After being passed over last October, Prince Albert Mintos alumni and Kamloops Blazers forward Josh Pillar got to see his name on the NHL Draft this year.
The 19-year-old from Warman, who was projected to be a late round pick this weekend, was taken by the Minnesota Wild with the 127th overall pick during the fourth round of the draft on Saturday afternoon.
“That was definitely a tough day (when he was not taken in the 2020 draft) but it pushed me really hard to try and get better for this past season,” Pillar said to the Daily Herald earlier this week. “Looking back on it, I think that extra motivation and the longer off-season that we had to train ended up being really good for me.
Pillar led the Blazers in scoring as he posted 29 points in 22 games, which came after a 44-point showing in 63 games last year.
“I felt like I played with a lot more confidence this year and I was able to step up and help the team out when guys weren’t playing like Logan Stankoven (when he was representing Canada at the World Under-18’s) and Connor Zary (who missed the final seven games of the season due to an injury),” Pillar said.
“I’m also really proud of how well all of us performed during the season. I ended up being on the same line as Cadean Bankier and he’s a really good player to be teamed up with. We had a lot of fun out there together.”
Bankier was also picked by the Wild in the third round, while Stankoven was a second round choice by the Dallas Stars.
This marks the second year in a row that a Mintos alumni was taken during the NHL Draft, as Prince Albert product Braden Schneider was taken 19th overall by the New York Rangers in 2020.
