Bonanza product Naglich thriving on ice, green felt

Adam Naglich was an avid roller hockey player in Las Vegas when local coach Rob Pallin convinced the then-16-year-old to trade in his roller blades for ice skates.

The decision has paid dividends for Naglich, a Bonanza High School graduate who played four years at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks on a hockey scholarship before returning to Las Vegas this week as a member of the ECHL's Bakersfield (Calif.) Condors.

The 25-year-old Naglich, a rookie forward for Bakersfield, helped the Condors gain a 4-1 win over the Wranglers on Thursday at the Orleans Arena. Las Vegas won Friday's rematch, 2-1, and the teams will meet again today at Bakersfield, Calif.

While Las Vegas would appear to be the perfect place to play for Naglich, who moonlights as a professional poker player, he said that's not the case.

"I wanted to be close to home, but not in Vegas, so Bakersfield's a great fit for me," said Naglich, who has cashed $73,230 in eight World Series of Poker events and more playing online. "It's nice having family around, but there's a lot of distractions, too, and the lifestyle of Las Vegas can cause distractions, so I thought it would be a good idea to play away from home."

Naglich is adept at calculating his odds of winning a poker hand, but he wouldn't guess what the odds are of him realizing his ultimate goal of playing in the NHL.

"I'm sure they're not the greatest, but they're not great for anyone," he said. "I just have to keep working hard and hopefully I'll get those lucky breaks and get a chance."

With the right opportunities, Pallin said Naglich "can go far in this game."

Pallin played pro hockey in France for Condors coach Marty Raymond and asked him to take a look at Naglich.

"Marty told me right away he thinks Adam is an American Hockey League player," Pallin said. "He's a very defensive forward with a lot of offensive upside."

Raymond said the 6-foot-1-inch, 182-pound Naglich, who has one assist in nine games, "has been a great player for us."

"He's supposed to be a defensive specialist, but he's got a lot more to his game than that," Raymond said. "And his demeanor is phenomenal. He's very quiet, but he's a very big competitor, and that's a key to go to the next level."

While Pallin said he thinks Naglich is the first Las Vegas native to play professional hockey, he said he certainly won't be the last.

The UNLV hockey club coach expects Las Vegas natives Eddie DelGrosso, a defenseman at Nebraska-Omaha; Chris Francis, who plays in the Western Hockey League; and Jason Zucker, a 17-year-old projected to be a first- or second-round pick in the next NHL Draft, to each turn pro in the near future.

"These kids have got a bright future in pro hockey," Pallin said. "Just because they're in the desert here, they're not working any less than a kid from Minnesota."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@ reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0354.