Year after year the Manitoba Junior Hockey League continues to churn out high end talent at the Junior A level.
This year however is a special one in particular for a local boy out of Gimli who grew up playing his hockey for the Interlake Lightning.
That player would be 19-year-old Adam Vigfusson who wears number 15 for the Niverville Nighthawks.
Vigfusson is currently in his second full season as a Nighthawk where he’s helped them cement their spot as a playoff team.
After cutting his teeth in the league last season, Vigfusson has broken out big time playing on the Nighthawks top line currently on the right wing beside Merik Boles and Matteo Speranza.
He’s destroyed both his goals and assists outputs from last season and finished the regular with 31 goals and 31 assists for 62 points in 46 games, the eighth most in the MJHL.
“A lot of work in the offseason that’s for sure,” said Vigfusson on Thursday. “I played with Merik Boles for most of the season last year so him and I have some pretty good chemistry. Yeah, just opportunity and confidence I think has really been a factor for the offensive output this year.”
With that output has come an MJHL Second Team All-Star nod, and the chance to play in the 2025 MJHL-SJHL Showcase back in January.
Recently, Vigfusson was out with injury which caused him to miss a couple weeks in February and March.
Last Wednesday Vigfusson made his return to the Nighthawks lineup against the Portage Terriers where he didn’t miss a beat in scoring twice and adding an assist for first star of the game honours.
His line combined for a total of eight points in the game as Niverville took it 6-3 over their MGEU East Division rivals at Niverville CRRC.
“I was chomping at the bit to come back. I missed playing with all the boys and it’s pretty exciting to get back,” said Vigfusson.
And after playing two more games on the weekend, the Nighthawks wrapped up the regular season with a 35-20-2-1 record for fourth in the East with 73 points.
They’re now getting ready for a best of seven quarterfinal series with the Winkler Flyers who finished the regular season first in the East.
It’ll be the second trip to the postseason for Vigfusson after appearing in all four playoff games for the Nighthawks last year when they were ousted in the quarterfinals by the Steinbach Pistons.
Now Vigfusson and the Nighthawks get the chance to take on another worthy opponent for a shot at winning the franchise’s first-ever playoff series in what is now the Nighthawks third season of existence.
And as a 2005-born, Vigfusson will be eligible to return to the Nighthawks for a final junior campaign next season.
He hopes to play college hockey following his junior career.
