SUPERIOR, Wis. – When the North Iowa Bulls needed some additional experience and elbow-grease late in the season for their Silver Cup push, Nick Klishko turned out to be just the man they needed. The coaching staff at the University of Wisconsin-Superior seemed to agree, and Klishko made his commitment to the Yellowjackets official over the Easter weekend.
After playing three years in the Los Angeles Jr. Kings U16 and U18 programs, the San Diego native spent almost three full years and played almost 100 games in the North American Hockey League with Kenai River, Odessa and Amarillo before heading to Mason City in late January. Klishko made an immediate impact for North Iowa, tallying points in his first five NA3HL contests. He would tally better than a point a game in his 11 appearances prior to the end of the regular season.
“While Nick Klishko didn’t spend a lot of time with the North Iowa Bulls, he certainly made an impact on our lineup,” said Bulls head coach Todd Sanden. “Nick provided a much needed presence that our team was lacking. He plays a responsible style of game and has the ability to create offensively. Nick proved to be a reliable contributor in his time with us.”
Klishko never made it to the Robertson Cup playoffs in two years at Kenai River, but finally made the playoffs with the Bulls, with six points in seven NA3HL postseason games. His overtime goal at the Silver Cup tournament against the Binghamton Jr. Senators kept North Iowa’s championship hopes alive after a loss on the first night to Yellowstone. His final junior goal was also the team’s final goal of the season, putting an exclamation point on an 8-4 win over the Long Beach Sharks and a 41-win season.
He’ll join a Wisconsin-Superior team that went 8-19-2 last season under first-year head coach Richard McKenna, and will join former North Iowa Bulls standout Brandon Anderson on the ice for the Yellowjackets. The North Iowa Bulls wish Nick all the best as a student-athlete at Wisconsin-Superior.