Wheeling Nailers/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins: Kyle Jackson
After a playoff practice for the Wheeling Nailers, Kyle Jackson sat down with the Olde City Sports Network to talk about the OHL, being a forward, playoff runs, and more!
Before turning professional, Jackson spent the better part of four seasons in the OHL with the North Bay Battalion. He dressed in 186 regular-season games for the Battalion and notched 71 goals and 99 assists. Jackson assisted in helping the Battalion in two post-season runs. He dressed in 32 games and totaled 16 goals with 16 assists in those two runs. “The OHL is a great league, a development league. Playing against a lot of great players, skilled players, so that in itself, prepares you. I was there for four years, and I think it prepared me for the pro. It was kind of the speed and the skill of the game, and coming to pro now, it's been good.”
Jackson was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, 196th overall, by the Seattle Kraken. He spoke on what being drafted was like for him. “It was an unreal day. It was actually in Montreal, which is only like an hour and a half from my home, but I didn't get to go. I was still at home with my family and watching the draft, and I didn't know what to expect, and hearing my name, it was a great day.”
The Kansas City Mavericks had a deep run through the Kelly Cup Playoffs in 2024 and made it to the last round, but ultimately conceded to the three-time Kelly Cup Champions, Florida Everblades. Jackson was a part of what made that team special. In the span of 53 regular-season games, he notched 14 goals with 30 assists. During the playoffs, he dressed in five games.“Kansas City, we were a hell of a team last year, so that was that was a great experience to just see all those older guys and kind of how they prepare and how they play, and trying to trying to use that this year in this team. I know it's not the kind of start we wanted in the playoffs, but, you know, just using, like, experience and kind of the mindset that they have and just trying to learn from that.”
On August 22nd, 2024, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced that Jackson was signed to a contract for the 2024-2025 season. On March 28th, 2025, Jackson was reassigned from the Wheeling Nailers to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He dressed for two games while in Wilkes. “It was an honor to be called up. My first AHL game, kind of waiting for that moment, and you know, for it to actually happen, it was a dream, and just take take full advantage of it and soak in the moment. Just signing in, Wilkes, it looked like the best opportunity for me, and I'm happy to be here.”
The ultimate objective of being an ice hockey forward is to score goals. They are also playmakers and set up scoring chances for their linemates. Jackson touches on what his strengths are and what he attributes to the game in the ECHL and AHL. “I'm a big forward. I'd like to use my size and skill, I can see the ice very well. I can make plays and kind of help people around and make. Just skating through the neutral zone, kind of seeing the ice and making plays and trying to improve on my 200-foot game and use that as a strength as well.”
Players' path to the professional ranks starts at a young age, and it is what makes their own story unique. Jackson was no different from the allure of hockey at a young age. “I think I was around five, six. My parents always told me that I never really wanted to put on skates when I was younger. I was always fighting it, and then just one day I kind of kind of found it and really wanted it. Next thing you know, here we are.”
Modeling the game after players who have come into the game before and made a name for themselves is just one attribute that some players pick up to create their own unique game. Jackson touches on who he tends to model his own game after. “One of my favorite players of Austin Matthews. He's a heck of a player, tough to compare yourself to him, but just the way he plays and his compete and the way he shoots the puck, and as well working on his 200-foot game, and I like to model my game after him for sure.”
Creating chemistry with linemates is important to a team because players have to play cohesively to build a stronger team. “On the ice, just you don't wanna talk too much when you're out there, but when you kind of get back to the bench, just seeing what you saw out there and just talk about that. You try not to think as much and just play and see what happens. Off the ice, just build good times together, hanging out and being friends.”
This past season, Jackson played a majority of the season with the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Wheeling Nailers. He played in 67 games, totaling 27 goals with 25 assists. He dressed in all five post-season games against the Norfolk Admirals and had two assists.
- Samantha Wismer/Olde City Sports Network
- Photo Credit/Wheeling Nailers
