Since Fredonia native Nick Bailen was a youngster playing in the Northern Chautauqua County Youth Hockey Association, all he dreamed about was someday being a professional hockey player.

Now, Bailen is living out his fantasy as he is a member of the Minsk Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League.

As a 9 year old, Bailen first left Fredonia in pursuit of a better opportunity when he went up to Buffalo to play travel hockey. At 15, he moved away from home for the first time to attend St. Francis Prep and played a season for the Red Raiders, before he decided to tryout for the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League. Bailen made the team along with the seven-hour move out West to play in the top junior hockey league in the country.

“I wasn’t drafted by the USHL or the OHL,” Bailen said. “I was always told I was too small, even after I went to college, I was still told I was too small.”

The 5-foot 9-inch defenseman played three seasons with the Ice, before he attended Bowling Green State University and played 37 games with the Falcons. He then decided to go back to Indianapolis for another season, where he scored 41 points in just 58 games earning him a spot in the USHL All-Star game.

Following his last year of junior hockey eligibility, Bailen moved back to New York, where he attended rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. The sophomore defenseman instantly made an impact, posting 36 points in 38 games with the Red Hawks. Bailen went on to score 53 points in his next two seasons, earning All-American honors his senior year.

After his final campaign with the Red Hawks, Bailen signed an Amateur try-out contract which, according to Bailen, is a common move for post-graduate hockey players to get a chance with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. Bailen finished out the 2012-2013 season with the Americans, before he had to make a difficult decision.

“It was tough because I had to decide whether I wanted to stay in the United States and Canada or leave the country,” Bailen continued. “I decided the Finnish Elite League would give me a better chance to better my career and the Finnish league is just as good, if not better than the AHL, and it worked better for me financially.”

Bailen signed a one-year contract to play in the Finish Elite League for Tappara Tampere, where he played alongside 2001 Stanley Cup champion, Ville Nieminen. The tandem led their team to the league finals, where they went on to lose in seven games.

After his contract with the Tappara Tampere expired, an extension was offered, along with three offers from KHL teams. Following negotiations between the teams and his agent, they decided Belarus was the best spot, and signed a one-year deal with Minsk Dynamo of the KHL for the 2014-2015 season.

Last season, Bailen teamed up with former NHLer and 2010 Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy winner Jonathon Cheechoo to lead Minsk to its first playoff stint in two seasons and the organization’s best season yet. Bailen finished the season with 36 points which earned him a three-year contract extension with the team.

“I think it’s probably the best spot in terms of places to play in the KHL,” Bailen commented about where he plays. “It’s all brand new and it’s a really nice city. We sell out every game and get like 16,000 fans every game.”

Along with leading the team to playoffs, Bailen was selected by the fans to play for the Western Conference all-star team last season which took place in Sochi, where the 2014 Olympics were held.

“It was a pretty cool experience,” Bailen said. “The league picks the rest of the team and I got voted in by the fans. I got to meet a lot of good guys and play alongside some guys I normally wouldn’t be able to.”

Despite having a successful run overseas, Bailen’s goal is set to come back to North America and play in the National Hockey League.

“I’ll only be 28 at the end of this contract,” Bailen added. ” I wouldn’t be too old. A lot of guys come over from Europe at that age. If I continue to play well the scouts are always there and I have Belarusian citizenship now so I can play for them in next year’s World Championships, if the opportunity presents itself to play in the NHL, it would be pretty hard to say no.”