DRAFT: Park has special hometown moment of being drafted by Oilers with second-last pick

LOS ANGELES, CA – Just happened to be in the neighbourhood.

Near his own backyard in Hermosa Beach, CA – about eight miles (12.9 kilometres) from Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles – Aidan Park was on hand on Saturday afternoon in his hometown for the special moment of being selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the penultimate pick of the 2025 NHL Draft.

“I can't even describe it,” Park said to the media after being drafted by Edmonton. “It's surreal. You just think of everyone who helped you get to this point, and I'm incredibly grateful and lucky to have so many great people around me. It's a special moment for sure.”

Park attended Day 1 of the Draft on Friday night to support his close friend and former USHS-Prep Shattuck St. Mary's teammate Ryker Lee, who was picked 26th overall by the Nashville Predators, and didn't anticipate attending Day 2 on Saturday afternoon with the plans they had made and the expectation that his name wasn't going to be called this year – similarly to how he was passed over in the 2024 Draft on his first attempt at being picked.

When Lee had to jump on a plane to Nashville in the morning for Predators Development Camp, and considering the Draft was taking place in his hometown, the 19-year-old Park chose to return for Day 2, accompanied by some family and friends, with the hopes of hearing his name called by an NHL team.

That decision wound up producing one of this year's best moments at the Draft as things began to quiet down in the seventh round for the final few picks.

The excitement and applause inside the theatre quickly rose when the Oilers selected him with their final pick of the Draft at 223^rd overall, leading the forward to celebrate in person with family and friends in the building after hearing his name called in his hometown. Wearing a white hoodie and black shorts, Park experienced the amazing moment of pulling on the Blue & Orange jersey for the first time as a drafted NHL prospect so close to where he grew up.

“It was unbelievable,” Park added. “I actually came yesterday for Ryker Lee, and I thought we were gonna hang out today, but he flew on a private jet to Nashville this morning. So I wasn't really expecting to come today, but I figured because I live here, why not? I ended up getting picked. It was a super special moment and I’m super excited.”

“I went to the (Day 2) with my best friend from here and his dad, and a couple of my other buddies were here, too. I actually had a couple of buddies working in the blue shirts. It's great to be around friends and family for a moment like this. It was special.”

Park said he didn't have any stress when the picks began to run out in the seventh round after learning from the experience of being passed over in 2024, which prompted the 19-year-old to change his mindset heading into what proved to be a big year for him in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers.

"I was honestly kind of thinking 'better luck next year.' I didn't get drafted last year, so I came into this year with the mindset of looking at the big picture," he said. "So even if I didn't get picked, I knew I still had a lot of work to do. So it was a little bit of a surprise, but I couldn't be happier."

"I think (not getting drafted) was a big part of it. It was a huge disappointment and I just challenged myself to have a really good summer, put a ton of work in, and try to prove people wrong this year. I think I put myself in a pretty good spot and had a really good year."

Park had a terrific 2024-25 season in the USHL with Green Bay, where he recorded 33 goals and 66 points in 56 games to finish fifth in league scoring and second in goals as a workhorse two-way centre before he joined the WHL's Calgary Hitmen for three playoff games.

Park will play next season for the University of Michigan, looking to build on what was an impressive year for him by improving certain aspects of his game, such as his skating and size, while preparing to transition to the rigours of college hockey.

"I worked on my skating a ton last summer and throughout the season, and I think it's still one of my biggest knocks and I'll continue to work on it, but I think that's definitely improved a good amount," he said. "Skating is a big part of it, and then just transitioning to college hockey by just getting bigger, faster and stronger. I know it's cliché, but it's true, so those are definitely the two biggest aspects that I'm focusing on this summer."

Aidan's uncle Richard had a solid career in the NHL from 1994-2012, recording 241 points (102 goals) across 738 total NHL games for the Islanders, Wild, Penguins, Canucks, Ducks and Flyers, and helped provide him with the right perspective when it comes to making your way to the League.

Despite growing up in LA, Aidan was a Penguins fan during his younger years because his uncle, Richard, was drafted by them in the second round (50th overall) in 1994. He later returned to play his final NHL season with the Penguins in 2011-12, when Aidan was six years old.

"Last year after the Draft, he told me, 'It may feel like the end of the world and. But it's not.' There are a lot of ways to make the NHL," he said. "Nowadays, you see a lot of college guys sign as free agents, and you have two more chances at the Draft. He helped me look at the big picture and taught me to put in the work every day to give myself the best chance possible."

Park hopes to follow in the footsteps of two other California products currently playing in the NHL in Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf and Dallas forward Jason Robertson, with emphasis on the latter as someone who also grew up nearby and was one of his hockey idols growing up.

"I think a guy like Jason Robertson is a guy I look up to," he said. "He's from Pasadena, not too far from here. A local guy, and he's having an unreal NHL career. But it's really cool to see players from here make it, because growing up, there weren't really a lot of hockey players in LA, but the game's really grown here, and that's largely because of those guys."