By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The Utah Outliers had a terrific first NCDC season in 2023-24 – just not everything they would have wanted. It was their cross-valley rivals the Ogden Mustangs who captured the Mountain Division championship and went on to take part in the Dineen Cup championships.
Makar Klochkov is a 2004 Russian-born player who played most of his career in California before joining Utah last year. He finished the season as the team’s second-highest scorer with 53 points in 44 games, and now he’s back to help the Outliers with unfinished business.
“We ended the regular season with a strong second place finish in the Mountain Division, however we fell a couple points short of our regular season goal of finishing first,” Klochkov said. “After losing the Mountain Division Title to Ogden in the playoffs, I just feel like the job isn’t done.”
Along with wanting to push the Outliers over the mountain towards their goal of an NCDC championship, Klochkov re-signed with Utah just because they check all the boxes for what he is looking for in a hockey team.
“Playing for the Outliers has been an awesome time. Dedicated staff, great facilities, the area, fans and billet families have all helped me with my development on and off the ice,” said Klochkov. “Since playing for the Outliers, I was able to improve my defensive and offensive skills on the ice like faceoffs and puck battles. Our dedicated fan base makes it an awesome time for us when we play at home.”
Klochkov scored 21 goals and out of that, five of them were game-winners, giving him the nickname “Clutch-kov.” Even with an impressive 1.2 points per game average last year, he still feels he has more to give to the Utah cause.
“I’m definitely looking forward to improving my offense skill set and my leadership skills as a returning player,” said Klochkov.
There’s a lot to like about the Outliers for Klochkov, but he also gave praise to the National Collegiate Development Conference overall as an outstanding platform for improving his game and his stock with college and potentially also pro scouts.
“High level competition, exposure to scouts, player development, comparative players and teams – these factors combined make the NCDC an excellent platform for developing as a player and gaining the attention of scouts and coaches at higher levels,” said Klochkov. “There are a lot of schools that attend the showcase in Idaho Falls and I bet there are more at the Dineen Cup.”
In terms of his next steps beyond the NCDC, he certainly is keeping an open mind and can’t wait to start talking to college scouts.
“I’ve talked to multiple schools at the Idaho Falls showcase and throughout the season,” he said. “I don’t have a preference in schools, I’m still figuring out what I want to do. I’m definitely excited to see where next year will take me.”
The NCDC wishes Makar Klochkov and the Utah Outliers the best of luck in the 2024-25 season.
