North Bay Battalion defenceman Riley Bruce has been selected in the seventh and final round, 196 overall, by the Calgary Flames in the NHL Draft in Sunrise, Florida.
Bruce, a 6' 6", 207-pound blueliner, entered the draft ranked 210 in the NHL pre-draft prospect rankings.
"It feels absolutely amazing!" Bruce said in a brief but telling text message after the draft. "It's a dream come true."
"I actually didn't talk to [the team] at all before I was drafted," he added. "I'm very excited to be a part of such a great organization and amazing city!"
Through 109 regular games in two seasons with the Battalion, the North Bay fan favourite has registered seven assists and a minus-20 rating.
The Carp, Ont., native scored his first career Ontario Hockey League goal in the Troops' deep playoff push this past Spring.
Bruce, who turned 18 on July 16, was a third-round pick, 50th overall, in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection from the Ottawa Valley Titans minor midgets.
The Flames were one of the busiest teams in and around the draft weekend, acquiring highly-touted defenceman Dougie Hamilton from the Boston Bruins before the selections began.
The team then used their first two picks of this year's draft on a pair of Swedish defencemen, while also acquiring two forwards later on, including Andrew Mangiapane from the Battalion's divisional rival Barrie Colts.
But with their last pick of the day, the Flames brass pulled the trigger on the towering Battalion blueliner.
"For the most part I kind of tried to stay occupied and not watch the entire draft just because of nerves and stuff," said Bruce, "but I was following online the whole time."
Brett McKenzie goes undrafted
Fellow Battalion player Brett McKenzie, who was ranked 120 in the pre-draft Prospect Rankings, was passed over by all 30 teams in his first year of draft elgibility.
McKenzie, a former first round pick of the Battalion in the 2013 Priority Selection, saw his in-season draft ranking slip a little bit after failing to produce the offensive numbers that some expected.
In his sophomore season with the Battalion this past year, McKenzie posted 11 goals and 21 assists through 68 regular season games, as well as seven assists in 15 playoff games.
But going into the draft weekend, he was praised by some scouts for his strong two-way presence, sound defensive responsibility and energetic, physical edge, among other favourable traits.
To read the full report on McKenzie's status prior to the weekend, click here: http://goo.gl/zWIv8J
