ICYMI: 'Relieved and Excited': Smithtown Native Drafted To NHL

PLYMOUTH, MI — Ryan Ufko is a Nashville Predator.

Ufko, 18, who is a Smithtown native, achieved a boyhood dream of his when he was drafted into the National Hockey League on Saturday.

"It feels great," Ufko told Patch. "It's every hockey player's dream to be drafted into the NHL, and that was my dream. I feel relieved and excited."

Ufko, a 5 foot 10 inches defenseman weighing in at 181 pounds, was selected in the fourth round with the 115th overall pick by the Predators. Ufko, who is in Michigan for the 2021 World Junior Summer Showcase, was in the locker room getting ready to warm up when a couple of fellow Team USA players saw on their phones that Ufko was drafted. Seconds later, Ufko received a phone call from the Predators to welcome him to the organization.

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