DULUTH, GA – The Atlanta Gladiators announced the signing of forward Nolan LaPorte for the 2020-2021 ECHL season today.
On the newest veteran forward, Atlanta head coach Jeff Pyle said he is “happy to have him back. We talked early in the summer, and he was excited about what we have built.” Speaking to LaPorte’s intangible qualities, Pyle noted “he adds the intensity and edge that our team is going to need throughout the whole season.” The coach pointed out that Nolan “can play every situation and is amazing shot blocker. He’s going to be a good fit for us.”
LaPorte is a 28-year-old forward from Chicago, Illinois. He tallied 70 points over 133 games in his college career at Western Michigan University, where he was nominated team captain during his junior year. Nolan broke into the professional game in the ECHL with the Quad City Mallards in 2016, even playing one game at the AHL level for the Iowa Wild in his rookie campaign. After a year with the Florida Everblades, he joined Atlanta for the 2018-2019 season and set career-highs in goals (19) and penalty minutes (107). He took his game overseas last season, racking up a 39-point campaign for the Glasgow Clan in the EIHL.
Echoing the sentiments of the Gladiators coach, LaPorte described himself as a “hard-working, two-way forward,” with a mindset that is “aggressive and determined.” Reflecting on his first season in Atlanta, Nolan said he “loved the players, coaching staff, the environment, and the city.”
“Our team continues to get better with these veteran signings, and Nolan is no exception,” Atlanta team president Jerry James said. “He had a great season with us [two years ago] and had an even better season last year in Glasgow. LaPorte is going to be an integral part to this team.”
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