Nathan Burke came to the NAHL’s Aberdeen Wings this season hoping to hone his skills and develop his game to the point where he could possibly garner some NCAA Division I attention.

Mission accomplished.

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Late last month, the 19-year-old Scottsdale native and Jr. Coyotes graduate committed to St. Cloud State University, the top-ranked team in the country on several occasions this season.

Burke has been at or near the top of the Aberdeen scoring chart much of the season and also played in the annual NAHL Top Prospects Tournament last month in Plymouth, Mich.

“I am extremely excited on my commitment to St. Cloud,” said Burke. “Obviously, it is a great school that presents me with an amazing opportunity. With that being said, I would like to thank my family, (Wings) coach (Scott) Langer, (Wings assistant) coach (Anthony) Bohn, the Odde family (Aberdeen owners), the Wings organization and all of my teammates for pushing me and guiding me to where I am now.”

Langer, a longtime NAHL coach now in his second season in Aberdeen, is elated with Burke’s decision to attend and play for SCSU, a program that plays in the dominant NCHC conference.

“Nathan’s decision to commit to St. Cloud will give him an opportunity to pursue his lifelong dream of playing college hockey and earning a degree,” said Langer. “Nate’s aptitude and work ethic, combined with one of the best college hockey coaching staffs, will create an additional opportunity of playing professional hockey in the future.

“It will be exciting to follow Nathan’s journey.”

Langer added that Burke’s style of play is tailor-made for the college hockey game.

“Nathan has had a very good first-year player campaign to date,” said Langer. “He is a very determined player that focuses on making his teammates around him better each day. He is a very hard-working player of character that plays the game with a lot of work ethic. He comes to work every day and plays with a very high hockey IQ.”

Photo/Aberdeen Wings

(March 2, 2018)