The lifelong dream of junior hockey players from around the world will come true over the next two days, as NHL executives converge in southern Nevada for the 2024 draft.
Among those anxiously waiting to see if their names will be called are members of the Penticton Vees, some of who recently helped the team reach the Fred Page Cup Finals last month.
Connor MacPherson (195th ranked) and Ben Merrill (127th ranked) are the two Vees listed by Central Scouting ahead of the NHL Draft, which runs on June 28 and 29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The former played for the Vees in 2023-2024, while Merrill is committed to the BCHL team for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
"I see myself as a complete two-way forward," MacPherson said in his NHL Draft Q&A, courtesy of the BCHL. "I have a lot of options in my game where I can be used in any type of situation – defence, offence, neutral zone, faceoffs, whatever it may be.”
The forward recorded 42 points in 54 games in his rookie year with Penticton, and is committed to play at the University of New Hampshire this fall.
MacPherson's brother, Ryan, also played for the Vees last season and was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Francesco Dell’Elce and Max Heise, who enjoyed rookie years with Penticton in 2023-2024, are also on "the draft radar this year," according to the BCHL.
Four Vees were selected in the 2023 draft, including first-round pick Bradly Nadeau, who went on to make his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes in April.
The first round of the 2024 NHL Draft will begin Friday evening, with the remaining six rounds scheduled to take place Saturday.
