Ontario prospect Nickolau now a Thunderbird

by Scott Ludwig

Las Vegas Thunderbirds are pleased to announce the signing of goaltender Michael Nickolau of Ontario, Canada. The 18-year old is coming to Las Vegas after an outstanding season with the Waterloo Wolves AAA Major Midget team.

"Mike is one of those guys we never really thought would be on our radar," comment Thunderbirds coach Dave Hyrsky. "Our Ontario scout saw him play on three different occasions and really liked him. At 6'5 with really good footwork, he covers a lot of net quickly."

With a season of experience in the highly competitive Alliance Hockey based in Southern Ontario, expect Nickolau to be ready to compete for time in-between the pipes this season with the Thunderbirds.

"I had a chance myself to see him online after learning of his interest and was very impressed," added Hyrsky. "Michael comes from a great hockey culture in Toronto and has great bloodlines with his father Tom being a former Memorial Cup champion. We look forward to welcoming Michael to Vegas in the next few days."