Foote joins brother as first-round draft pick of Lightning

VANCOUVER -- Nolan Foote and his older brother, Callan, dreamed of this possibility but never expected it to actually happen.

So when the Tampa Bay Lightning selected Nolan with the No. 27 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on Friday, it brought on a flood of emotions. It meant the Foote brothers have the opportunity to be NHL teammates.
The Lightning selected Callan with the No. 14 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
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"Cal and I sharing that moment together was awesome," Nolan said. "Then, hugging my mom and my dad is a dream come true."
Nolan, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound forward, and Callan, a 6-4, 221-pound defenseman, are the sons of former NHL defenseman Adam Foote, who won the Stanley Cup twice with the Colorado Avalanche and played 19 seasons with Colorado, the Quebec Nordiques and Columbus Blue Jackets.
"I don't think I've ever felt that (disbelief) before," Adam said about hearing Nolan's named called by the Lightning. "I heard the boys talking about it here and there and it never crossed my mind that would be possible. It's almost like winning something. One, to go in the first round, and the main thing is going to a place where they'll develop you. Great organization. Great ownership. Then, to go where your brother has already been drafted is just … we've been lucky."

Adam coached Nolan in Kelowna of the Western Hockey League this season, where despite playing through a broken wrist for much of the season, he led the team with 36 goals and was tied for second with 63 points.
Callan, who played with his brother in Kelowna for two seasons from 2016-18, had 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 76 games with Syracuse of the American Hockey League this season.
Now, they will get the chance to play together again after becoming the fourth brothers to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft by the same team, joining Dave and Mark Hunter (Montreal Canadiens, 1978, 1981), Duane and Brent Sutter (New York Islanders, 1979, 1980), and Henrik and Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks, 1999).
"We've mentioned, obviously, playing junior together," Nolan said. "It's crazy to now be in the same organization in the NHL. We didn't think anything of it. We just thought it would be cool. But now I can't wait to celebrate with him."

Lightning assistant general manager/director of amateur scouting Al Murray believes Nolan already has an NHL shot and will fill out more physically as he gets older.
"They've got a big dad," Murray said of Adam, who is 6-2, 220. "He was a good player and both boys are good size and smart and they know how to play the game. So that's the most important thing for us. We want talented players with hockey sense that compete, and both those players bring that."
That they are brothers is just a happy coincidence.
"He's familiar to us," Murray said. "Stacy Roest (director of player development) has worked with Callan] and has been on the ice with Nolan as well because he lives in that area, so it's an easy pick for us, but he's the guy we wanted."
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