Blake Montgomery had a big season in the USHL and has committed to playing this fall at Wisconsin.
At the recent NHL Draft in Vegas, the Ottawa Senators had three fourth-round draft picks. The first two were Kitchener Rangers winger Luke Ellinas and Minnetonka High School winger Javon Moore.
Like most North American fourth-rounders, both players were there in Vegas on the draft floor to meet the team, answer media questions, and pose for photos. All the regular stuff.
But the third player, Lincoln Stars (USHL) forward Blake Montgomery, did his own thing.
Montgomery decided not to attend the draft at all. Instead, he watched it comfortably with family and friends at the Boundary Sports Bar and Grill in Bermuda. Part of the group was his brother, Bryce, a sixth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes last year.
Montgomery's story was recently chronicled on the BBC TV show Bermuda Tonight. The show billed him as a Bermudian hockey player, so presumably, the American-born player has dual citizenship.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7djiKWq3diE[/embed]
Montgomery says getting drafted into the NHL is a dream come true.
"It's hard to put into words," Montgomery said. "Just very excited for the future and to get started there. It's awesome."
Montgomery may have skipped the draft but quickly shuttled from Bermuda to Kanata last week for day one of the Sens development camp. The Senators even recreated the draft for him with the standard ball cap and jersey and the obligatory draft day pose with GM Steve Staios and head amateur scout Don Boyd.
Montgomery is a strong skater, a 6-foot-4 centre who scored 22 goals and 43 points in 58 games last season for the USHL's Lincoln Stars. Sens fans can keep an eye on Montgomery's development as a freshman this fall at the University of Wisconsin.
"Absolutely pumped to be Badger," Montgomery said in a February interview on LincolnStars.com. "They have an unreal campus and city. I know the coaching staff there believes in me and will help me get to the next level after college. I want to thank my family, (Stars head coach) Rocky (Russo) and the staff here at Lincoln for helping me through the decision I had to make to get to this point, and everyone who has been a part of my journey."