Gustav Nyquist is not Teddy Purcell. Nor is he Andrew Sweetland.

However, after Nyquist’s stellar freshman season at Maine in 2008-09, it was tough for Black Bear fans to differentiate between the three. Fearing the worst and a repeat of recent history, those in Orono worried about Nyquist following the footsteps of Purcell and Sweetland, and bolting town early.

Nyquist, though, had different ideas.

“I’m not in a hurry here,” said Nyquist, who led all Hockey East freshmen last season with 13 goals. “I know in order for me to play in the big league, I have to get stronger. We don’t play that many games out here, so it’s good for me to develop outside the ice, too, in the weight room and stuff. It’s a good mix here. You play two [games] a weekend, and during the week, I have time to improve my strength outside the ice. So that’s good for me.”

Nyquist was also in a completely different situation than Purcell and Sweetland. The Detroit Red Wings selected Nyquist in the fourth round of the 2008 draft, so his options beyond Maine are pretty cut and dry. If he turned pro after his freshman season, he’d be stuck in the minor leagues while waiting to get his turn in Detroit. More than anything, the Red Wings want Nyquist to add some size and strength, which obviously doesn’t happen overnight.

Purcell and Sweetland were both undrafted, which created a wider array of options. While Purcell has thrived in the Los Angeles Kings’ organization – making his decision to leave early look like a pretty good one – Sweetland has remained in purgatory in the Florida Panthers’ system, and he has yet to sniff the NHL.

“Purcell and Sweetland, they were both free agents, and they had great freshman years so I think they wanted to take the easiest way out and sign right away,” Nyquist said. “I’m drafted here by Detroit, and they have a great organization and they let me develop here [at Maine] in a great way. I just want to help the team out right now and concentrate on Maine because I think we can do something special this year.”

Nyquist has helped the Black Bears turn it around this season. They’re riding a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1), and they’re coming off of their best weekend of the season with a 3-1 win at UMass Lowell on Friday before handing St. Lawrence a 10-1 beatdown Saturday. In those three games, which includes a 3-3 tie with Boston College, Nyquist has two goals and five assists. He and his two linemates – center Tanner House and left winger Brian Flynn – have compiled nine goals and 12 assists during that stretch.

“We feel great about ourselves right now,” Nyquist said. “We know we’re a good team, and we showed that last week against UMass Lowell and a big win against St. Lawrence. We’ve just got to keep going here, find some consistency.”

Maine has rebounded from a 1-5-0 start to pull its record to 6-7-1. It’s 4-4-1 in Hockey East play and hosts Providence twice and Northeastern once before its Christmas break. The Black Bears are tied for fourth – three points shy of first place and four points above last – and can make a strong push in the next two weekends to create momentum for the second half.

Maine has lacked a strong second half in each of its last two seasons while trying to jump back to the top portion of the Hockey East standings. The Black Bears were 4-4-1 through nine games last season but went 3-13-2 the rest of the way. They were 3-4-2 through nine games in 2007-08 but finished 6-11-1.

Because Nyquist has given the program some solidarity for a couple seasons, though, the optimism seems to be higher in Orono, as Maine fans can root for a star player who is investing as much into the program as they are.

“Obviously, it’s a great hockey program up here in Maine,” Nyquist said. “They’re used to winning a lot. Obviously, they’re a little bit disappointed, but the home games are unbelievable. They’re pretty much sold out almost every night. Maine hockey is the biggest thing in the entire state, so obviously the fans are used to winning a little bit more. But I think they like their team this year, and I think as long as we work hard every night, they’ll be there with us.

“We could do something special this year.”