Second day of NHL draft sees more Saskatchewan players selected

Dreams came true Thursday for more hockey players who were born in Saskatchewan or played with WHL teams based in the province.

The second day of the NHL draft was held in Nashville.

Shaunavon product Kalan Lind of the Red Deer Rebels was the first to hear his name called on Day 2, going in the second round (46th overall) to the Nashville Predators. Saskatoon’s Riley Heidt of the Prince George Cougars also was a second-round pick, going 64th overall to the Minnesota Wild.

Saskatoon’s Caden Price of the Kelowna Rockets was taken in the third round (84th overall) by the Seattle Kraken, one pick before the Anaheim Ducks selected Saskatoon Blades winger Egor Sidorov from Vitebsk, Belarus.

“Let’s go!” Sidorov told reporters in Nashville after his selection. “I like scoring goals. I like (to) shoot (the) puck. I will do everything to play in the NHL as soon as it’s possible.”

Fourth-round picks with ties to Saskatchewan were Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Terrell Goldsmith of Fort St. James, B.C. (102nd overall, Arizona Coyotes) and Balgonie’s Matthew Perkins of the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms (119th overall, Vancouver Canucks).

Saskatoon-born Hudson Malinoski of the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits was taken in the fifth round (153rd overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Clavet’s Kalem Parker of the Victoria Royals went in the sixth round (181st overall) to the Wild, four picks before the Leafs took Saskatoon’s Noah Chadwick of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

During the first round Wednesday, Regina Pats star Connor Bedard of North Vancouver, B.C., went first overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, Saskatoon-born Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager went 14th overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk of McBride, B.C., was the 24th overall pick by Nashville.