evenings were spent on the ice or in the gym.

More recently, Nijhoff and teammate Riley Krane, who's from Dawson Creek, B.C., received permission from the WHL to return to Regina and train at Next Level Hockey Consulting.

In addition to daily workouts with other WHL and pro players, Nijhoff landed a part-time job with a local sporting goods store, Extreme Hockey.

“I've been lucky to find work here and have the opportunity to work out and skate with a bunch of good guys; it's definitely the best spot to be,” said Nijhoff, 19. “It's not easy trying to be a fulltime hockey player to make that jump to the next level when you don't have the opportunity to play games. I'm really trying to stay focused and keep doing everything I can every day to progress.”

In his limited spare time, Nijhoff has been helping coach a minor hockey team that includes a member of his billet family. He's also a volunteer ambassador with the Hockey Gives Blood program in addition to taking an online university course.

“I've been keeping pretty busy,” he said with a laugh. “If not, I go stir crazy. I'm not really the type to sit at home and do nothing.”

Although he's spread pretty thin, Nijhoff's training regimen is a top priority.

The WHL recently announced its plan to open a truncated schedule on Jan. 8 and Nijhoff plans to be ready. He works out every morning and is also on the ice at the Co-operators Centre roughly four times per week.

“We're getting ready for the season,” said Nijhoff, a leading contender to wear the captain's C this season. “We're kind of looking at it like it's June right now where we're working on our strength and gaining as much weight as we can before we move into more of our conditioning and speed.

“There's lots of opportunity with the extra time to make improvements and really work at the skills you need to improve.”

Along with the tangible benefits, Nijhoff's busy schedule ensures that he doesn't have time to dwell on the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation.

The Pats have been idle since the final week of the 2019-20 season was cancelled on March 13. That was over seven months ago and there's still another 11 weeks before the league's planned restart.

“It has definitely been really different,” Nijhoff added. “I've just been trying to keep myself busy to keep my mind off it. It has been weird having to work for this long and feel like you're not really a hockey player. You just try to keep that focus.

“Overall, it has been pretty easy for me.”