Prokop Heads From T-Birds To NHL Training Camp

Luke Prokop Attended The Seattle Pride Classic Last Weekend

Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop has the singular distinction of winning the last two Western Hockey League titles, with two different teams.

The 6-foot-6 defenseman won in 2021-22 with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Traded after the season to the Seattle Thunderbirds, he helped his new club win the '22-'23 WHL championship.

Of course, that isn't the distinction Prokop is best known for. As he proudly reminds Twitter visitors with a pinned tweet, July 19 will mark the two year anniversary of his coming out as gay. Luke recounted that journey in a story we wrote here.

But gender identity shouldn't define Prokop any more than his ginger beard or easygoing personality. So this story will focus on the remarkable run of the T-Birds, and what's ahead in hockey for the 21-year-old.

"We were such a tight-knit group of guys. Especially the core older guys really bonded together, spending time away from the rink doing things. They did a great job with acquiring some really key pieces that we needed."

Seattle was the team Prokop's Oil Kings defeated to win the previous season's WHL title. "I kind of knew what (the Thunderbirds) were capable of, and wasn't surprised that we made it so far this year."

Prokop played his first four seasons with the Calgary Hitmen, before traveling north to the Oil Kings, and then west to the T-Birds. "It was definitely strange, because I had a couple of buddies on the team in Seattle that are from Edmonton.

"We would meet in the summertime and I would kind of give it to them a little bit on how we beat them."

Even as a rival-turned-teammate, Prokop felt an obligation to speak up. "As an older guy on the team, I had to kind of let my opinion be heard, and the coaches looked upon me for leadership. So just taking what I've learned from previous experiences to the team and helping in any way I can."

Prokop earned a return trip to the Memorial Cup, a round-robin tournament featuring the champs of three major junior leagues (plus the host city, this year being Kamloops, BC). "I've been there twice now. I'm a little bitter about it, though, because I've lost it twice."

Seattle fell one victory shy of the first Memorial Cup in the franchise's 52-year history. The Quebec Remparts beat the Thunderbirds in the June 5 final, 5-0. "It's still a really cool tournament and it was awesome to be a part of it."

"It's become a huge hockey town with the Kraken here," Prokop observed. "One good part I think with the T-birds (based in Kent, WA) and the Kraken is a difference in location. So you kind of get your diehard T-bird fans and your diehard Kraken fans. But the city has definitely changed a lot.

"I've only been here for a year, but from hearing what other players have said, and my billets, it's completely changed. People who didn't follow hockey at all because there wasn't (an NHL) team in town, they have someone to root for and they want to see the team do well."

Prokop got his first taste of pro hockey in 2022-23, eight games with the Norfolk Admirals, and scored his first goal as a professional.

"The ECHL was was a cool experience. You get to see what the environment is like. You're living on your own, you're cooking your own meals, you don't have anyone do that for you in pro.

"I lived on Virginia Beach, so I can't complain too much about where I live. I met some really great people that I'm still in touch with today.

"The (ECHL) hockey does get a bad rap, 'Where careers go to die' and sort of things like that. The hockey is actually quite good. Some really good players come out of the 'Coast' and make an impact on AHL and then eventually NHL rosters.

As with all prospects, Luke has been given instructions on where his game needs polishing. "Keeping my defensive game going in a steady upward trajectory, that's one thing that is going to be my calling card if I were to play pro hockey. Not everyone can be Cale Makar, Eric Karlsson, players like that.

"So really honing my defensive skills, and making sure I'm physical and using my size, is something that we've been talking about for the past few years now. I thought I did a really good job of that this year and improved a lot in that area."

"I'll start in Nashville for training camp." The Predators hired Barry Trotz as general manager after the season, and Trotz tapped Andrew Brunette as coach. "Especially with new management and new coaches, they get to decide the trajectory of the team; if they want to go into a full rebuild.

"So I'll go to Nashville and kind of go from there, whether making the team, or playing in (AHL) Milwaukee. They've got a new East Coast team in Atlanta, so I would assume I'd be playing in one of those three."