Getting drafted into the NHL was a right of passage for Riley Stillman.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Cory, and his maternal grandfather, Bud Stefanski, Stillman continued a unique and longstanding family tradition when he was selected by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round (114th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, New York.
My Draft Day: Riley Stillman
In the past, Cory, who spent three seasons with the Panthers (2008-11), had been taken by the Calgary Flames with the sixth overall pick in the 1992 NHL Draft, while Stefanski, who played in one NHL game, was picked by the New York Rangers in the ninth round (154th overall) in 1965.
"With the history of my family, the draft was always in the back of my mind," Stillman said. "It was something that was exciting and nerve-racking, but something that I'd worked my whole life for up until that point. I wanted to try and show my best effort to get picked.
"It was definitely there [during the 2015-16 season], but I tried to do the best that I could just to focus on playing. I just thought that if you went out there and played your best, you were going to give yourself the best opportunity to get drafted later that summer."
After manning the blue line for Oshawa (2014-18) and Hamilton (2018) in the OHL, Stillman turned pro following the 2017-18 season. In addition to registering 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) during his rookie season in the AHL, he also made his NHL debut on Feb. 26, 2019.
Seeing more time in the NHL this past season, the 22-year-old defenseman tallied five assists, 59 hits and 57 blocked shots in 34 games with the Panthers in 2019-20, while also competing in three of four games against the New York Islanders during the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
"Stiller had an interesting year," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said in July. "I thought he came on and right off the bat, he instilled a real presence on our back end. He brought some physicality. I thought he had real good puck movement and simplicity to his game."
Having quickly gone from being a fourth-round pick to playing in the NHL, Stillman recently sat down with FloridaPanthers.com's Jameson Olive to discuss his unforgettable experience at the NHL Draft, which will be conducted digitally this year on Tuesday, Oct. 6 and Wednesday Oct. 7.
OLIVE: As you prepared for the 2016 NHL Draft, did you feel like you were living a little bit more under the microscope in Oshawa as you played through the 2015-16 season?
STILLMAN:Yes and no. Because I played Junior B the year before, I wasn't a highly-rated prospect going into that season. I knew I had a long way to go. Yes, there was going to be eyes and people in the building, but I had a long way to go and I had to have a good year to make sure that I was eligible and in the right position to get picked. I think there was a little added pressure, but in the same breath every kid that's 17 turning 18, it's a year that's full of pressure because you want to get picked and you want to be a high pick. It really was an exciting year.
OLIVE: Taking a look at NHL Central Scouting's rankings from that season, you jumped up from 88th in their mid-term rankings all the way to 66th in their final rankings before the draft. What sort of things do you think contributed to your big march up the rankings?
STILLMAN: It was kind of an interesting year for me, right? Coming in I didn't know if I was going to be in the lineup or out of the lineup. Then I started to play and really took off around Christmas time. I was made an assistant captain as a rookie around that time as well. After that, I had the opportunity to play with an older guy named Jacob Graves, who was an overager with the team. Together, our game took off. We had a lot of opportunities to show what we could do.
OLIVE: Coming off a good season, what were you expectations heading into the draft?
STILLMAN:You know what? I hadn't heard much. I talked to a bunch of teams and stuff like that, but I really didn't know. I'd heard that I could go anywhere from the third round to not being picked at all, so I wanted to go into with an open mind and not expecting too much. At the same time, I was expecting to be picked. When the moment came and my name across the jumbotron and I heard my name called in Buffalo, it was really an exciting time for my family and myself.
OLIVE: You knew you likely weren't a first-round pick, but did you attend Day 1 of the draft?
STILLMAN:Yeah, I attended it. I sat in seats with my dad and my mom just to see everything. I wanted to take in the whole experience of the draft. My dad had originally been the sixth overall pick, so I wanted to witness and see what he'd gone through 25 years prior. For me to come in and do that and watch that, it was important for me just to see the experience of that day.
OLIVE: Did you and your dad talk a lot throughout the two days of the draft?
STILLMAN: A little bit. We talked, but there wasn't much going on, especially when we got into the second day. Once we got to that point, it was all about anticipating and waiting to hear my name called. The second day was a little more quiet. The first day we talked about players that I'd played against growing up or knew or whatever getting picked. We were pretty sure I wasn't going on the first day. The second day, however, we were all pretty quiet in the stands there.
