The Allen Americans signed Nathan O'Nabigon for the 2009-2010 season (photo courtesy of the Central Hockey League)

The Allen Americans announced today that they had signed former Rocky Mountain Rage forward Nathan O’Nabigon for the 2009-2010 season.  The Rage have suspended operations for the upcoming season, and all personnel were immediately made free agents.  O’Nabigon is expected to bring a physical, scoring presence to the team.  Here are the press release from the Americans and some stats for O’Nabigon:

ALLEN, TX – The Allen Americans of the Central Hockey League (CHL) announced the signing of left-winger Nathan O’Nabigon today.

Self-described as a no-nonsense power forward that is responsible on both ends of the ice, the 26-year-old will have a presence in the offensive and defensive zones and has experience playing for championship teams.

“He’s the type of guy that goes quietly about his work, but he’s got some edge about him,” Americans Associate Coach and Director of Player Personnel Bill McDonald said.

O’Nabigon comes to Allen from the CHL’s Rocky Mountain Rage, who suspended operations for the 2009-10 season. He had 31 points in 63 regular season games last season. The 2009-10 season will be his second year playing professional hockey.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound forward is excited about building the club from the ground up. “I want to be there from the start and help where I can. I think it’s a great opportunity,” O’Nabigon said.

The reputation of the Americans’ coaching staff was a large part of O’Nabigon’s decision to come to Allen. “I know that [Associate Coach] Mac’s been around for a long time and has a lot of connections. He knows a great deal about hockey and he’s a straight-up, legit guy.”

Before signing with the Rage, the Longlac, Ontario, native played four seasons for the University of New Brunswick, winning the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championship in 2006-07.

O’Nabigon also won a championship during his four-year junior career in the Ontario Hockey League. He skated away with the Memorial Cup as a Kitchener Ranger in 2002-03.

“All the research and homework we had on him was all positive, from his junior team to his college team to the team he was with last year,” McDonald said. “He’s a quality individual, and we’re excited to get him down here.”