Flashback: Preds tab UMass-bound defenseman Ryan Ufko

Smithtown, N.Y., native Ryan Ufko was selected No. 115 overall in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. (Chicago Steel)

Many prospects who expect to be selected in the National Hockey League draft either attend the event or stay at home with family and friends and watch the draft on television.

This wasn’t the case for Smithtown, N.Y., native Ryan Ufko, an 18-year-old defenseman who’s coming off his second season with the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League.

Ufko, who was listed 43rd among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the 2021 NHL draft, found himself in a relatively unique position with this year’s edition being held on July 23-24, a month later than usual, and virtually.

He was at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., preparing for a practice at the 2021 World Junior Summer Showcase, an evaluation camp for the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship. The television in the lounge was tuned in to the draft.

“I was at the rink about to go on the ice when my name was called,” Ufko revealed. “One of the guys in the locker room said that I got picked, and they all came over and congratulated me. That was a cool experience.”

Ufko was in shock, but he was “really happy and relieved” as well. He also had an important question that needed to be answered.

“My first thought was, ‘Which team was it?’ ” Ufko said. “Because all the guys just said I got picked.”

The team was the Nashville Predators. They selected the 5-foot-10, 181-pounder in the fourth round, 115th overall.

“It was a dream come true,” Ufko said.

Being drafted was the culmination of a sensational 2020-21 season for Ufko. The right-handed shooter concluded the campaign first on the Steel and third in the USHL in scoring among blueliners with 39 points (10-29-39) in 53 regular-season games. He finished tied for first in the league and first on the Steel among defensemen in playoff scoring with seven points (1-6-7) in eight postseason contests as he helped lead the Steel to the 2020-21 Clark Cup championship.

To prepare for the draft, Ufko talked with his advisor and his coaches, who told him to do his best and sound the best he could in his interviews with NHL teams, but overall to not worry about the draft because none of it was in his control.

“The only thing I could do was play hockey throughout the year, and I did that,” Ufko said. “So, preparing for the draft was pretty easy and simple.”

Ufko spoke with about 20 NHL clubs, with most of them asking him psychological questions. The hardest question he received from a team was a rather dark one.

Recounted Ufko: “I was on a Zoom, and there were six guys from the organization on it, and they asked me, ‘If we were on an airplane and both pilots instantly died, who’s flying the plane and why?’ ”

Ufko took control of the hypothetical situation.

“I said myself because I’d rather learn and figure it out than hesitate and not know who’s going to fly the plane,” Ufko said. “They liked that answer.”

While Ufko didn’t have to worry about manning the controls in a plane’s cockpit as the draft approached, he was nervous nonetheless. The butterflies flew away, though, once he found out the Predators chose him.

Just a moment after Ufko heard the news, he received a phone call from Nashville.

“The conversation was pretty quick because they knew I was getting on the ice,” Ufko recalled. “They said, ‘Congratulations and welcome to the organization.’ I told them that I was very thankful and looking forward to getting started with them.”

Ufko then got another phone call, this one from his girlfriend, who was in Michigan with Ufko’s family and his Chicago billet family for the weekend.

“She congratulated me and was really happy,” Ufko said. “She then passed the phone around, and once my mom (Jennifer) got on the phone, she was screaming, and I could tell she was crying.”

Phone calls complete, Ufko jumped on the ice and practiced from 4-5:30 p.m. He then went out to dinner to celebrate with his family, his girlfriend and his former billets.

Ufko’s game plan for the rest of the summer is to finish the showcase and then return to the University of Massachusetts, where the hockey team is in the midst of a summer camp.

“I was there for three weeks before coming to Michigan,” Ufko said. “We skate and work out every day, which is really good and gets us all into shape.”

After that, Ufko will travel to Nashville in mid-August for the Predators development camp. He’ll then enjoy a week off before starting his freshman season with the UMass Minutemen.

And in his memory bank during each of his stops from here on out will be his experience of being drafted by the Predators.

“The most memorable moment for me was when I was in the locker room and found out I was drafted,” Ufko concluded. “Being with 40 guys and just hanging out with them during the whole draft process was unique. It’s not the standard draft experience; this year was completely different. Just hearing that an NHL team picked you was really special and really cool, and then all the guys coming over to me in the locker room, I’ll never forget it.”