After being overlooked in both the 2013 and 2014 NHL Entry Drafts, invited to a pair of prospects camps by the Chicago Blackhawks and the Arizona Coyotes, the North Bay native was encouraged by his agent to travel to Sunrise, Florida with his family and attend the NHL Draft with expectations to see his name pop up on the large bilboard at the BB & T Centre.
On this day it wasn't meant to be. A total of 211 players were selected, nine goaltenders alone in the 7th and final round, but not Ken Appleby.
"It’s just kind of a waiting game, it’s hard to say if I’ll be drafted or not. If not, then hopefully I’ll get invited to some camps,” Appleby told BayToday.ca's Dennis Chippa in an interview prior to this weekend's Draft.
Appleby attended a pair of prospects camp prior to the Draft with the Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks so he is now hoping to get another free agent invitation and prove his worth again on the ice.
North Bay’s last player to be selected in the NHL Draft was Matt Marquardt, who was selected in the 7th round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Appleby by the Numbers
Appleby was arguably one of the best goaltenders in the entire Canadian Hockey League in the 2014-15 season.
Appleby not only backstopped his Oshawa Generals to an Ontario Hockey League Championship, but he also helped lead the Generals to a Mastercard Memorial Cup Championship over the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets.
Ken Appleby, 20, capped off his OHL career on Sunday with a 37-save performance in a 2-1 overtime victory to capture the Memorial Cup in Quebec.
The 6' 4", 205-pound goaltender finished the 2014-15 regular season in Oshawa with a 38-7-4 record, a 2.08 goals-against average, a .924 save-percentage, and six shutouts in 50 games played. In the 2015 playoffs, Appleby continued to shine with a 16-4-1 record, a 2.24 goals-against, a .922 save-percentage, and two shutouts.
After knocking out his hometown North Bay Battalion the Eastern Conference, Appleby and the Generals had to face Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters in the OHL Championship. In the five game series with the Otters, Oshawa held the CHL MVP to only seven points in the series, including two pointless games in games two and five.
In the Mastercard Memorial Cup, Appleby was stellar in the four games played with Oshawa posting a 2.08 goals-against, and a .915 save-percentage.
