2024 NHL Draft notebook: Skahan grew up as 'rink rat' thanks to father

The 2024 NHL Draft will be held June 28-29, reportedly at Sphere in Las Vegas. NHL.com will take a closer look at some of the draft-eligible players to watch. This week, a profile on defenseman Will Skahan of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team.

Will Skahan was raised in an NHL locker room.

Now 17 years old, he would tag along with his father, Sean Skahan, who spent 13 seasons as strength and conditioning coach of the Anaheim Ducks from 2002-15.

"I grew up watching [the Ducks] my whole life, evaluating the pro game," said Will, who was born in Anaheim Hills, California. "Just wanted to be like them, just dreaming about it. I started playing hockey when I was 3. I've been playing ever since. It's been the best thing in my life."

Will Skahan, a defenseman for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team, wants to take another step toward emulating those Ducks at the 2024 NHL Draft.

He is No. 58 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters.

"I'm excited for this year," he said. "I'm excited to hopefully get drafted and be part of the NHL someday. I'm just fired up for this year and I’m really pumped."

Skahan has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 50 games this season. He will play at Boston College in 2024-25 after switching his commitment from Wisconsin in November.

A lockdown defenseman, Skahan (6-foot-4, 211 pounds) joined his father in the weight room when he was 11 or 12, starting light before progressing.

"It was a common occurrence for him to come into the locker rooms after games, be around the guys," Sean said. "I'd bring him to practices, or if I was working with injured players I'd bring him in and let him skate on the ice with an injured player or two. Year after year, he just grew up in that environment."

It was never a chore getting Will to work. Mostly because watching the Ducks fueled him, Sean said.

"I think Will just was always a rink rat. He loved being at the rink," Sean said. "There was never a time where I had to beg him to go to practice. He always wanted to go to practice. Then we started training in the weight room and it was the same thing. I felt like seeing all those guys playing, again, over and over again, it’s like a picture in your brain.

"Over and over again, going to all those Ducks games, watching the on-ice product. That was probably his ignition at a young age to think, 'I want to do this one day.' That's been fun to see."

Will's idol was Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry, who played 14 seasons in Anaheim, and was the reason he initially wore No. 10. Skahan began playing at forward before transitioning to defense. He now models his game after defensemen Jacob Trouba of the New York Rangers and Alex Pietrangelo of the Vegas Golden Knights.

NTDP U-18 coach Nick Fohr said Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman also could also be a benchmark for Skahan, who said a focus this season has been developing as a two-way defenseman.

"He could add some offense like a Hedman does, where Hedman does it just by distributing and moving pucks simply," Fohr said. "And just shooting pucks to the net. I think he could add those things as well."

As he works on his game, Skahan has a leadership quality Fohr considers invaluable.

"He was our captain last year in all of our international events, which we don't carry running captains on our team very often," Fohr said. "So last year we just had him for our international events and he was our captain in every event for us."

Sean, who also was strength and conditioning coach for the Minnesota Wild from 2016-22, played a large role in developing that demeanor. Being able to watch that journey reach new heights at the draft is something he doesn't take for granted.

"It's surreal," Sean said. "It's been kind of like full circle for me, since I'm not working in the NHL anymore, to see it from afar. It's pretty special, to be honest."

PROSPECTS ON THE RADAR (listed alphabetically)

Zayne Parekh, D, Saginaw (OHL): Parekh (6-0, 178), a right-handed shot, is No. 10 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters. The 18-year-old set Saginaw records for goals (33) and points (96) by a defenseman in 66 regular-season games. He scored 21 goals as a rookie last season, the most by a 16-year-old defenseman in OHL history.

Justin Poirier, RW, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL): No. 73 on Central Scouting's midterm list of North American skaters, Poirier (5-7, 185) scored 51 goals in 68 regular-season games to become the first recipient of the Mario Lemieux Trophy as the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League's top goal scorer. He was the first 17-year-old to score at least 50 goals in the league since Sidney Crosby scored 66 with Rimouski in 2004-05.

Teddy Stiga, C, USA U-18 (NTDP): The 18-year-old (5-9, 177) is No. 72 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters and is considered an exceptional playmaker and skater with good smarts. He's third on the NTDP U-18 with 62 points (27 goals, 35 assists) and has four power-play goals and four game-winning goals in 51 games. Stiga, a Boston native, is committed to play at Boston College next season.

NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this report.