Defenceman is taking his game to the next level
Prokopetz intends to play for Ridley College if he doesn’t earn roster spot in OHL
Sawyer Prokopetz doesn’t find the numbers — sixth round, Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, 119th overall — all that intimidating.
Nor does the prospect of competing in the OHL against older, stronger players faze the 15year-old defenceman.
At six-foot-two, Prokopetz figures he has the size but readily concedes he needs to add meat, and especially more, muscle to his 157-pound frame.
The second defenceman picked by the Kingston Frontenacs in the draft appreciates there’s a “big difference” between playing triple-A minor midget with the Southern Tier Admirals and competing in the OHL.
“It’s huge jump because you’ll be playing against guys three, four years older than you,” he said. “They’re much stronger and a lot faster, so you really have to work on getting those two things down to be able to play at the next level.”
Instead of letting it scare him, Prokopetz is choosing to use the prospect of lining up against OHL players as motivation.
“It shows you the work you need to do to get to that point so you’ll be able to compete against them,” he said.
In addition to getting stronger physically, he intends to work on making his shot more explosive.
“Have a cannon on the point,” said Prokopetz, one of seven members of the South Centralchampion Admirals taken in the draft.
About half of the OHL’s 20 teams expressed interest in Prokopetz heading into the draft, which this year was held exclusively online due to COVID-19 crowd restrictions.
He admitted getting a “little anxious” waiting for his name to be picked.
“I really didn’t know when I would be picked or where I would be going. It was just waitand-see on April 4,” he said referring to the day of the 15round draft.
“But I just knew getting drafted in general is an honour. It doesn’t really matter where you go or when you go. It’s just an honour to get drafted. I was really happy.”
Kingston, which finished the abbreviated regular season tied with the Niagara IceDogs and clinched the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference on a tiebreaker, has a “bright future” that Prokopetz is eager to be a part of, “whether it’s this year or next year.”
“I can’t wait to get into that lineup,” he said. “I just know that it’s a great community. Everybody loves the team there, and it’s a great organization with a great history.”
Prokopetz styles his game after Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers
“He’s a big guy, kind of like me. He’s physical and he’s very good in his own end but he also has an offensive jump.”
The son of Steve and Michele Prokopetz of Wainfleet isn’t all that worried about living away from home for the first time should he make the final cut at Frontenacs training camp.
“I’ll have to get used to it, but think I should be able to do it,” he said. “Being away from home will be a test, but I think I can adjust to that.”
The Grade 10 student at Port Colborne High School likewise isn’t concerned about juggling athletics with academics once living away from home and long bus trips to Michigan and northern Ontario are thrown into the mix.
“I think I can balance school and hockey just fine,” he said.
Prokopetz, who won’t be turning 16 until September, will be taking his game to the next level even if he doesn’t make the Kingston roster. He is transferring to Ridley College in St. Catharines for his third year of high school.
“I’ll be on the ice every day. I think it will be a big benefit,” Prokopetz said of playing for the Ridley Tigers, who compete against prep teams in the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario.
Southern Tier, which had Andrew LeBlanc picked in the first round, Sam Alfano in the second and Jacob LeBlanc and Trent Swick in the third, would have played in the OHL Cup had the COVID-19 pandemic not resulted in cancellation of that showcase for scouts.
“We had a very good season. Everybody in the lineup was good,” Prokopetz said. “I think we had a great coach (Kevin Rosebrugh) who really helped us develop. Everyone bonded.”
The Admirals coaching staff focused on development and “learning to play the game the right way.”
“These guys were accountable and learned to play a structured game in all three zones,” Rosebrugh said. “Their compete level and desire to win was always very good, and that’s why we were such a tight group.”
While seven players taken from one organization is remarkable, it could have been higher.
“I thought we might have got a couple of more guys in my talks with OHL teams but, yes, seven was very rewarding,” he said. “I had most of these guys for three years and we would always talk about the process to get to this point.
“It was all about work ethic and practice habits.”