NHL Draft 2018: 15 first-hand takeaways from a weekend in Dallas

The 2018 NHL Draft came and went as the city of Dallas played host to it for the first time. The past week has included exciting festivities and plenty of intriguing hockey talk. When you combine all of that together, you get a pretty terrific draft week. Here are 15 takeaways from the big show.

I got a chance to attend my first-ever NHL Draft this past weekend. Being a longtime Dallas Stars fan from the DFW area and a rising sportswriter, it was too great of an opportunity to pass up.

And though I’ve never had a firsthand and in-person look at any other drafts, I can say with unbiased certainty that the city of Dallas knocked it out of the park. From the events leading up to the draft to the presentation itself on Friday and Saturday, the city of Dallas and the Stars pulled out all of the stops.

It was a tremendous event for hockey fans that came from all across the globe to experience the yearly phenomenon. As a member of the media, I was constantly digging for big stories and taking away key observations.

And, as you might have guessed, there was plenty of hockey news and chatter involved, too. Future superstars were chosen, trades were conducted, and general managers all across the league were constantly mingling. It was a weekend that helped set the stage for what should be another exciting free agency period.

So, considering I served as a “boots on the ground” kind of guy for FanSided, I took some information away from the event. Here are 15 takeaways that stood out at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas.

1. Distance be darned

When I went to pick up my credential on Wednesday, I stopped by the Stars fan shop to pick up an NHL Draft hat to keep as a memento. As I looked around the store and contemplated which hat to pick up, I struck up a conversation with one of the store workers (his name was John).

He first wanted to know about how I was connected to the draft and the media and if I had lived in Dallas for a while. But after answering his questions, the topic turned to the variety of team hats on the shelves.

“Did the NHL ship all of these hats here?” I asked.

“Yeah, they sent them all down because they’re the draft hats for each team,” John said in reply.

“That seems kind of odd, considering there likely won’t be a single Montreal or Los Angeles hat bought,” I said in reply, pointing out the massive distance that would have to be covered for a draft. But John’s answer definitely caught me off guard.

“I’ve actually already sold a few out-of-town hats,” he said. “I even met a guy who traveled here from Montreal earlier this morning. He picked up one of the hats and got a few other things, as well.”

That right there is impressive. On top of that, it’s sincere dedication. I was shocked to hear that so many people came from all across North America, and even across the world. To come to a city like Dallas that isn’t really close to any other hockey city is pretty impressive. So props to all of those fans.