NHL DRAFT: Nova Scotia's Brady Peddle picked by Penguins, Cole Chandler to the Bruins
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The Penguins selected Antigonish's Peddle in the third round (91st overall) of the NHL draft in Los Angeles on Saturday. Peddle is a six-foot-three, 203-pound defenceman who played for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL this past season.
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'It was crazy, to be honest, it didn't really feel real,' Peddle said about watching the draft at home in Antigonish. 'It was kind of hard to hear and then I heard a glimpse of my name and then I stood up and there it was. It was unreal. It still hasn't really set in yet but it was great because I was with some friends and family so it was perfect.'
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The only person from Peddle's inner circle who wasn't there was his father Brad, who was in Columbus because he's a scout with the Blue Jackets.
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'He's gutted he can't be here for me,' he said about his dad, who has also worked as head coach of the St. Francis Xavier X-Men for 20 years. 'But he's got a job to do in Columbus so that's OK.'
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Peddle had 10 points and was plus-12 in 62 games last season as a USHL rookie after spending the previous two years in the Bishop Kearney Selects program in Rochester, N.Y. Scouts kept moving him up their rankings after gaining a steady appreciation for his skating, reach and defensive reliability. He is committed to Michigan State University for the fall of 2026.
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'It's going to be a long road but I'm excited,' he said. 'I'll be getting great development at Michigan State for four years – or however long that ends up being – but all of that will be a great experience, too.'
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In the short term, Peddle has the option to return to Waterloo for a second season or perhaps play for the QMJHL's Charlottetown Islanders, who acquired his rights from the Gatineau Olympiques a few weeks ago. But for now, he's happy to soak up the whirlwind of being an NHL pick, which includes a trip to Pittsburgh soon for development camp and a few calls from the Penguins brass.
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'Kyle Dubas, the GM, called me about an hour ago and just said 'Congratulations and it's great to have you,'' he said. 'And then about 15 minutes ago, the head coach (Dan Muse) called me just to say congrats and all of that. It was pretty cool.'
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When asked if he'd heard from Crosby yet, Peddle joked that his brother Tyler is still the only one in the family who's had that kind of conversation.
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'He had a call with him a couple of years ago when he got drafted in the (QMJHL) by Drummondville because Rimouski was going to take him and they actually got him to call him,' Brady said about his brother Tyler, who is now a forward for the Saint John Sea Dogs and was a seventh-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2023.
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