Former Portage Terrier Dean Stewart has been selected in the 7th round, 188th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. Stewart played 42 games for the Terriers last season, scoring 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 regular season points. He shares his thoughts on being drafted to the NHL.

"It's pretty surreal and it definitely still hasn't sunk in, I mean, it's pretty much every hockey players dream to get drafted to the NHL and the fact that it happened is really cool. It's pretty amazing and I don't know how to describe the feeling right now, but it's probably the best day of my life."

Stewart says he was watching the draft, when he got a phone call.

"I was watching the draft on my computer and about 3 picks before 188, Arizona actually called me and told me they were going to take me with their next pick, so that's how I found out. It was pretty cool, and it was a pretty exciting phone call for me, that's for sure."

Arizona Coyotes Captain Shane Doan(left) and a young Dean Stewart(right)Stewart has loved the NHL since he was very young and says the Coyotes are one of his favourite teams

"My family went on a little vacation to Phoenix when I was in grade 4 or 5, and we were able to go and watch a couple of Coyotes practices and we got to go into the dressing room. Shane Doan and a few of the other players took me around and showed me the facilities and things like that, so there are a lot of great guys in that organization. It was a pretty cool experience."

Stewart still has a busy day with grad events, which he says will be a great way to celebrate.

"We have prom today and then safe grad after so it should be a good way to celebrate, (laughs) it might be a little hard to focus though."


Congratulations Dean!