Terik Parascak knew he had a good shot at getting picked in the first round of the NHL Draft Friday night in the Las Vegas Sphere.
But it still came as a shock when the Prince George Cougars’ super rookie was taken 17th overall and that look of utter surprise showed in his face when the Washington Capitals called out his name.
“I completely blacked out, it’s such an unbelievable moment, I don’t know what to say," Parascak told Sportset’s Jeff Marek. “I’m at a loss for words.”
Parascak let his stick do the talking this past season as he emerged as one of the CHL’s top rookies in his first year of junior, playing for the team that drafted him in the fourth round of the WHL Prospects Draft in 2021.
In 68 games the five-foot-11, 179-pound native of Lethbridge led all Western Hockey League freshmen with 43 goals and 105 points, third in team scoring. He also had six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 12 playoff games.
Heading into the draft, Parascak was ranked by NHL Central Scouting 15th among North American skaters available for the draft.
Medicine Hat Tigers centre and Chetwynd native Cayden Lindstrom had his moment in the draft spotlight a bit earlier than Parascak, chosen fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Despite a back injury that limited him to 32 games, the six-foot-three, 213-pound Lindstrom lit up WHL nets, scoring 27 goals and assisting on 19 others for 46 points. He was the first WHL player selected Friday.
Centre Macklin Celebrini of Boston University went first overall to the San Jose Sharks.
With the second overall selection the Chicago Blackhawks chose defenceman Arytom Levshunov of Michigan State University (NCAA).
Right winger Beckett Sennecke of the Oshawa Generals (OHL) went third overall to the Anaheim Ducks.
The NHL Draft resumes with Rounds 2-7 Saturday in Las Vegas. Live coverage on TSN starts at 8:30 a.m.
Cougars forwards Ondrej Becher and Hunter Laing are considered prime candidates to be taken in this year’s draft.
