67’s adding team-first workhorse with Nolan Jackson
From a young age, Nolan Jackson was the type of player people wanted on their team.
He captained the Barrie Jr. Colts for five consecutive seasons, setting a tremendous example for his peers on a nightly basis. He was punctual, pushed his teammates to get better, had a tremendous work ethic, and was a great student in the classroom. His Head Coach at the time called him “a workhorse,” suggesting few other players out there have that kind of makeup.
Though never the most flashy player offensively, there was something about Jackson that repeatedly caught the eye of scouts, leading to the Sudbury Wolves use a second-round pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection to acquire his services.
The Barrie native spent the bulk of his first year in junior hockey with the Stouffville Spirit, where he scored six goals and 21 points in 42 games, before making the jump to the Wolves this season. Last week, he got a call, notifying him about a trade that would send him to the Ottawa 67’s.
“It was a long day, very stressful,” Jackson said. “I found out at 11 o’clock in the morning that I was gonna be traded, so I had to rush back to my billets, pack all my stuff, and had a five-hour drive here.”
Having never been traded before in anything more than a street hockey game when he was a little kid, Jackson says the news was hard at first. He had become close friends with others in the Wolves’ locker room, but as he hit the road bound for Ottawa, all he could feel was excitement.
As he rolled into Lansdowne Park on Friday, the Baber Poles had already vacated the ice after warmups. At 6:48 p.m., Jackson strolled into the dressing room for the first time, with his equipment slung over his shoulder, still in his blue Wolves hockey bag.
With his teammates taking the ice, he got on the stationary bike, and did the best warmup he could given the circumstances. Moving to the dressing room, he put on all of his new equipment which had been meticulously prepared during the day by Equipment Manager Chris Hamilton, including his iconic barber pole jersey, completed with his new number 27.
At the start of the second period, Jackson followed his new teammates out, playing after a whirlwind day, exactly how he wanted it.
“I love to play, so why not play when I’m able to?” Jackson said. “I just want to try to help the team win.”
Jackson had only been to Ottawa once before, but it’s a rink he loves. Now, it’s a little bit sweeter, he says.
“It’s awesome,” Jackson said with a big smile. “Way better than being a visitor here.”
The 2007-born defenceman does have a few acquaintances in the room, having previously been to a Team Ontario camp with Kaleb Dietsch and Jaeden Nelson, but being parachuted into new surroundings on such short notice meant he had to lean on some of the veterans, namely Frankie Marrelli.
“He was sitting beside me in the room, and I know the name,” Jackson said. “I went to him if I had any questions, and he helped me out a lot, which was nice.”
Jackson says he’s planning to stick by Marrelli’s side and pick his brain as much as he can, but he’s also looking forward to learning and growing alongside others, including Kohyn Eshkawkogan, who has taken the league by storm in his rookie season.
So far, he likes the way the systems in Ottawa mesh with his own style of play, which he’s eager to show off to 67’s fans as the season trucks along.
“I’m a two-way defender,” Jackson assessed. “I like to jump in on the rush, move the puck around, but I also like to play a very defensive game. Being hard in the corners, playing bodies, blocking a lot of shots, and making sure the puck stays out of our net.”