Hungarian national team forward Gergő Nagy has been called up by the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League from the Quad City Mallards of the Central Hockey League.
He will be making the trip to Chicago after the Wednesday night game against the Missouri Mavericks.
“I’ll be playing against Missouri tonight,” said Nagy on Wednesday afternoon. “After the game I will be heading to Chicago where I will be at practice on Thursday and be playing on Friday night. We will see what happens but right now I’m concentrating on tonights game, after that I want to take advantage of the situation that I will be in.”
Nagy has been having a great first season in the CHL as he has 41 points in 48 games played. Nagy started the season playing for Nové Zámky in the MOL League where he had 16 points in nine games before making the jump to North America.
Gergő Nagy came up through the youth program from his home town of Dunaújváros before going to Fehérvár where he played in the Erste Bank Eishockey League (EBEL) and also made his debut in the national team, later he signed with Miskolc and eventually with Nové Zámky.
In Fehérvár he played on the same line as fellow young up and coming forwards with the national team, Dániel Kóger and István Sofron. Koger like Nagy went to the U.S. to play in the CHL as well where he played for the now defunct Laredo Bucks before moving on to the ECHL and the AHL. Sofron is playing in the German First Division (DEL) with the Krefeld Penguins.
Nagy along with Kóger have not been the only Hungarians who have been on the doorstep of the NHL playing in the American Hockey League. Levente Szuper played two seasons with the St.Johns Flames - and won the Calder Cup - and one with the Peoria Rivermen and Zoltán Hetényi was with Milwaukee Admirals and the Rivermen as well. János Vás who was a draft pick of the Dallas Stars spent three seasons with the Iowa Stars before going back to Europe.
Nagy will be making his debut for the Wolves at home against the Rochester Americans on Friday.
Words: Szabolcs Závodszky @Zavodszky
Photo: László Mudra