The Nitros have made more summer moves, adding some additional out of town talent to the roster.
Charlie Dagostin, a big 6’1” defenceman out of the Yukon, has committed to the team, after getting noticed by general manager Rick Allen at a tournament in Edmonton last season with his midget team, the Ft. St. John Trackers.
Dagostin said being approached by Allen caught him by surprise.
“He offered me a card and I decided to take it,” said Dagostin. “It was kind of out of nowhere, I wasn’t really expecting anything like that to happen.
“Definitely a pleasant surprise.”
Dagostin will join fellow out-of-towner Mackenzie Hollis, who was signed earlier in the summer, on the blue line and he’s eager to show what he can do.
He played in the Northern Alberta Midget AA League last year with the NE B.C. and Yukon Trackers, scoring four goals and posting eight assists in 28 games.
“I’m a defensive D-man by heart, naturally,” said Dagostin. “I’m really trying to get my offensive game going, try to create some more chances—it’s always fun to score.
“But naturally, I’m a defensive D-man.”
As a kid, Dagostin idolized hockey legend Bobby Orr because his dad is a huge Boston Bruins fans.
“But the way I play, I think I may play more like Duncan Keith, maybe,” he added.
Though Dagostin played for a team based out of Ft. St. John, he hails from Dawson City, growing up in a cabin just outside of town, in a place he described as “the boonies”.
“We lived in the boonies—off the grid, we didn’t have any running water or power,” said Dagostin, with a laugh. “A pioneer lifestyle, I guess some people would call it.”
Allen noticed Dagostin last year while up in Edmonton, and was impressed by his demeanour and defensive abilities on the ice.
“It’s pretty good for us that somebody wants to come that far to be a Dynamiter,” said Allen. “He committed to coming, before I committed to him. Once I found out that he wanted to come down and was willing to drive all that way to take his chances…I think we need to have a bit of pioneer experience in us, too.”