'A crazy experience': Flames' Mangiapane recalls NHL draft roller-coaster

MONTREAL — Plenty of young hockey players are set to live out childhood dreams this week.

The NHL's first in-person draft since 2019 will see teenagers hear their names announced inside the cavernous Bell Centre before hugging family members, climbing on stage, and donning the hat and jersey of a new team.

Andrew Mangiapane eventually got that experience. It just took a while. A long, long while.

The winger sat through all seven rounds of the 2014 NHL draft in Philadelphia.

His name never got called.

"It was tough," Mangiapane shared in an interview years later. "It was tough to be at that draft and not be selected."

Coming off a 51-point rookie season with the Ontario Hockey League's Barrie Colts that spring, the Toronto native was subsequently invited to the Arizona Coyotes rookie camp that summer.

Unable to secure a contract, Mangiapane went back to the OHL, put up 43 goals and 104 points in 2014-15, and was eligible to be drafted again when the NHL reconvened in Florida the following June.

The then-19-year-old — also passed over for the OHL draft at age 15 before walking on with the Colts — just wasn't sure he wanted to attend the event a second time.

His family convinced him otherwise.

"It was in Florida so they said, 'We'll make it a trip. We'll go out a week early and just spend time in the hotel and on vacation and just go to the beach,'" Mangiapane said.

But on the big day when Connor McDavid went first overall, Mangiapane was once again forced to wait.

And then wait some more — again.

He was reliving the nightmare a second time as name after name came off the board, and his remained.

"A crazy experience," Mangiapane said. "My dad looked over to me and he literally said, 'I'm sorry for bringing you here.' He