Bradenton’s Mike Pastujov goes unpicked in NHL draft

Manatee County will have to wait for its second NHL entry draft selection.

Mike Pastujov, a Bradenton native who spent the past two years playing with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Michigan, went unselected during the second and final day of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.

The left wing, who will play for Michigan next season, was regarded as one of the top North American skaters in this year’s NHL Draft.

Pastujov’s selection would have given the county a draft selection in back-to-back years after Nick Pastujov, Mike’s older brother, was picked by the Islanders during the seventh round of the 2016 draft. The Pastujov brothers will be reunited next year in Ann Arbor — Nick Pastujov just completed his first year with the Wolverines after he did not sign with New York. The Islanders retain his rights until 30 days after he leaves college.

Mike Pastujov, who opted to play a round of golf Saturday morning instead of tracking the draft from home, will have two more chances to be drafted. Players are eligible to be drafted as long as they don’t turn 21 by Dec. 31 of the year of the draft. Pastujov turns 18 in August, meaning he’ll remain draft-eligible in 2018 and 2019 following each of his first two seasons at Michigan. If he goes undrafted after that, Pastujov will be an unrestricted free agent when he leaves college.

While Pastujov, whose father is originally from Russia, was never considered a likely early-round selection, his going undrafted was unexpected. The NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Pastujov No. 80 among draft-eligible players, and Sportsnet considered him the No. 88 player overall. Pastujov was unranked by the Central Scouting Bureau at midseason but elevated his profile by helping the National Team Development Program win an International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships in April. Pastujov tied for 11th in the tournament in total points and posted the fifth best plus-minus.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Bradenton’s Mike Pastujov goes unpicked in NHL draft."