Eric Mateiko was selected by the Washington Capitals with the 90th overall pick. It is the highest draft selection number with which a Latvian hockey player has been selected since 2015, when the Toronto “Maple Leafs” selected Mārtiņas Dzierkals. In a conversation with Latvijas Radio, Mateiko did not hide that his emotions were high after hearing his name in the NHL draft.
Eric Mateiko looks back on the NHL draft process
“I’m right here in Vegas, at the draft with my family. The emotions are unreal, watching how it all happens. Sitting in the stands, the emotions are definitely high. It’s unreal for me now, but there was a lot of excitement in the stands,” said Mateiko.
Prospective NHL players often know, or at least have an inkling, which team will select them before the draft. Mateiko is said to have realized that his name will most likely be heard in the third round of the draft.
“I spoke with the agents, and also, thinking about the conversations with the teams, the third round was the one that was predicted the most. Of course, I am surprised, but I had to be selected in the third round. “Capitals” showed interest. During the year, I spoke with several times We had some good interviews with the Ducks as well. They also had a lot of conversations with them [“Kraken”] and New Jersey [“Devils”] showed interest,” Mateiko said.
With the 134th pick in the NHL draft, the name of goalkeeper Mika Vecvanaga was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens. He admitted that he was surprised to be selected so highly.
Mikus Veczvanags for the NHL draft
“It was a huge surprise for me and my family. I didn’t expect to be picked this high in the draft. The Montreal Canadiens were one of the teams that showed interest. They were one of three teams that I had video interviews with after the U- 18 of the World Championship. I don’t know yet where I will play next season, I think everything will be clear in the next few weeks,” said Vecvanags.
On the other hand, with the overall number 214, the Anaheim “Ducks” selected defenseman Darrell Uljanski. He is said to have started to lose faith in the fact that one of the teams will choose him during the draft ceremony.
Darrell Ulianski talks about the draft process
“As the draft drew to a close, to be honest, my hopes started to fade. Seeing my name on the screen was a fantastic feeling. Very proud of the work I put in, as well as the team that drafted me. It was Anaheim that showed the most interest. They were the best, in my opinion, That’s why I had the highest hopes for them. As for next year, the plan was to stay in Sweden and go to the USA a year later, so we’ll see what happens.” said Ulyansky.
The fact that a hockey player is selected in the NHL draft does not guarantee him a contract with the specific NHL team. Two Latvian hockey players – Elvi Merzlikin and Teodor Bļuger – have guaranteed contracts for the next NHL season. Uvi Jānis Balinski will still have a two-way contract, while Vancouver “Canucks” recently made a so-called qualification contract offer to Artūrs Šilov. This means that the Canucks, in case another team agrees on a contract with Shilov, will have the right of first refusal, or the opportunity to match their offer to that of another team. But the long-time Latvian striker Zemgus Girgensons is a free agent this summer.
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