On May 8, Mitchell Eisenberg, Leesville sophomore, was selected in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League draft. The junior league accepts hockey players across the U.S. from the ages of 16-20.
Eisenberg, right-wing, has been playing hockey for eleven years. He currently plays for Coach Cotie Clay and practices more than three times a week at the Iceplex in Raleigh. Eisenberg averages 1.3 shots and assists per game.
The process of drafting the final team takes place over many tryouts and involves hundreds of hopefuls. The players submitted for the draft are invited to tryouts and play alongside returning OHL players. “The draft doesn’t mean you’re on the team, it just means they like how you play and they want you to be on their team eventually,” said Eisenberg.
The draft means that Eisenberg will have to dedicate even more time than usual to hockey. In two weeks, he will be practicing in Canada with his new team. In addition, he will travel to Pennsylvania for practice every couple of weeks over the summer.
Eisenberg’s father accompanies Eisenberg when hockey requires out-of-state travel. Before he received his license, Eisenberg’s mother would typically drive him to and from practices and to in-state competitions and games. The farthest that Eisenberg has traveled in the U.S. is to California.
Though the time dedication will increase, Eisenberg views the draft in a more positive light. “The draft will mean that I have to train harder and put more hours into hockey. It also gives me a better chance to make it to the NHL.”
The Ontario Hockey League will begin the final draft of its team beginning in July of 2010.
Virginia Reed is a superb writer and an even better friend. She enjoys unhealthy foods and writing sarcastic articles. Virginia is the Online Editor for the 2011-12 school year and was a Managing Editor for the 2010-11 year but has not forgotten her humble beginnings as a staff writer when she was a wee sophomore. Her goals for the future are to get an A in newspaper and to apply to college in a timely fashion.