 After his sophomore year with the Fighting Irish in 1971–72, Nyrop was selected 66th overall by the Montreal Canadiens at the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft.He attended his first pro training camp in September 1972, and in 1973 he was voted on to the WCHA first all-star team and the NCAA west first all-American team.The next year, he represented the United States at the "B" Pool Ice Hockey World Championship where he was named to the tournament All-Star team as the best defenseman.