Gordeev Becomes Third Flint Firebird to Be Drafted in Two Years
Chicago, Ill. – The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Firebirds’ Fedor Gordeev in the fifth-round, 141st overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft Saturday, making him the third Flint Firebird to drafted in the National Hockey League in the last two years.
- Video Feature (Credit OHL Pucks & Stripes)
- Gordeev Press Conference
- Behind The Scenes Video
- Firebirds/Whalers NHL History
Gordeev, a six-foot-six, 208-pound defenseman from Toronto, Ont., totaled 14 points (4G, 10A) in 64 games played during the 2016-17 regular season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
With hearing his name called Saturday, Gordeev becomes the 120th player in the 26 years of the organization’s past that has been drafted in the NHL. Most recently, last June, Will Bitten was selected in the third-round by the Montreal Canadiens and Nick Caamano was chosen in the fifth-round by the Dallas Stars.
Since the Plymouth Whalers moved to Flint two seasons ago, the Firebirds have now had 11 drafted or NHL signed players on the roster consisting of Will Bitten (Montreal), Nick Caamano (Dallas), Connor Chatham (New Jersey), Fedor Gordeev (Toronto), Brent Moran (Dallas), Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina), Alex Peters (Dallas), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Jalen Smereck (Arizona) and Josh Wesley (Carolina).
Five OHL players were selected in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft Friday night. The five OHL players were among the 14 selected from the CHL that represented 45% of all players chosen in the draft’s opening round led by Halifax Mooseheads forward Nico Hischier selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils and Brandon Wheat Kings center Nolan Patrick chosen second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Stay tuned to www.FlintFirebirds.com for additional draft coverage including photos, quotes, and video features throughout the weekend.
The Firebirds’ training camp will take place Monday, Aug. 28 through Wednesday, Aug. 30. The camp will be held at the Firebirds’ practice facility, Iceland Arenas, on Elms Rd. in Clayton Township and is open to the public with free admission for all on-ice sessions.
Season ticket packages for the Flint Firebirds 2017-18 season are on sale now and can be purchased at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office, Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET). Season ticket holders receive FREE parking this season. For ticket information, contact Kevin Mays, Director of Ticket Sales at (810) 201-6903 or kevin@flintfirebirds.com.
For media inquiries, contact:
Dominic Hennig
Director of Broadcasting & Communications
Flint Firebirds Hockey Club
dominic@flintfirebirds.com
(810) 519-9347
