Former NA3HL, Jets goalie Nedeljkovic selected in NHL Draft
June 28, 2014
2014 NHL Draft, Day 2, Rounds 2-7
By Alex Kyrias, Director of Communications-NAHL/NAPHL/NA3HL
In exploring the floor of the NHL Draft prior to Day 2 (the busy day), it is interesting to note that every NHL club had meetings until 1-2am discussing their potential moves on Day 2 on Saturday. After all, this is where the gems are found and teams are built. Yes, Day 1 has that potential ‘superstar’ quality, but Day 2 is really a testament to the amount of work the NHL Scouts have put in the last 10 months.
I found myself next to NHL brass like Mike Babcock (Detroit Red Wings head coach), Glen Sather (New York Rangers GM) and new Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall, who I really liked watching as a kid growing up. Hextall played with passion in goal and I am sure he will bring that same quality to a Flyers team and fan base that is starved for a Stanley Cup.
Any intimidation by such big names is turned immediately into a level of comfort because instead of talking about the next big draft deal or salary cap move, these NHL bigwigs were telling hockey stories. It is a common theme when hockey guys get together, no matter the setting.
The 2nd round saw a flurry of goalies selected, which was highlighted by the selection of former NA3HL goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic with the next pick at #37 overall in the 2nd round by the Carolina Hurricanes. The pick landed the Canes the Ontario Hockey League’s goaltender of the year in 2013-14 and helps to shore up the organizational depth in the crease. Nedeljkovic played a portion of the 2012-13 season with the Metro Jets in the NA3HL.
“Alex is an athletic goaltender. He’s very quick. He’s very smart, and he understands the game very well,” MacDonald said. “We’re pretty pleased that we’ve added another quality goaltender to our [group],” said Tony MacDonald, Director of Amateur Scouting for the Hurricanes.
All in all, six players with NAHL ties, four from the NAPHL and one from the NA3HL were selected on Day 2, a definite feather in the cap for the three leagues.
