SYDNEY, N.S. — A pair of Cape Breton Eagles players heard their name called during the virtual NHL Entry Draft on Wednesday.
Forward Egor Sokolov was taken by the Ottawa Senators in the second-round, No. 61 overall, while forward Ryan Francis was selected by the Calgary Flames in the fifth-round, No. 143 overall.
Sokolov’s selection comes after the 20-year-old Russian was passed in the previous two NHL Entry Drafts.
“I put in a lot of work over the summer and during last season trying to get better as a player every day,” said Sokolov in an interview with the Cape Breton Post this week. “I knew at some point my hard work would pay off.”
The Yekatarinburg, Russia, native played three seasons with Cape Breton from 2017 to last March. In 52 games last season, Sokolov posted career highs in goals (46), assists (46) and points (92).
In December, Sokolov was named to Russia’s national junior team for the 2020 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. The six-foot-four, 231-pound left-winger finished the tournament with three goals and four points in seven games, winning a silver medal.
Sokolov becomes the fifth Ottawa prospect to play for the Eagles since 1997 include Jakub Culek, François Brassard, Drake Batherson and Kevin Mandolese. Batherson and Mandolese, both of whom played with Sokolov in Sydney, are still part of the Senators organization.
Meanwhile, Francis had to wait a little bit longer than Sokolov to hear his name called. His selection came more than three hours after that of his former teammate.
“It’s just another step in a long journey to becoming a professional hockey player,” Francis told the Post this week. “I know there’s still many steps to take to get to where I want to be.”
The five-foot-nine, 176-pound centre had a breakout season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last year, posting 24 goals and 72 points in 61 games while playing on the Eagles top line with Sokolov and former Minnesota Wild prospect Shawn Boudrias.
This season, Francis will be looked upon to provide offense for a young Eagles roster. In two games this season, the Beaver Bank, N.S. product has two assists and five shots on goal.
Francis becomes only the second player in Eagles history to be drafted by Calgary. He follows in the footsteps of defenceman Adam Pardy, who was taken in the sixth-round, No. 173 overall, by the Flames in 2004.
Sokolov and Francis were not immediately available for comment following the draft.
Francis and the Eagles will continue their 2020-21 regular season this weekend when they host the Charlottetown Islanders. The teams will meet on Friday and Saturday, both games at 7 p.m. at Centre 200 in Sydney.
OTTAWA SENATORS DRAFT PICKS TO PLAY FOR THE EAGLES:
- Jakub Culek – Forward – 2012-13
- François Brassard – Goaltender – 2014-15
- Drake Batherson – Forward – 2015-to-2018
- Kevin Mandolese – Goaltender – 2016-to-2020
- Egor Sokolov – Forward – 2017-to-2020
CALGARY FLAMES DRAFT PICKS TO PLAY FOR THE EAGLES:
- Adam Pardy – Defenceman – 2002-to-2005
- Ryan Francis – Forward – 2017-to-present
Twitter: @CBPost_Jeremy
