Powell River, BC– June 23, 2012, – The Kings are proud to announce that goaltender Sean Maguire has been drafted 113th overall and in the 4th round in today’s NHL draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Maguire, a Powell River native and a product of the local minor hockey system, is absolutely thrilled. “I feel a mix of emotions! I wouldn’t quite describe it as overwhelming, but it is a little surreal. I was watching the draft on TV with my mom and when my name came up 113th she started screaming while I sat there taking it all in.”
Sean leaves to begin training with the Boston University Terriers at the end of June. Now that he has been drafted to the Penguins, he will be spending one week in mid-July training and being immersed into the Pittsburgh program at their development camp. Pittsburgh’s camp focuses on training these young draft picks into professional athletes focusing on everything from nutrition, sleeping patterns, their off-ice training regime, to continue to develop their on-ice skills.
“I’ll be under a microscope with everything I do, but playing for the Kings has prepared me for that,” says Maguire. “Kent Lewis always treated us like professionals and expected that we play and live to a high caliber.”
Maguire also knows that he has to focus at the immediate task at hand. “My focus now is to take it one step at a time and play a great season at Boston University. I need to focus on being a Terrier and improving as a goaltender there. I’m going to focus on winning games in Boston and getting a great education.”
“We are very proud of Sean,” says head coach and general manger Kent Lewis. “He knows that this is the beginning of the journey and he is going to work hard to get into that line-up. This is great recognition of his work ethic, his character, and his skill set.”
Kings’ goaltender coach Jeff Battah has worked closely with Sean for 2 years now and has been key to Maguire’s development between the pipes. “This is great for the Kings’ program. Sean only played 15 games the year before (2010-2011) but put in a lot of work and a lot of dedication into developing himself as a goalie. His athleticism truly sets him apart and he’ll continue to develop and get better and better.”
Former King Jamie Phillips was also drafted 190th overall to the Winnipeg Jets. Coach Lewis says,"It's great to see that former King Jamie Phillips has been drafted. Phillips is a talented goaltender and was an excellent goalie for our team during the first half of this past season. We're thrilled to see two goalies who were Kings go on to be selected in this year's NHL Draft."
