BULLS ALL-TIME ADVANCEMENT LIST
MENOMONIE, Wis. – North Iowa Bulls forward Nick Bowlin brings a number of strengths to the table for head coach Todd Sanden’s team.
In his second year with the team, he brings experience to the roster that is hard to replicate. Bowlin’s scoring prowess has also helped him stake his claim on a top-tier forward spot. And, of course, size can’t be taught – at 6’2″ and 200 pounds, the Woodbury, Minnesota native has plenty of that as well.
Those are all qualities that college coaches will also find handy in a prospect, and University of Wisconsin-Stout head coach Terry Watkins is hoping that combination will be just the right one to unlock his team’s potential next season. Bowlin has announced his commitment to the Blue Devils, and will attend UW-Stout starting in the 2020-21 academic year.
“We’re undersized. We need a little more meat on the walls,” said Watkins. “Our league is a bigger, stronger league, and Nick is a big kid who plays hard, shoots well and skates well. He’s got a whole game. He’s not missing anything.”
The former Tartan High School standout had a solid first season with the Bulls in 2018-19, putting up 25 points in 36 games on the ice. This season, he has elevated his game again with nearly a point a night, racking up 30 points in 31 games.
“Stout envisions Nick as a big, rugged, physical forward for them,” said Sanden. “They’re going to expect him to chip it a bit offensively – that’s the thrust for them. They like his speed, they like his size and they like his physicality.”
The pipeline between North Iowa and Wisconsin-Stout continues to strengthen, with Bowlin becoming marking the 14th Bulls player to land a spot on the Blue Devils roster since the franchise’s first season in 2011-12. The NCAA Division III school and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member has already bagged one Bulls standout this year, third-year North Iowa forward Cam Fagerlee.
Bowlin is the fourth Bulls player to make a college choice this season, and second this week. Forward Jordan Roo made his commitment to Wisconsin-Stevens Point earlier in the week. More than 140 North Iowa players have found their way to college hockey programs, including more than 70 who made their college commitments while on the Bulls’ roster.
The North Iowa Bulls congratulate Nick Bowlin on his commitment to the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and wish him the best in the next stage of his academic and athletic career.