Soo Eagles sign slick defender
Michigan-based Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have reached across the border to sign Canadian-born defenseman Nolan Makkonen, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed.
The 6-foot, 183-pound Makkonen, who has a 1999 birth date, was a ninth-round pick of the Guelph Storm at the 2015 Ontario Hockey League draft. He attended Guelph’s training camp in each of the past two years but has opted to retain his Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility.
A slick defender, Makkonen played in 34 games for the Soo Major Thunderbirds (now called the Soo Greyhounds) of the Great North Midget Hockey League in 2015-2016 and scored 5 goals, 14 assists, 19 points. He also skated in 10 NOJHL games for the Soo Thunderbirds as an affiliate player.
Eagles co-coach/general manager Bruno Bragagnolo is ecstatic to have landed the services of Makkonen.
“We are very happy to have Nolan join our team,” Bragagnolo told HockeyNewsNorth.com. “He brings a lot of skill and more depth defensively. He has a great attitude and work ethic with a ton of potential. Looking at his age, I believe he is a strong D1 (NCAA) candidate.”
The Eagles begin the 2016-2017 NOJHL regular season with games tonight (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday night (7 p.m.) with the Rayside-Balfour Canadians and Elliot Lake Wildcats providing the opposition at Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Soo.