Port Coquitlam hockey product Evan Campbell had the quintessential Canada Day weekend: while enjoying a family barbecue on Sunday afternoon, he got a text saying he had been drafted by the Edmonton Oilers.
"My roommate texted me: 'Congrats on getting drafted.' I said, 'Piss off. You're joking,'" Campbell recapped to The Tri-City News on Tuesday.
The 6' 1", 174-lb left-winger was selected 128th overall in the fifth round of the National Hockey League entry draft in Newark, N.J., on Sunday.
Campbell played for Port Coquitlam Minor Hockey around the time he first learned to skate. He then spent his formative hockey years at the Burnaby Winter Club, before returning to PoCo to play midget and B.C. Major Midget League hockey.
"They were all great coaches," says Campbell.
Campbell is currently coming off a career year with Langley Rivermen junior 'A' hockey club, putting up 20 goals and 46 assists in 51 games.
Rivermen head coach and general manager Bobby Henderson said Campbell's combination of size, speed, grit, and skill is hard to pass up at the NHL level.
"This is something Evan deserves and it is nice to see all the hard work he put into last season pay off," said Henderson in a Rivermen team press release.
"Edmonton is an exciting destination for him as they have a lot of good young players on the roster and I believe he will make the most of the opportunity."
There will be a couple days of reflection for the 20-year-old before he arrives in Edmonton on Wednesday for a week-long development camp.
"It's my first pro camp, so it's going to be something different," says Campbell. "Definitely the nerves will be there, just because it's the NHL."
Having studied the Oilers' team these past few seasons, Campbell is confident Edmonton will be a solid training ground for him.
"I think the Oilers' franchise is going to be a powerhouse in the league for many years to come," opined Campbell.
"Just looking at some of the players they have on the team now, it only makes me want to work harder than I ever have before to try and crack the team and play with those guys one day."
Campbell singles out his family, saying their support is the reason he has made it this far in his hockey career.
"My mom, uncle, and step-dad are huge reasons why this has all happened," says Campbell.
In September, he will attend the University of Massachusetts Lowell where he will play his freshman year with the River Hawks.
If offered a contract from the Oilers midway through his university career, Campbell wouldn't be able to pass up that opportunity.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play in the NHL," he says.
