On Saturday night, Will Skahan watched Alex Pereira knock out Jiri Prochazka in UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

A few hours before that, he was knocked out by Utah HC making him their choice in the 2nd round of the Upper Deck NHL Draft down the block at the Sphere.

"You always have that first instinct to hug your parents and your family," Skahan said. "I think it settled in for them more than it did for me."

But Skahan added it definitely settled in for him as he took the ice for the first session of prospect camp at the Park City Ice Arena Monday morning.

Besides getting used to the altitude of nearly 7,000 feet in the arena, Skahan noted the presence of the jersey of former Los Angeles Kings forward and Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille.

"I grew up around the game, especially the Anaheim Ducks," he said. "What they did really lit a fire underneath me and got me to where I am today."

While Skahan said he didn't remember much of the Paul Kariya era, he said he grew up idolizing captain Ryan Getzlaf and winger Corey Perry, donning the latter's number 10 jersey in his youth career as a forward.

And even though he's now a defenceman at a hulking 6-foot-6, he's just focused on making the most of his dream.

"When I got my name called, everything blacked out," Skahan explained. "It's a moment I'll never forget in my life."