By Nick Liard
Michael Pezzetta was able to add a new line to his Instagram page over the weekend, “Montreal Canadiens prospect.”
The Sudbury Wolves forward who will be entering his third season with the Pack was taken in the sixth round, 160th overall in the 2016 NHL draft on Saturday.
He said the feeling was a little bit of excitement and a little relief.
A few days later and it’s starting to sink in.
“I came downstairs the other day and I saw the draft jersey just on a chair in the living room, I saw it and it’s like ‘holy cow this actually happened, I got drafted to Montreal’,” said Pezzetta.
The sense of relief may have been because of what Pezzetta went through at times this year.
He went through patches where he showed what makes him such an intriguing prospect and much like the rest of the Wolves team, he went through rough patches.
That led him to be sometimes on NHL prospect lists at various positions and sometimes left off completely.
“I think it just goes to show that those lists are important, but don’t let them get in your head and just continue to work hard and the right thing will always come out in the end,” Pezzetta said. “Different people see different things so, I mean for a future kid just to not look at those lists or not rely on those, just rely on playing good and doing what you got to do.”
But Saturday, the White, Red and Blue called his name, the Habs, le Club de hockey Canadien.
Any team would have been great, but one just six hours away from home was extra special.
“I think it’s awesome to stay in Canada, especially a team that’s so close to my home in Toronto,” he said. “Such a historic organization as well, they’ve won the most Stanley Cups and they’re a great organization, all of that just makes for a great feeling.”
Now there isn’t much time to let it sink in further as he leaves Thursday for development camp in Montreal, but he was able to tap into a resource very close to him.
Sudbury Wolves forward Matt Schmalz, was taken in the same round as Pezzetta, one year ago by the Los Angeles Kings.
Schmalz also attended Montreal Canadiens camp earlier in his career so Pezzetta was able to pick his brain a bit.
“(He} told me just work hard and just kind of gave me an idea what to expect on a day-to-day basis and the schedule,” said Pezzetta.
Just a round after Pezzetta was taken, his teammate Dmitry Sokolov heard his name called.
The Minnesota Wild used their seventh-round selection, 196th overall, to take the Russian winger.
Sokolov joins former teammate and former Wolves import selection Pavel Jenys in the Wild system.
Sokolov may have been one of the most consistent Sudbury player this season scoring 30 goals, which is something he said he brings to the table.
“I like scoring, I like to score goals,” he told the reporters.
From experience, Wolves GM Barclay Branch advised the two that it’s not where you’re drafted, but what you do starting after you are.
“The thing that we’ve come to see with the NHL draft is it’s not as much about where you get drafted as just getting drafted and what opportunity that provides,” Branch said. “We feel that with both of those players, they are going to show very well for the teams that selected them and will be real solid prospects for both organizations moving forward.”
Two players, two jerseys and a day that Michael Pezzetta and Dmitry Sokolov will never forget.
