Following his freshman year of high school, Jack Sadek watched his cousin, Brady Skjei, get drafted into the NHL by the New York Rangers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where the 2012 draft was held.
Now three years later, it’s Sadek’s turn.
With the 204 overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, the Minnesota Wild selected Sadek at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday.
When he watched his cousin ascend to the podium in Pittsburgh, Sadek didn’t necessarily see himself having a legitimate possibility of making it to the NHL. But he realized that it was a realistic possibility right after one of his lowest moments as a hockey player.
“I first realized it when we lost the championship game to Edina my junior year, because I knew our team was going to be good that following year since we had 6-7 college commits on our team,” Sadek said. “I knew there would be a lot of scouts at all of our games during our season, so I just had to play my game.”
And he did just that in Lakeville North High School’s 31-0 state championship season. The Minnesota native led all defenseman on his team in goals with five and registered 20 assists in the 2014-2015 regular season. Sadek’s goal total was seventh among his teammates and his assist total placed him fifth. The future Gopher scored two goals in the postseason and registered six assists.
The 6 foot 3, 185 pound defenseman had the best +/- on the Lakeville North team at 36.
Sadek will most likely play for the University of Minnesota for four years. Once he leaves the Gophers, he would probably play in his NHL team’s minor league affiliate. But, that could change depending upon his development at the University of Minnesota. However, his NHL team could pull him up at anytime they feel the need to.
Nick Kelly 