He’s not exactly this year’s version of the NHL’s Mr. Irrelevant, but he could certainly see it from here. Read More
It’s definitely going to be a step up. I’ve got a lot of work to do to get ready for that.
It’s definitely going to be a step up. I’ve got a lot of work to do to get ready for that.
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He’s not exactly this year’s version of the NHL’s Mr. Irrelevant, but he could certainly see it from here.
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And irrelevant is about the last word Aidan Park would use to describe the past week since getting selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the 223rd out of 224 picks in last week’s 2025 NHL entry draft.
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It’s not every late pick who can be there to experience the moment first hand, even if it came around the same time as the staff of Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre was sweeping up the discarded cups in the aisles.
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But it didn’t hurt having the proceedings held a short drive from his hometown of Hermosa Beach, meaning he could also have friends and family in attendance for his big moment. Even if it meant having to wait until the bitter end.
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Not nearly as bitter as the previous year, however, which saw Park go undrafted as his dreams of one day following in the footsteps of his uncle and former NHLer Richard Park took a serious hit.
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It turns out it was just a pit stop on his path to the pros, even if it meant waiting for another 222 names to get called first.
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“I went to the draft as Ryker Lee’s guest, he was my roommate at Shattuck,” Park said of his former teammate with USHS-Prep Shattuck St. Mary’s, who ended up getting taken in the first round (26th overall) by the Nashville Predators a day earlier. “He got picked Night 1, and then next morning, Nashville flew him out on a private jet. I was going to hang out with him that day.
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“But he left me his extra tickets and I just went to the draft with some buddies, not really expecting anything. And then I just happened to get picked there at the end, which was a special moment, for sure.”
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And one his uncle helped him navigate toward when it came to tempering expectations
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“Last year in the draft, I didn’t get drafted, which was a huge disappointment,” Park said. “I kind of expected to more last year, so he kind of helped me realize that I had to take a step back and look at the big picture.
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“There’s a lot of ways to make it: There’s next year in the draft, there’s college and signing as free agents, and I had to just keep my head down and keep working. Just give my best effort and see what happens.”
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What happened was he found himself back on his initial track, and with a bright future as he prepares to move on from the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League and join one of the NCAA’s premier hockey programs at the University of Michigan.
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