Heading into the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Keith Petruzzelli was a surefire pick, but his exact destination needed deciding. By weekend’s end, the towering netminder was selected in the third round (88th overall) by the Detroit Red Wings, wrapping up quite the season for the Wilbraham, Mass., native.
Fresh off starring in 2016-17 for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, the soon-to-be Quinnipiac University goalie caught up with NEHJ’s Jonathan Sigal to document his draft process.
June 3: Conquering the combine
Petruzzelli, alongside the hockey world’s top prospects, convened on Buffalo, N.Y., for the combine, held at the HarborCenter downtown. In the week building up to June 3, a Saturday, the 18-year-old was interviewed by NHL teams and went through medical testing — typical draft responsibilities.
He remembers his interview with Detroit, but it wasn’t anything too special or noteworthy: "It was pretty standard and talking hockey. It wasn’t anything crazy that stood out to me, you know? Just all the GMs and head scouts."
But come Friday afternoon, the combine’s difficulty level ramped up with the VO2 test and then the Wingate test on Saturday. Both are intense, brief tests of a player’s aerobic capacity, with Petruzzelli conceding that he was nervous ahead of them.
With nerves ramping up, he woke up earlier, even though he said he’s not sure how much stock front office members put into the test results.
"It’s 10 to 15 minutes out of your life that you have to battle through and give it everything you’ve got," Petruzzelli said. "I got off the bike and fell over. My legs couldn’t hold me up after I got off, so it’s that hard. It’s something you have to get through and hope for the best when you do it."
June 21: Chi-Town bound
The 2017 NHL draft was held at United Center in Chicago, so Petruzzelli and his family shipped out early to take it all in. Each member took their own route, too.
Petruzzelli flew out of Logan Airport into the Windy City that Wednesday, alongside his mom and sister. His dad, meanwhile, drove to Chicago on Thursday morning, and his brother, D.J., who also will play for Quinnipiac in 2017-18, flew out on the same day.
They stayed at a Marriott Hotel on Michigan Avenue, which is in downtown Chicago, and had an eye on Saturday, when they figured Petruzzelli would be drafted. Thus, the days leading up to Friday’s first round were pretty low key.
"We were able to walk around and do some shopping Wednesday night and Thursday," Petruzzelli said. "Then Friday was pretty relaxed. We just hung out, waited for the first round that night and then the draft started."
June 24: One shining moment
Come Saturday, rounds two through seven unfolded, meaning Petruzzelli’s name could be called at any moment. More pressingly, though, nerves were sky high as he waited in the United Center’s stands besides his family.
"The anxiety was brutal," Petruzzelli said. "My advisor Jerry Buckley warned us, ‘It’s going to be brutal until you hear your name called, no matter what what your expectations are.’ We were all like, ‘Yeah, yeah, alright. It’s not going to be that big of a deal.’ It was really tough dealing with that anxiety of waiting to hear your name called."
But eventually the life-altering moment came for Petruzzelli, with Detroit making him the draft’s eighth goaltender taken. And just like that, Petruzzelli said his emotions flipped on their head.
"It was pure excitement right away," Petruzzelli said. "I got up right away and hugged my mom, then hugged my dad and he started crying. They caught him crying on national television, which was pretty funny. It was incredible. Such an amazing moment."
Once hugs and tears dissipated, Petruzzelli walked toward the stage, donning his first Red Wings jersey and putting on a Detroit hat. Photo shoots and media responsibilities followed suit, but there was little time for waiting around after.
June 24: Homeward bound
The Petruzzellis did linger in Chicago, as they went out to a family lunch at the Weber Grill Restaurant near their hotel.
Right after, his dad and brother hopped in the car to start driving home. Meanwhile, Petruzzelli, with his mom and sister, boarded a flight around 7 p.m. and landed back at Logan around midnight.
And, in the interim, Petruzzelli enjoyed some "cool" moments: "My phone blew up right away after I was picked."
June 25: Summer plans
Much like other prospects, Petruzzelli isn’t resting on his laurels.
He was set to fly out for Detroit’s development camp on July 5, with camp itself starting on July 6. Once he returns, he’ll move into Quinnipiac and start his college hockey career.
Before then, he said he’s "really excited" to become a member of Detroit’s organization and has some words of advice for any New Englanders who could be drafted in 2018.
"Enjoy whatever city it’s in, enjoy being there with your family and just enjoy the moment and not stress about when your name gets called," Petruzzelli said. "No matter when it happens, it’s going to be an amazing moment. Focus on that and not how many other guys are being called."
That approach sure paid off for him, after all.
