Penn State freshman Eamon McAdam saw a dream come true Sunday night as the New York Islanders selected him 70th overall in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft. McAdam was the the sixth goalie drafted Sunday afternoon.
Despite his now NHL drafted status, McAdam will still attend Penn State until he either graduates or the Islanders require his services at some point down the road.
“It’s pretty rare to find a player who is NHL ready on Draft day at 18 or 17 years old, so organizations take their time and let them mature,” Dustin Leed, Flyers’ beat writer and writer for TheHockeyGuys.net said. “I’d compare the draft process to Major League Baseball, where you select a lot of young players and then let them mature as a player so help your team down road.”
“Goalies are a little different, it really just depends. He’s got a real good chance after his junior season to go to the NHL. AHL goalies are usually around 21-22 years old when they turn pro unless they’re on fast track to NHL. So it depends on how fast he develops. Some guys move quickly and can turn pro at 20.”
For Penn State, McAdam becomes the first Nittany Lion to have been drafted while affiliated with the university. However McAdam is not the only Penn State player on the roster with NHL ties as he joins junior forward Max Gardiner (2010 3rd round, 74th overall, by the St. Louis Blues) and junior defenseman Patrick Koudys (2011 5th round, 147th overall by the Washington Capitals).
But for now, McAdam will focus on classes and trying to be like any other college freshman. For next few days that could be harder than usual.
“I’m sure it’ll be a struggle to begin with,” McAdam said to StateColege.com earlier this week. “It’s one of those things that being a pro is more than just playing. It’s about taking care of business, in whatever you’re doing. You always have to have an outlet because anything can happen, your career can end in a second and you have to have something to back that up. If I keep that in mind it should be pretty easy to work on the classes and take care of things.”
Update: 10:00 PM
Incoming freshman defenseman Mike Williamson was selected in the sixth-round (175th overall) by the Vancouver Canucks.
Williamson played parts of three seasons with the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. In 2012-13, Williamson skated in 23 games and collected 11 points (1g, 10a) as the Saints captured the North Division championship. During the 2011-12 season, Williamson added 18 points (9g, 9a) in 41 regular-season games as he earned AJHL All-Rookie Team honors.
While at Spruce Grove, Williamson played alongside Nittany Lion forwards David Glen and Dylan Richard.
Both McAdam and Williamson will play for Penn State in the coming years. Each will either play out all four years of their eligibility or leave for the NHL when their respective teams feel they have developed enough to help out at the next level. In all likelihood both McAdam and Williamson will play out all four season at Penn State.
