In the first round, when a team is ready to make a pick in the Draft, pretty much the entire front office goes up on stage, stands behind a microphone, and the GM announces the selection on live TV. The kid stands up, hugs his family then makes his way to take pictures with his new organization. All the while Draft analysts breakdown the pick making a big deal about each individual player selected in the 1st round.
But there are only 31 picks in the 1st NHL Round of the NHL Draft. There are 217 total selections, so the process is a bit different for the other 186 players that are selected, and in the case of one in particular, much different.
Ryder Donovan was not in Vancouver, instead, he was at the University of Wisconsin training facility with his brother Shay and friend (who is also at VGK Dev Camp) Mike Vorlicky. Donovan was sitting there wearing those giant recovery boots watching the Draft on NHL Network when the Golden Knights were on the clock in the 4th round.
Donovan loved Vegas throughout the entire Draft process and had already watched the Golden Knights make four selections that were not him. Then it was time for Vegas to make its fifth pick of the 2019 Draft, the 110th pick.
I was just really praying I could go here and I was watching and I knew they had a couple of 3rd round picks and I kinda thought my range was 3rd or 4th, and then that 4th round pick I was about to be pissed if I didn’t get called. -Donovan
He was called, but how he found out was not exactly the way you’d expect.