NYI Ryan Pilon has"lost passion to play"
- AlwaysHockey Staff
- Sep 5, 2015
- 2 min read
Photo Credit – New York Islanders Website Player Profile
The New York Islanders prospect pool may of just lost a member. The fifth round pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, defenceman Ryan Pilon has left the Brandon Wheat Kings for personal reasons, the team announced Friday.
Pilon, was drafted third overall by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2011 WHL Draft. He demanded a trade in 2013 and was moved to the Brandon Wheat. Pilons reasons weren’t made public other than wanting a new culture and team. With the recent news, it’s hard not to say the real reasons could have been to attempt to find his love for the game again.
“Ryan came to me this week and told me that at this time he has lost his passion to play hockey and will be leaving the team,” Brandon coach and GM Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement.
Over the course of that week, McCrimmon and Pilon spoke a number of times but his decision remade the same. “We had a number of discussions, but his final decision was that this was what he felt he needed to do,” the statement said.
The 19-year-old had a strong offensive season last year. He was among the top scoring defencemen in the WHL, finishing with 11 goals and 52 points in 68 games.
The Brandon Wheat Kings were heavily favoured to win the WHL title this season and the departure leaves the Wheat Kings in a tough situation. Although it hasn’t been confirmed and it seems premature, the WHL and New York Islanders may have seen the last of Pilon. Time will give us answers, but at this moment the Islanders may have lost a solid prospect.
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