It’s a draft dream come true for the Ottawa Valley’s Dean Letourneau.
On Friday night, Letourneau was picked 25th overall by the Boston Bruins in the first round of the NHL draft.
“I’m very excited, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Letourneau told CTV News Ottawa ahead of the draft.
“I haven’t really been thinking about it too much because I want to be able to sleep at night.”
Letourneau grew up in Braeside, Ont., located about an hour west of Ottawa, and could be the first player ever from McNab/Braeside drafted into the NHL.
“Playing in Arnprior, going to the Ottawa Valley Aces, the Ottawa Titans, and then playing for Renfrew, it was awesome to be able to play from home and play for my valley,” Letourneau said.
Letourneau has played the past two seasons at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ont., and registered 127 points in 56 games.
He also towers over many of his opponents, standing 6’6″ and weighing over 200 lbs.
“We already have a star, he’s already made our community very proud of him,” said Scott Brum, a councillor in McNab/Braeside.
Brum has organized a watch party of tonight’s NHL draft at the John A. Gillies Recreation Centre in Braeside. The event opens at 6 p.m., with the NHL draft beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
“I’ve personally received calls from as far up the valley as Deep River and into Ottawa wondering what the event’s all about tonight,” Letourneau said.
Thirty-two players are selected in the first round of the draft. Letourneau is ranked 23rd among North American skaters by NHL.com. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has Letourneau ranked 36th overall.
Letourneau says he grew up as a Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins fan, but playing for any team in the NHL would be a dream.
“For me, it doesn’t really matter. It’s the NHL, so any team for me is going to be awesome. I’d be more than happy to play for them,” Letourneau said.
“The drafts can be tough sitting there,” said Letourneau’s father Jeff.
“You think you may go in a certain area, and if you don’t, then it gets tough. So we’re going in with some lower expectations, and we’ll just kind of see what happens as the night plays out.”