By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — One of Davidson’s own is among the draft picks for the NHL’s newest expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights.
Brayden McNabb, for the last three seasons a defenceman with the Los Angeles Kings, was on the roster announced by the team Wednesday at the NHL Awards.
McNabb, 26, is the son of Kim and Jeannine McNabb, and was raised in the Davidson area.
In a Twitter post Thursday, he thanked the Kings for the past three years, calling them a great organization and saying he’d be forever grateful.
“Excited for a new start,” he also wrote.
His mother told the Leader on Wednesday that they had been aware of a potential move since Brayden was on the Kings’ unprotected list, and they also received some advance notice prior to Wednesday.
“We knew it was a possibility,” she said. “I kind of figured they were going to be picking him.”
In three seasons with the Kings, McNabb logged 42 points, including six goals and 36 assists. He also recorded a total of 491 hits.
He was a third-round draft pick (66th overall) for the Buffalo Sabres in 2009, playing 37 games with the team over two seasons.
Prior to that, he played four full seasons with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League. His final season with the Ice was his best in terms of scoring, with 22 goals and 50 assists.
McNabb stands 6’4” tall, weighs 212 lbs. and shoots left.
The Knights’ draft picks included 13 defencemen, along with two more acquired via trades.
Given that the team is expected to adjust its roster in the coming months before its debut season, Jeannine McNabb said her son’s future was uncertain.
“Time will tell whether he stays there or not,” she said. “With the hockey world, you never know.”
She said Brayden was surprised by the announcement, despite knowing he could be a pick.
“I know he really enjoyed L.A. and he really liked his teammates,” said Jeannine. “But that’s part of the job.”
For their part, Vegas will be easier to fly into when they visit from Saskatchewan. Jeannine said they’d received plenty of phone calls and text messages since the announcement.
The addition of the Golden Knights brings the total number of NHL teams to 31. It is the league’s first expansion team since 2000, when the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets both joined.