BUFFALO, NY – Non-traditional hockey markets were in the spotlight at the 2016 Draft.
Scottsdale, Ariz. produced the first overall pick in Auston Matthews, and with the 34th pick overall, the Blue Jackets selected Andrew Peeke, a 6-foot-3, 205 lb. defenseman who grew up in south Florida as a fan of the Panthers.
“It’s awesome being able to represent south Florida hockey,” Peeke told BlueJackets.com. “Being able to grow up there and play in Florida until I was 14 and being able to have this type of experience…it’s just unbelievable.”
Peeke went to his first NHL game at age six, when his dad took him to a Florida Panthers game in Sunrise (his family has season tickets), and that’s where his hockey interest was born.