Marcus Kallionkieli’s hockey journey took him from Finland to Sioux City, Iowa. His next destination could be Manitoba.
The Golden Knights prospect was selected by the Brandon Wheat Kings during the first round of the Canadian major junior leagues’ Import Draft on Thursday, opening the door for him to play there next season.
“I know that I got drafted, and now I have to talk to my agent, my family and all the coaches here,” Kallionkieli said.
Brandon, which is part of the Western Hockey League, is owned by Knights incoming general manager Kelly McCrimmon. Last season, the Wheat Kings took Swedish-born defenseman Erik Brannstrom and Jiri Patera of the Czech Republic in the Import Draft, and Patera was the team’s starting goaltender.