OLIVE: You talk about having a lot of anticipation on Day 2. At what point did your heart really start to race? Was there a window during the draft when you thought you'd be picked?
STILLMAN: Yeah. I had talked to a couple teams and there were a couple times when they came up in the third round and fourth round where I was like, "Yeah, I talked to them. Is this my time? Nope." Then it kind of came out of the blue with the Panthers. I'd talked to them once, but I was really excited and pumped to see them call my name and give me a chance to continue my family name there.
OLIVE: So you had no sort of inclination at all that the Panthers were going to take you?
STILLMAN:Honestly, no. At that point, I had no idea. Then I heard "Oshawa Generals," the team I was playing for at the time, announced. All of the sudden they called my name. It was awesome. I was just excited to hear my name called. It was a little bit of a relief at that point.
OLIVE: What were those first 10 minutes or so like right after your name was called?
STILLMAN: It was really cool. My family was there - my mom, dad, brother, sister, my billets from Oshawa and both sets of grandparents. I had quite a few people there with me to come and share in the experience. To be honest, those 10 minutes after my name had been called were a bit of a blur. I just remember hugging my family and walking down to ice level to meet the team. I was filled with adrenaline, excitement and nerves. It was an exciting time for us all.
OLIVE: After being drafted, players tend to go through a gauntlet of interviews and photo shoots. Do you remember that, and if so, what was that whole experience like for you?
STILLMAN:Yeah! It was really cool. It was the first time I'd ever done anything like that with the media and interviews, with a bunch of microphones in and around you and people asking you questions about your childhood, play that year, what you expect, and stuff like that. It was cool to get that sort of media attention at that time. Obviously, the pics are some nice keepsakes to keep in our house for our family as well. It was a really, really cool experience.
OLIVE: Speaking of keepsakes, what mementos do you still have from that draft?
STILLMAN:I'm pretty sure I still have my draft jersey. It's in the closet somewhere at home. I think I have a puck from that day. We have my stuff, my dad's stuff and my grandpa's stuff. It's all tucked away. We go and look at it from time to time and re-live those experiences.
OLIVE: How did you and your family celebrate after you were drafted?
STILLMAN: With the draft being in Buffalo, we went home to our cottage, which is about 45 minutes north of Peterborough. We sat down and sort of re-lived that night with mom and dad. I had a couple friends come over to say congratulations. It was a special day. We got home and went to the lake. I think I went [water] skiing that night. That was my way of celebrating that.
OLIVE: Do you remember when you finally took your Panthers jersey off?
STILLMAN:Hmm. Maybe when I got out of the car when I got home? I think I had it on for quite a great deal of time. I wore it to the media, to meet the team, to the walk to the car, and in the car the car for most of the drive, crossing the border. I don't think I took it off until I got home.
OLIVE: Not long after the draft, you were back in Florida at the Panthers IceDen to take part in development camp. After spending so much time there was a kid with your dad when he was playing for the Cats, what was it like to return there as an NHL prospect?
STILLMAN:It was really cool. It was a different experience. Obviously being around the IceDen as a kid, you're there but you're getting dressed in your dad's stall and stuff like that. At that time for me to have my own stall in the dressing room was really exciting for me. It was something that I loved to experience and meet some of the guys that I'd get to play with in the future.
OLIVE: With the draft coming up, do you feel nostalgic around this time of year?
STILLMAN:I do. Ever year, you look and see guys you played against or family friends that are going to get drafted or have an opportunity to get picked. Next year my brother is draft-eligible in the 2021 draft. That'll be an exciting day. I've been making sure to take a deep breath and take it all in so that way I can share my two cents with my brother and share my experience of what I went through with him to make sure he's calm, cool and collected going through it.
OLIVE: Speaking of sharing your experience, what advice would you give guys that are about to be drafted next week?
STILLMAN: I think to just take it all in. It's a really exciting day, but it happens very quickly. There's a lot going on that day. There's a lot of attention and cameras and all that stuff, but just take it in with your family because it only happens once.
