Defenceman Adam Kukko will finish high school and perhaps his junior hockey playing days nearly 700 kilometres away from his home in Thunder Bay after signing with the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Soo Thunderbirds club.
Kukko noted that when the Under-18 AAA Thunder Bay Kings season ended, he was looking outside of Thunder Bay for a new place to play.
“My goal for a while was to play Junior A hockey so after the season ended, I put together a [video of clips of me playing] and I [sent that] out to a few different teams that I was interested in playing for,” Kukko said.
“The Soo [Thunderbirds] is a really prestigious organization that has won multiple league championships and were in the finals last year. I reached out to the general manager, Jamie Henderson, and he got back to me and said he liked what he saw in my video. After a few conversations, he offered the chance to let me commit and then that’s what I did.”
The Thunderbirds franchise has been in the league final eight times dating back to the 2010-2011 season, capturing the Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy championship on four occasions.
Kukko enjoyed his last year of Kings hockey, which included multiple trips down to Toronto to play games in the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
He said even though it was a heavy game schedule on weekends, the athletes were able to adapt and learn how to recover on days they played two games.
“I improved a lot this season, especially in the mental aspect of the game,” Kukko said. “I learned to become a lot more confident in myself. When you’re playing down [in Toronto] against these really good guys, you have to think to yourself ‘I am as good as these guys, if not better than them’. The fast paced [play] down there, [allowed me to] learn to make quick decisions [with the puck] and how to play to my strengths.”
Kukko compiled a goal and four points in 39 games last season with the Under-18 AAA Thunder Bay Kings.
Kukko joins fellow Thunder Bay native Kolton Bourret, who re-signed with the Junior A club on June 9. Bourret picked up 19 wins in 29 games played, finishing in a tie for the most victories among all NOJHL rookie goaltenders.
Alex Remenda is also a former member of the Kings organization, playing with the black grey and white from 2018 until 2022.
Kukko is excited and nervous about living in Sault Ste Marie.
“Obviously not having lived outside of Thunder Bay before, I’m not sure what to expect. I have been told by guys on the team that the billets are good. Obviously I will miss my family, but the good news is I’m not 20 hours away so I’m sure my parents can come and watch some games this year,” he said.
Kukko wants to pursue hockey for as long as he can, but hinted at being interested in kinesiology.
The Soo Thunderbirds begin their regular season on Sept. 8.
