Andrew Yogan entered this week's Ontario Hockey League All-Star festivities rated as North America's No. 65 prospect for the NHL Entry Draft on June 25 -- putting him uncomfortably on the fringes, needing a standout performance this week to increase his fortunes.
He got it. The 18-year-old Boca Raton native advanced to the finals in the Breakaway Showdown Competition and scored six goals in the 3-on-3 portion of the All-Star event. But Yogan dispelled any doubts about whether he's one of those fragile, "finesse" players in the All-Star game itself by getting into a scrap in the third period. (Video of that fistfight after the jump.)
Come on, announcers! Yogan blasted the dude with a right-handed haymaker early in the bout. He wins that round -- and scores some tough guy points by brawling in an All-Star game.
The 6-foot-3 inch center players for the Erie Otters. From a news release by the team:
A native of Florida, Yogan began playing ice hockey at age seven when his friend convinced him to try out the sport. It led to a progression where Yogan became one of the top young players in the Sunshine State, and eventually a highly-regarded prospect. He hopes that he can be an example to young children that hope to pick up the game as well as he did.It sounds like Yogan made a good impression with writers from Hockey's Future, an online scouting website. A contributor to that site wrote:
Perhaps the player that has most embodied the fun aspect of the (All-Star) event has been the Erie Otters' Andrew Yogan. The gregarious center, who along with Nino Niederreiter was the player that seemed to thoroughly enjoy the Skills Competition on Tuesday night, seems to relish the spotlight that other players sometimes dread.
"I'm just looking to turn some heads", said Yogan. "Just have some fun out there. We deserve to be here, we've worked hard. I'm gonna cherish the moment, maybe put a puck in the net or something."
