Veteran "rookie" Luczkiewicz joins Griffins for first Canada West season after three years in Europe
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – In a case of recruiting right out of your own backyard, Griffins men's soccer head coach Adam Loga found a current MacEwan University student with an impressive run of European club soccer experience on his resume.
Nicolas Luczkiewicz, who has been studying at MacEwan since last September, will add athletics to his academic plate in 2023-24 as he joins the Griffins for the upcoming Canada West season, Loga announced Tuesday.
The forward, who also has experience playing midfielder and fullback, comes to the Griffins as a veteran university "rookie", already 22 years old with three seasons in Europe under his belt.
"He played over in Poland and Germany for a while and now he's back in school at MacEwan," said Loga. "So, he brings that experience. He's a freshman but is a bit older. He's with us (at Edmonton's Scottish United) for League One and is already gelling with the guys.
"He brings pace, brings experience and is already a student at the school. He should be able to have a smooth transition in."
Luczkiewicz last played for 1 F.C. Merseburg in Germany's NOFV Oberliga and German Cup in 2021-22, starting for the team as an offensive winger and attacking midfielder.
Previously, he was on Avia Swidnik (2020-21) in Poland's Liga 2, deployed mainly as a central midfielder.
And his European journey began in 2019-20 when he played for FSV Erlangen Bruck in the second-highest Bundesliga U19 league.
"It's always going to be a tough transition for a high schooler to come into the U SPORTS level, both from the athletics and academics sides," noted Loga of the learning curve to master the entire university student-athlete experience. "When you have these older players coming in, the transition time is shorter, which allows us to get on the front foot with them a bit quicker."
Prior to heading to Europe, Luczkiewicz grew up in the FC Edmonton program with the club's U16, U18 and Reserve squads.
"He's pacey, he likes to cut in, he strikes the ball well," said Loga. "We're just going to try to help him on the defensive side, which will lend itself well to those attacking transitional moments.
"He's very receptive and coachable, demands a lot from himself, so we're looking forward to having him."
