Color of Hockey: Fancy proving to be 'complete package' for Maine of NAHL

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, as part of NHL.com's celebration of Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, he profiles Ocean Fancy, a defenseman for Maine of the North American Hockey League and a commit to Tennessee State University’s NCAA Division I program.

Ocean Fancy laughed when asked about the source of the swagger he plays with as a defenseman for Maine of the North American Hockey League.

“You know it’s the name,” he said. “That’s got a lot to do with it, right?”

But Maine coach Nick Skerlick said the 21-year-old from East Orleans, Massachusetts, is more than just a colorful name, with his steady play on defense, offensive output, attitude and leadership all significant factors in Maine (35-18-4-2) finishing in third place in the NAHL East Division and reaching the best-of-5 division championship against Rochester.

After winning the series opener, Maine lost the next three and ultimately were eliminated in four games; Rochester prevailed 3-2 in the clinching game Saturday.

Fancy -- full name Ocean Storm Fancy -- was third among Maine defenseman with 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 53 regular-season games and added five points (two goals, three assists) in 10 playoff games, second among Maine players at the position.

“He was probably one of the best defensemen in the whole league in the first half of the year,” Skerlick said. “He’s a stay-at-home defenseman who makes elite breakout plays and is also good on the rush. He’s the complete package; he has offense, he has defense, he has skating ability and leadership qualities.”

Fancy’s name and hockey journey have roots in Indonesia, where his parents met. His mother, Lilik, was raised on the island of Java (the most populous island of Indonesia) and his father, Darren, was an avid surfer from Cape Cod who first visited Bali 30 years ago in search of challenging waves. The couple chose their son’s first and middle names because of their love of the ocean and because “He was kicking up a storm when she was pregnant,” Darren Fancy said.

Bali was a second home for young Ocean because his parents would pack up from Massachusetts and spend three or four months at a time in Indonesia so his father could ride some of the best waves in the world.

“It’s beautiful there and it was great seeing my grandparents and everything,” he said. “I don’t get to see them much now with junior hockey and then having to train in the summer, but being able to go over there, I loved it. It’s a long plane ride but it’s worth it.”

Fancy said he developed his father’s love for surfing and would spend hours in the water in Bali with him. He also inherited his father’s passion for hockey; Darren Fancy, a hockey player, former referee and die-hard Boston Bruins fan, started his son on rollerblades the youngster would use to skate all around their Massachusetts home.

“I would leave streak marks on the floor tile and wood, buzzing around the kitchen table,” Ocean Fancy said. “The next thing you know, my dad’s, like, ‘Do you want to go (ice) skate? I said, ‘Sure.’ He took me out to one of his buddies, who makes surfboards on the Cape. He lived next to a frozen pond and my dad took me out there and I was flying out the gate from all that rollerblading.”

Fancy played elite-level youth hockey for the Boston Jr. Bandits, Jr. Eagles and Advantage programs before he joined Merritt of the British Columbia Hockey League in 2023-24. He signed with Maine after he had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 52 BCHL games.

Playing his NAHL home games in Lewiston, Maine, allows Fancy to be closer to his family and help with their business. When he’s not training in the gym or delivering body checks in offseason pickup games, he’s delivering bouquets and wedding arrangements for Fancy Flowers by Meredith, a Cape Cod business his paternal grandmother started in 1982.

“That’s one of the main things I do,” he said. “Summer is a busy time with weddings and stuff. I’m away from home now during the hockey season, but Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, I don't even know how many deliveries we get on those days, but it's crazy just driving around, delivering flowers.”

Fancy said he’s looking forward to becoming the second person in his family to play NCAA hockey. His 25-year-old sister, Blue Fancy, was a defenseman for St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, from 2018-22. He’s committed to play for Tennessee State University this fall along with Maine teammate Ethan Wongus.

“I just think it's a great opportunity,” he said. “They’re a new program going Division I. Just being able to build a new culture and start a new program is pretty cool. That really drew me in.”

Fancy said he hopes playing college hockey will lead to professional opportunities in North America or overseas.

“I want hockey to take me as far as I can go,” he said. “I do eventually want to go play pro in Europe. I think that would be very, very cool.”