By Jesse Geleynse
Herald Writer
Connor Dewar chose not to attend this year’s NHL draft because he wasn’t confident he would get picked. Instead he was at home with his parents when the Minnesota Wild took him No. 92 overall in the third round Saturday morning in Dallas.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Dewar said. “Having gone through it last year and getting passed over and just being able to experience it, have a second chance at it and experience it with my parents and hold them after the pick was a really exciting feeling.”
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Dewar was the first of three Silvertips selected on Day 2 of the annual event. Linemate Riley Sutter followed immediately at No. 93 when he was selected by the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, and Everett-born defenseman Wyatte Wylie was picked in the fifth round at No. 127 overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Dewar, who will serve as Everett’s captain this season, was in his second year of eligibility after going undrafted in 2017. He said he had not been in contact with the Wild prior to the draft.
“I never had any (indications) that I was going to be selected this early,” he said. “It was big of a shock to me. I was kind of expecting that if it was going to happen it would be in later rounds, but I’m just really excited with how things turned out.”
Experiencing tears and hugs with his parents, Jade and Kim, prevented Dewar from seeing Sutter selected immediately afterward, he said.
“It just made me even happier to see him have success,” Dewar said. “To see him grow and develop as a player and a person the past few years has been special, and the same can be said Wyatte. He came a year later than we did, but he quickly came into the family and definitely became a key contributor and a special player to play with and a special person.”
Dewar, a native of The Pas, Manitoba, began his career under former Everett head coach Kevin Constantine with 24 goals and 23 assists in his first two seasons. Dewar blossomed offensively this past season with 68 points and a team-best 38 goals during the regular season, and he added a dozen goals and 14 assists in 22 playoff games.
“Kevin Constantine is a big part of today for me,” Dewar said. “(Constantine) and (assistants) Brennan Sonne and Mitch Love, who have all moved on now, and the original coaching staff I had there is all a really big part of my development and the character I built and how I carry myself today. That being said, (current Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams) helped me build and grow continually to be a better person and a better hockey player every day by giving me confidence and believing in myself and my abilities and my skill set.”
Sutter attended the draft and was the only Silvertip figured to be a lock to be selected. He became the 12th Sutter to be selected by an NHL team across two generations.
“I was pretty anxious just waiting and just kind of the anticipation of getting drafted,” he said in a video posted to Twitter by the Capitals. “It’s a nice weight off my shoulders to hear my name get called.”
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Calgary native centered an Everett line while being flanked by Dewar and fellow Caps draftee Garrett Pilon after the Tips acquired Pilon prior to the Western Hockey League trade deadline. Sutter finished with 25 goals and 28 assists in the regular season, and added nine goals and 10 assists in 21 playoff games.
“I just played with more confidence, and with a new coach I had a lot more opportunity this year,” Sutter said. “I’m just really grateful to be able to play with good teammates, and they made it real easy for me to have the success I did.”
The selection of Wylie was a watershed moment for hockey in Snohomish County. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound blueliner grew up in the Everett Youth Hockey program and is the first born-and-bred Snohomish County player to be drafted by and skate for the Everett Silvertips.
Wylie had six goals and 25 assists in the regular season and two goals and six assists in the postseason.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @JesseGeleynse
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