WORCESTER — Ignore anything you see online about exactly how tall or heavy Railers defenseman Connor Welsh is.
He knows the true figures, and he is neither tall nor heavy. Welsh stands at 5-feet-7 1/2 inches and weighs 170 pounds, not the 150 that occasionally pops up in a search engine.
“That’s from my days playing midget hockey,” he said, “back in 2013, 2014. I’m 170 now.”
The height and weight numbers matter more to other people than to Welsh, who is not only small for the game, but also from Nova Scotia. While the province is credited with being the birthplace of hockey, until players such Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand and others came along, it was rarely credited with producing NHL stars.
Welsh has ignored all that stuff to beat the odds and make it all the way to the Double A level of the pro game, first with the Trois-Rivieres Lions and now with the Railers.
“I was pretty undersized growing up,” he said, “ and I’m still undersized. That might hold me back but I try not to think that way. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect me growing up, but in today’s game it’s not that much of an issue. Growing up, I think a lot of people didn’t see me getting to where I am today.
“I was never the best player on my team, but I just love the game. I’ve always loved going to practice and trying to get better. That’s what I’ve done my whole career. I’m really happy to be playing and hope to be playing for a little bit longer.”
Welsh will turn 26 on Dec. 12. He grew up in Halifax and still spends his summers there. He played college hockey at Dalhousie University in the city and broke into pro hockey with Trois-Rivieres at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Geographically, he was in the same country. Otherwise, it was a bit of a different world. Positioned in the heart of French Canada, Trois-Rivieres has historically had a heavily French-Canadian roster, although that has evolved some.
“When I first got there it definitely was a little different,” Welsh said. “I had never experienced much like that….but once you get comfortable and start knowing the guys better, it’s pretty normal. Obviously they like to communicate with each other in French at times. Other than that they open up to everyone and you can have a conversation in English.”
That was a one-way street though; Welsh can’t speak French.
“The toughest part about it was cultural,” he added. “Just going out to the grocery store, the first time I was there….the cashier was asking me if I wanted a bag and I had no idea what she was saying, and she didn’t know what I was saying, so it took us a couple of minutes to figure it out. Just basic stuff like that.”
Welsh grew up a Bruins fan. That’s not so unusual in Nova Scotia. Halifax is 408 straight-line miles from Boston, 680 from Montreal and 787 from Toronto. It didn’t hurt that one of the best Bruins players in recent years — in the NHL for that matter — is defenseman Torey Krug, just a smidgen taller than Welsh.
Some 690 players have donned Worcester uniforms since the IceCats made their debut in 1994. Only six of them were born and raised in Nova Scotia. Three have played for the Railers — Welsh, goalie Colten Ellis and Mitchell Balmas. Rob Melanson was an original IceCat. David MacDonald (MacDonald is also from Halifax and it seems that about 6 out of every 10 Nova Scotians is named MacDonald) and James Sheppard skated for the Sharks.
Of those half-dozen players, Melanson has had the longest Worcester career at 59 games.
Welsh is hoping for a longer Worcester career than anyone else. Beyond that, he’s looking for a longer career in the game. Welsh is one year short of a degree in management at Dalhousie, a skill that could translate into doing something off the ice.
“It’s actually what I hope to do when I’m older,” he said. “Stay in hockey and be a coach.”
Welsh’s teammate Zach White is listed at 5-feet-7. Barry Almeida was 5-8. So was Jacob Hayhurst and he weighed just 165 pounds. Matty Gaudreau is the all-time Worcester leader in being light. He was just 145 pounds, and that might have been with his equipment on.
All of those players are forwards, though. Defensemen tend to be a little bigger.
“One thing I think I’ve realized,” Welsh said, “is that it’s not new for me to be smaller than everybody else. I’ve always been smaller than everybody else. It’s what I’m used to. Having to play as an undersized guy my whole life has taught me how to play the game the right way, use my brain and be smart, outsmart my opponent, be able to move the puck.
“I kind of look at it as a little bit of an advantage. I think it’s helped me a lot to be a better player.”
Welsh’s arrival here has led to Worcester becoming a bit of a hockey oddity. It is the only city on the planet with two Connor Welshes in the box scores. The other is a forward at the College of the Holy Cross.
The Railers’ Welsh is not a big player, but the team is hoping he will help them put together a big season and perhaps become the best player from Nova Scotia to ever wear a Worcester uniform.
Bill Ballou covered the Red Sox for the Worcester Telegram from 1997 through 2018. He has covered pro hockey in Worcester since 1994 and currently does a weekly column for the Worcester Red Sox. Ballou can be reached at vetgoalie@aol.com
