Kingston drafts Prokopetz in sixth round
Sawyer Prokopetz wasn’t picky about when he was picked or where his ultimate destination would be following Saturday’s Ontario Hockey League draft.
“Honestly, I just wanted to get drafted and I was just excited for the opportunity today,” the 15-year-old Wainfleet resident said. “It didn’t matter what team, what round or what pick because it would be just an honour to be drafted.”
The Southern Tier Admirals right defenceman ended up being selected 119th overall in the sixth round by the Kingston Frontenacs.
“It’s an honour, especially from a great organization in Kingston,” the 6-foot-3, 170-pounder said.
Prokopetz had spoken to Kingston’s head scout before the draft but had no idea he would be chosen by the Frontenacs.
It was an amazing moment when the Grade 10 student at Port Colborne High School saw his name posted on the OHL’s website.
“There were so many different emotions going through me,” he said. “It was everything from happiness and surprise. I was in shock.”
This past season with the Admirals, Prokopetz scored two goals and 12 points in 32 regular season games and one goal and five points in 13 playoff games.
“I worked harder in the summer and this (getting drafted) was the goal by the end of the year,” he said. “A lot of hard work went into it to get to this point.”
That hard work included a number of things.
“It was being in the gym in the offseason a lot and on the ice working on my game and my skills.”
His motivation to take his training to a new level was kickstarted in the spring of 2019.
“It was watching the draft last year for the kids a year older than me and just wanting to be in that group and get drafted like they did.”
He feels he is an all-around defenceman.
“I am a two-way defenceman who is very good in his own end and makes good first passes out of my own end.”
Prokopetz plans to work hard in preparation for his first major junior A training camp.
“The ultimate goal is to make the team and I want to get stronger and be at that level where I can compete with guys at that next level.”
He has been with the Southern Tier Admirals since the minor atom level and went into the draft ranked 81st in the final Prospect Pipeline rankings of the top 250 Canadian skaters available in the draft. A different scouting website described him as an ‘athletic defender’ that has put himself on the map for the OHL draft.
