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Local lads Bunnaman and Kudla take different paths to NHL draft day

Guelph Minor Hockey grads both realize a dream by being drafted by NHL teams

A pair of Guelph Minor Hockey products took decidedly different routes to Saturday’s National Hockey League draft board.

Connor Bunnaman, 18, and Patrick Kudla, 20, became the Royal City’s two latest NHL hopefuls in Buffalo: Bunnaman taken in the fourth round of the draft by the Philadelphia Flyers and Kudla in the sixth round by the Arizona Coyotes.

Bunnaman took the traditional route.

The six-foot-two, 205-pound winger was a second round draft pick of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers two years ago and has steadily progressed to the point everyone knew he would be a high pick in this his draft year.

That didn’t make waiting for his name to be called Saturday any easier.

“It sucks,” Bunnaman said of the wait. “It was just nerve wracking.”

Bunnaman knew Philadelphia was interested in drafting him judging by their interest during the interview process. They were one of seven teams he interviewed with at the recent scouting combine but showed the most interest during the season, he said.

“I kinda’ had a good understanding of who I was going to and what round,” he said.

Getting drafted was a relief.

“Just knowing that you don’t have to do any of those interviews any more. Now you can just settle down and put the hard work in and see what happens,” said Bunnaman, who had 38 points in 68 games with the Rangers last season.

The whole Bunnaman clan and some friends were on hand for the big day last Saturday.

“It was a good day. It was a long day. Then we came home and celebrated a little bit.”

Kudla’s journey was a little more winding.

After being an 11th round draft pick of the Plymouth Whalers as a forward in 2012, he switched to defence after not making the Whalers and played two years of junior B hockey with the Guelph Hurricanes. He played last year with the tier II Oakville Blades.

Kudla wasn’t drafted by an NHL team the first two years he was eligible and became a very rare beast when he was drafted as a 20 year old on Saturday.

He wasn’t even following Saturday’s draft, instead sitting out back of his family’s Puslinch home playing Frisbee with some buddies when his mom yelled there was a phone call for him.

“It almost went to voice mail,” he said of the phone call informing him he had been drafted.

“I think it’s a good story for a lot of kids. There’s going to be tough years you battle through, but once you battle through those years you’re going to come out stronger after it,” Kudla said.

“It’s like the saying goes, you never know who’s watching,” he said.

Kudla knew the Coyotes might draft him.

Director of Amateur Scouting Tim Bernhardt came to Guelph two weeks ago to take him out for lunch. He told him that there was a chance they would take him and even if they didn’t they wanted Kudla to come to their development camp as a free agent.

“That’s one of the most exciting things about it. It’s kind of a different story and I’m just going with it,” Kudla said.

Despite two years age difference, Kudla and Bunnaman have connections. They both share the same and are both friends with Guelph’s Austen Keating, who plays for the Ottawa 67s.

Bunnaman also practiced a few times with the junior B Hurricanes when Kudla was there.

Bunnaman will return for a third season with the Kitchener Rangers while Kudla plans to play this coming season with Dubuque, Iowa, of the United States Hockey League. He has already committed to an NCAA scholarship with Arizona State for 2017.

“I want to keep my path the way it is. It’s turning out perfect for where I want to be down the road,” Kudla said.

Both players head to development camps next week.


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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