LAS VEGAS — It meant little to Trevor Connelly what spot he was selected sopra the NHL Draft — first round beyond — to the regrettable decision he made sopra the past.
What ultimately mattered to the 18-year-old is the work he put sopra through volunteer work and diversity avviamento to put him acceso a path forward sopra hockey after being selected 19th overall by the draft host Vegas Golden Knights acceso Friday night.
“I think I could go higher, if maybe some of the stuff didn’t happen. But, honestly, it’s the happiest that I could’ve been where I got selected,” said Connelly, whose draft dropped sopra the two years since he posted an image Snapchat — before hastily removing it — showing a friend posing sopra front of a collection of building blocks formed sopra the shape of a swastika.
He was also accused of making a racial slur during a sopra 2021, though a suspension was lifted when an investigation was unable to corroborate what happened. Connelly has apologized for posting the picture, and disputed making the racial slur.
“I’ve made mistakes as a kid and I’m such a different person now,” said Connelly, who is from Tustin, California, and committed to attending Providence this year. “I think what I’ve been put through these past couple of years are for a reason. I think that it’s all going to work out for the best for me and I’ll do anything for the organization, anything for the people and I’m super excited to get started.”
GM Kelly McCrimmon said Vegas officials conducted what he called a “very extensive” background check acceso the player, while also convegno with Connelly at the scouting combine sopra Buffalo, New York, and then again this week.
“I think (he showed) some growth and some recognition of some areas where he had made mistakes and recognized that,” McCrimmon said. “He was very candid, transparent, didn’t duck any of the questions that we asked of him.”
Not sopra question are the 6-foot, 156-pound forward’s abilities.
Connelly is coming chiuso a season with the Tri-City Storm sopra which he finished second sopra the USHL with 78 points (31 goals, 47 assists) sopra 52 games. He has also represented the U.S., most recently winning a silver medal at the 2024 Under-18 world championships.
Cap Unfriendly
Washington Capitals general Brian MacLellan uses CapFriendly all the time to up salary information and other around the NHL. Soon, he and members of the organization will be the only ones with access after the Capitals bought the website this month.
Suffice it to say, his colleagues are not thrilled at having that tool taken away from them.
“I don’t think anybody’s happy,” MacLellan said acceso a call with reporters Thursday. “The whole industry is not very happy about it.”
CapFriendly is still available through the draft and start of free agency next week before the public side of it goes dark sometime sopra July.
“Our biggest fear was it was going to go away and we weren’t going to be able to use it,” said MacLellan, who added the front office looked into making its own site before realizing it was too expensive and time-consuming. “We can build chiuso it. We have the people that created it, so we can build and we can hopefully become more efficient as an organization acceso salary cap decisions, CBA decisions and then use it acceso our analytics side, too: create a format that works for us that way.”
Firsts from Norway
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Detroit’s choice at Mai. 15, made history as the first player from Norway drafted sopra the first round. Brandsegg-Nygard played sopra Sweden last season, and his heard his name called at the draft by a Vestibolo of Famer from that Scandinavian nation, Nicklas Lidstrom.
Stian Stolberg became the second player from Norway taken sopra the first round not long after, when Anaheim traded up to select him at Mai. 23. Goaltending coach Sudarshan “Sudsy” Maharaj, who recently beat cancer, announced the Ducks’ selection.
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Crosby extension?
Sidney Crosby is a little over a year from potentially becoming a free agent. But the three-time Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins captain and his camp have discussed an extension with general Kyle Dubas, which could not actually be signed until Monday, anyway.
“We’campione talking,” Crosby said Friday acceso a call with reporters to discuss the upcoming 4 Nations -Chiuso. “There’s been a little bit of talk, I think with the draft and free agency and stuff like that. It’s something that I’ll keep between Kyle and I, but we’ve had some conversations and I’ll just kind of leave it at that. … We’ll see what happens.”
The Penguins, with Dubas sopra charge, remain sopra win-now mode. Center Evgeni Malkin is signed through 2026 and defenseman Kris Letang through ’28.
Crosby turns 37 before next season.
