Two sides to the Soo Eagles
They are based on the Michigan side of the St. Mary’s River and the majority of their players are American but there’s also a Canadian contingent aboard the Soo Eagles.
Forming a presence on the Eagles coaching staff alongside co-coach/general manager Bruno Bragagnolo are co-coach Jim Capy and goalie coach Bill Vanderleest from the Canadian Soo.
And at least two players from the Canadian Soo — returning forward Jake Palmerio and rookie defenseman Carmen Scarfone — are being counted on to be key performers for the Eagles this coming 2016-2017 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
To be sure, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Palmerio was one of the more-dependable, all-around Eagles as a first-year NOJHLer in 2015-2016.
Known for his hustle, speed and work in all four corners of the rink, Palmerio also produced 11 goals, 5 assists, 16 points in 44 regular-season games and tallied two more times in six playoff outings.
Bragagnolo is a fan of what Palmerio brings to the rink.
“First of all, I thought Jake had a really good year for us last year as a first-year player in the league,” Bragagnolo told HockeyNewsNorth.com. “He plays with a lot of energy, he has a good work ethic and a really-good attitude.”
Bragagnolo added that he feels Palmerio “will improve on his point totals this year.”
Capy also has high expectations for the veteran Palmerio, who has a 1997 birth date.
“I would expect Jake to be one of our leaders this year,” Capy told HockeyNewsNorth.com. “He was a player that didn’t take kindly to losing and those are the kind of players you want. I also expect his numbers to go up and 20 to 25 goals seem like a reachable goal for him.”
As for the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Scarfone, Bragagnolo likes what he has seen of him at a number of the Eagles off-season camps.
“He is going to be a real good player for us,” Bragagnolo said of the 1998 birth-year defender who played at the high school level for the St. Mary’s Knights in 2015-2016 after a season of major midget in the Canadian Soo in 2014-2015. “I love the way he competes and the effort he puts into the game. He’s a big kid with a lot of ability.”
Capy is quite familiar with Scarfone, having coached him two seasons ago.
“Carmen is a kid I had the pleasure of coaching in midget. He is a big, strong defence-first type of player with good skating skills and the ability to make a good, hard accurate, first pass,” noted Capy.
Capy added that Scarfone has a knack for how to play the game and is only going to get better.
“He always seems to be on the right side of puck. We seemed to lack that last year. He has a good gap, good stick and separation skills and plays with lots of confidence. I believe he is a bit of a late bloomer and his best is yet to come. He should be a big part of our new-look defence,” Capy added in further praise of Scarfone.
Under Bragagnolo — who will begin his seventh overall season with the Eagles — and his veteran sidekick Capy, the Eagles are eyeing a move up the NOJHL standings in ’16-17.
As a franchise that returned to the NOJHL as an expansion team in ’15-16 after three years in the North American Hockey League, the Eagles finished in fourth place in the West Division during the regular season and then lost to the eventual champion Soo Thunderbirds in the second round of the playoffs.
As the lone American team in the 12-member NOJHL, the Eagles were the league’s attendance leader in ’15-16, averaging 622 fans per home game at venerable Pullar Stadium.
And besides the many fans from the Michigan Soo who populate the Pullar for Eagles home games, the team has managed to attract a number of followers from the Canadian Soo.
PHOTO: Canadian Soo defenseman Carmen Scarfone will begin his first NOJHL season with the Michigan Soo Eagles. (Photo by Ali Pearson.)