A dream within reach: Lacombe’s Daxon Rudolph awaits his NHL Draft moment

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The highest placement for Rudolph is by TSN’s Craig Button, who has him getting selected seventh overall.

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This means Rudolph could potentially be taken by the likes of the Calgary Flames (sixth), Seattle Kraken (seventh), Winnipeg Jets (eighth), Florida Panthers (ninth), Nashville Predators (10th), and the St. Louis Blues (11th).

He actually grew up a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, but they don’t make their first selection until 22nd overall.

“I’d be honoured [to get selected that early]. Everyone puts in so much work in their life, looks forward to this moment their whole life, and to be in this situation. To be viewed as an early pick in the first round is something you dream of as a kid, but it’s not necessarily reality yet,” he said.

“Even for it to be a possibility coming up is special. It’s not the end-all, be-all in the journey, but it’s definitely a huge step and something you look forward to. It means a lot.”

Rudolph just returned from the NHL Scouting Combine, which is a week-long event where team representatives conduct physical tests on the draftees.

Rudolph said he felt it went well, and he had a lot of fun.

A big part of the combine is one-on-one interviews with scouts and management of select NHL teams. Sometimes this results in unique questions asked to find out more about the players.

Rudolph said he spoke with eight teams while he was there, including the New York Islanders, who asked him how many uses he could find for a singular brick.

The product of Lacombe was caught off guard but gave the best answer he could in 30 seconds.

“I think I said a weight, a weapon, an armrest, and a phone rest,” he said.

In just his second season, Rudolph solidified himself as one of the best defencemen in the Western Hockey League (WHL), scoring 28 goals and 50 assists for 78 points in 68 games with the Prince Albert Raiders.

He added 27 points in 19 playoff games before falling to the Everett Silvertips in the WHL Finals in five games.

At the beginning of June, news broke that Rudolph committed to the University of Denver to play Division I hockey in the NCAA next season.

With the move, he’ll join the defending NCAA men’s hockey champions next season, unless he’s playing in the NHL.

He said he decided, as the next step in his journey, to ensure he’s ready for professional hockey.

“I think playing with older guys and being in the gym more is best for my development. They have such a great coaching staff there as well, so it was all very appealing to me, being a little bit closer to home and just being around like-minded people. They have a lot of Western Canadians on the team and on the staff, so I’m looking forward to that.”

He explained it wasn’t an easy decision as he’s leaving his Raiders teammates and a competitive team that came within just a few games of a championship title.

“Falling short this year was tough. i just look back at all the memories with those guys and the community. It’s a lot of fun being in P.A. I couldn’t thank them enough. It’s truly a special place to play,” he added.

Rudolph now joins a significant list of players who’ve left the WHL for the NCAA since the rule change last year.

It’s changed the landscape of junior hockey and how WHL teams will build their teams moving forward.

When asked for his thoughts on how it changes junior hockey, Rudolph’s not convinced it’s bad for the league. He explained that players are going to do what’s best for them.

“I think a lot of the high-end talent will still be in the WHL and in the CHL… They won’t miss a beat. They will continue to develop players and move them on to the next level, whether that’s college before the NHL or maybe some guys will still make the jump to the NHL. I think it’s great overall,” he said. “I think the WHL, although it’ll be a bit of a younger league, will continue to be a high-end league.”

This summer, Rudolph will spend most of it training in Calgary, returning home to Lacombe on weekends.

Rudolph began playing hockey through the Lacombe Minor Hockey Association before suiting up for the U15 AAA Red Deer Rebels in 2021-22 and the Northern Alberta Xtreme from 2022-2024. He then suited up for the Prince Albert Raiders for two seasons.

Speaking of the Lacombe Minor Hockey Association, they plan to host an NHL draft watch party to support Rudolph at the Lacombe Curling Rink.

They invite residents to attend the watch party at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 26, but ask everyone to bring their own chairs. The arena concession will also be open.

“Starting in Lacombe Minor Hockey with all the coaches and players I got to play with was awesome. I got to develop my game, and they allowed me to continue to move upward and onward in my hockey journey,” Rudolph said.

“I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in if it weren’t for Lacombe, Red Deer, and those types of associations in minor hockey that have helped me develop and allowed me the opportunities I’ve had to experience. A lot of it is because of them.”