The Norwich Hockey Club (NHC) is in their third year of operation, and with the surge of high-level hockey programs across the country, students internationally have been attracted to the elite level of hockey play that Norwich Hockey Club offers. Student-athletes not only play for NHC, but also attend Norwich Free Academy (NFA) to continue their secondary school education. Players rostered for the 2024-2025 season include international players who derive from diverse cultural backgrounds, including natives of Hungary, Spain, Canada, Finland, and Kazakhstan. Head Coach for the U18 (Under the age of 18) Boys Hockey Program and NHC General Manager Wayne Sheehan is also the program’s founder. With challenges faced throughout the opening of the program, which started play in 2022, Sheehan looks forward to continuing to stabilize and improve the program.
“So much has happened in terms of trying to develop this program. When we first conceived it, there were staff members who were being laid off, international enrollments were down, and in trying to create this program… it was really about trying to enhance who comes to school here and create jobs (for teachers and staff members affected by declining enrollment,) and we’ve been able to do that with the start of this program. So it’s more than just what we do on the ice and performing there, it’s really been important for the growth of our school community,” Sheehan said.
Norwich Hockey Club had a successful season last year, just the second year of the program, where the team won the United Tier 1 U18 AAA Hockey League, later competing at the 2024 USA Hockey-Chipotle National Championships in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Creating a positive reputation for NHC at the national and international levels has been a goal for Sheehan since the start. This would conceivably allow for the enhancement of student-athletes to be enlisted in such a high level of competition. Sheehan looks forward to expanding in the 2025-2026 school year, where a new NHC girls hockey program was recently announced.
“We are growing the game of hockey. Our players have the opportunity to compete at the highest level while pursuing their education at Norwich Free Academy. It’s a winning combination,” said Sheehan.
With the program continuing to grow, the hope is that, as more international student-athletes attracted to Norwich Free Academy, the growth of the program will broaden NHC’s international appeal.
Felyx-Luc Langlois, defenseman for Norwich Hockey Club, is from Canada. Langlois is one of the many Canadian players to play for NHC in its three-year history, most of whom are native to the province of Quebec. As Langlois continues to play under NHC, he wants to create opportunities to score on the ice. “I’m a defenseman but I’m an offensive defenseman. I like to play with the puck, make some passes, and play hard, play fast,” says Langlois. Langlois will continue to play the rest of the season under Norwich Hockey Club with the hopes to continue to play in premier junior hockey programs in the coming seasons. For his future goals in ice hockey, he would like to get the chance to play as long as possible.
In terms of recruiting student-athletes to attend NFA, the NHC program will continue to grow in the 2025-2026 school year, due to the new girls program.
Sheehan has one thing left to take note of: “I love when our NFA student body is at our home games. It adds an atmosphere to our arena that’s just incredible. I would encourage kids to come out and watch their classmates play because we’re good!”
NHC plays its home games at the RoseGarden Ice Arena on New London Turnpike in Norwich.