June 23, 2001
Sunrise, Fla. – Sunrise, Fla. — University of Notre Dame hockey defenseman Neil Komadoski (So., Chesterfield, Mo.) was selected in the third round, 81st overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft Saturday afternoon. The first three rounds of the draft were held at the National Car Rental Center, home of the Florida Panthers, in Sunrise, Fla., . Rounds four through nine will resume on Sunday.
Komadoski was the lone Notre Dame player picked on the first day of the draft and one of five players from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) selected during the first three rounds. He joins first round picks Mike Komisarek of Michigan (seventh pick to Montreal), Ohio State’s R.J. Umberger (16th pick to Vancouver) and Dave Steckel (30th pick to Los Angeles) and fellow second rounder Mike Cammalleri of Michigan (49th pick to Los Angeles). Rounds four through nine will be held on Sunday.
As a freshman at Notre Dame, the 6-1, 220-pound blueliner played in 30 games with two goals and five assists for seven points while racking up 106 minutes in penalties. Komadoski missed nine games after suffering a shoulder separation in Notre Dame’s second game of the season.
For the rugged Irish defenseman, getting selected in the NHL Entry Draft was a dream come true.
“What an unbelievable feeling when you hear your name called,” said Komadoski. “I think my heart stopped beating for a couple of seconds, but I collected myself. It was a great feeling, one of the best I’ve ever had in my life.”
The son of former NHL defenseman Neil Komadoski, Sr. (eight seasons with Los Angeles and St. Louis), the younger Komadoski entered the draft ranked 83rd among North American skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting. One of nine Notre Dame players to have come through USA Hockey’s Developmental Program, Komadoski points to his physical style of play as a reason for Ottawa selecting him.
“I’m ecstatic to be picked by Ottawa, to be a part of their big draft day. They made the trade to get the second pick and took Jason Spezza and then added another physical defenseman, Tim Gleason in the second round. Ottawa expressed an interest in me because they have lots of skilled players in their organization and are looking to add more physical players, gritty players with toughness. That’s the main reason they selected me,” said Komadoski.
The sophomore defenseman joins teammates Brett Henning (1999, 9th round – New York Islanders), David Inman (1999, 2nd round – New York Rangers) and Evan Nielsen (2000, 8th round – Atlanta Thrashers) as players to be selected by NHL teams. He will return to Notre Dame to for his sophomore season to continue to develop his game.
“It was a long spring waiting for this day. I’m glad its over. I’m relieved, now I don’t have to worry about it, I can just go out and play and hopefully someday I’ll be able to play for Ottawa,” said Komadoski.