The night before the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville was crazy for me. I was out for dinner with my family and agent. I knew my agent was talking to a couple of teams that night. But I pretty much didn’t have a clue where I would be going in the draft order or to which team. My agent had me thinking it would be “third-round range” on Day 2.
The next morning, when the draft entered the third round, I was eager to hear my name called, but I wouldn’t say I was nervous. Hearing my name announced was surreal. What I remember is that as soon as I heard “the Kelowna Rockets,” I jumped up, and then I heard “Seattle,” and then from there it was kind of a blackout. When I heard “Kelowna,” I knew it was me because my Rockets teammate Andrew Cristall had already been picked [No. 40 overall by Washington, who starred with 2024 Kraken first-round pick Berkly Catton for Western Hockey League Spokane this past season].
Before going to the draft floor, I hugged each member of my family and my juniors' billet family and then my agents. My mom was the first one I hugged, and hugging her was very special. Each hug I got from everyone meant quite a bit. I could tell how much everyone was proud of me. Plus, I was lucky enough to be there with one of my good buddies from Saskatoon [SK] youth hockey, Hudson Malinowski. He ended up getting drafted by Toronto [in the fifth round], I got to hug him and some of his family too.
You don't really take it in until after the fact because, in the moment, it's hard to take it all in. But once I really look back on it, it’s special, and it only happens once. I know how much my family, billets, and everyone else were really happy for me. It was an amazing day with my mom, dad, sister, brother, my grandma, my grandpa and my billet parents from Kelowna all in Nashville with me.
Hockey Parents: Role Models, Billet Support
I owe so much to my parents [April and Dave Price]. I think the biggest thing was showing my work ethic. From a young age, I really noticed how hard my parents worked – not only to be able to afford the costs of playing hockey, but to set me up for success as opportunities came along. The biggest thing was work ethic. My parents work extremely hard in their jobs. My dad is a realtor here in Saskatchewan, and his hours are flexible. My mom's a registered nurse. She works in the kidney area of things right now. She goes on call and covers a lot of different matters, so her hours are variable.
In a sense, it was easy for me to follow their work ethic and find something for me to work really hard at, to see something go well and continue my dreams. That something is hockey. I've loved playing hockey ever since I stepped on the ice. But I wouldn’t be part of the Kraken organization without my parents. Their work ethic and love paved the path for me. I admire them so much.
I was very, very lucky to have the same billet parents, Natalie and Darren Tocher, for all four seasons starting at age 16 in Kelowna [a 13-hour drive from Saskatoon]. They have three kids who have all moved out of their home. We have a great relationship, and I benefited from the stability, which allowed me to fully focus on improving as a hockey player. They feel like family to me and my parents. They are part of our family forever now.
As for coming to Nashville, Natalie and Darren, and I talked about it. They really wanted to go and I wanted them to come with us. But I didn’t know I was going to go in the Draft originally. Then we made the decision to attend. They were pretty excited, following the [prospect] rankings the whole year. It was pretty cool to be able to spend a couple of days in Nashville with them, getting to see the city with them, and me getting drafted sort of hit two things at once to thank them for all of the love and effort on my behalf. I can never really thank them enough.
Getting Grounded on Draft Floor
I made my way down to the Draft floor, still feeling like everything was surreal. You go down to the tables where all the teams are, someone takes your suit jacket, and you put on an NHL jersey for the first time. You go around the table and shake everyone's hands. Honestly, that's kind of a blur for me looking back, shaking so many people's hands. I know a lot more of the personnel and the people inside the organization now, but at that time, it was a blur; I was pretty excited. I do remember putting on that jersey and definitely shaking hands with Ron Francis, being a hockey legend and all. That was a pretty cool moment for sure. Being at the Kraken table was a lot to take in, but I'll never forget the feeling of being there.
After doing all of the media and league stops, I was happy to go up to the team suite to see my family and all their smiles. I remember my mom and grandma were crying pretty good. We all got to unwind a bit. Two of my buddies from playing for U18 Team Canada were already up there too, Carson Rehkopf and Lukas Dragicevic [both picked in the 2023 second round]. We all hugged and congratulated each other. That was awesome.
Sights of Nashville: Fun Photo, Stress-Free Sushi
It was my first time in Nashville. It was great. We were down by the strip, everything is walking distance. It was a great city and atmosphere, definitely an ideal place to have the Draft. We were walking down the strip one day before the NHL Awards, so there were quite a few NHL players out and about walking around. My family got a picture with Matthew Tkachuk [Florida star], and they thought that was pretty cool. The funny part was the guy who took the photo. It was Clayton Keller [Utah forward and fellow Team USA gold-medal winner with Matty Beniers, Mikey Eyssimont and Joey Daccord at the recent 2025 Men’s World Championship]. My family didn't know it was Clayton Keller, but I let them know afterward. We had a good laugh about it.
We eventually left the suite and walked back to the hotel. Everything was beginning to sink in, and I started thinking about the team plane the next morning, which was going to Seattle for development camp. I went out for supper with my parents, siblings, grandparents, billets, and agents. We had a good family dinner and talked nonstop about everything. After dinner, I met up with some of my buddies, walking the strip and just hanging out. Back at the hotel, I was with my family and Hudson Malinowski’s family at the rooftop restaurant, where there was a sushi bar. It was time to just release the stress about getting picked. The process was over, and obviously, a new one was starting. It was the perfect time to be close to people I love.
