Looking back at Damon Severson, who was drafted by the Kelowna Rockets in the ninth round.
Welcome to this edition of WHL Draft Day Steals. In this recurring column, we look at some of the best steals in the history of the WHL Draft. This week's steal is Damon Severson, who was drafted 192nd by the Kelowna Rockets.
Listed at 6'0" and 160 pounds, the Kelowna Rockets took a chance on defenceman Damon Severson in the ninth round of the WHL Draft. Playing for the Melville Millionaires U15 AA team at the time, he made the jump to the U18 level the next year, joining the Yorkton Harvest. It wouldn't take long for him to see WHL action as he played his five games with the Rockets in 2009-10, with his debut coming on December 9 when Kelowna was playing in Regina.
Over his four seasons with the Rockets, Severson would develop into a top-pair defenceman. He was drafted in the second round by New Jersey in 2012 and named to the WHL's West Second All-Star Team in 2014. By the end of his career, he had 167 points in 260 games and, to this day, still ranks fourth in all-time points by a defenceman in Rockets history.
Now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Severson has carved out a solid NHL career. He recently played in his 650th NHL game and is closing in on 300 points for his career. Looking back, it is safe to say he was arguably one of the biggest draft day steals in Rockets history.
