Boca Raton’s Yogan Looking For Injury-Free Campaign New York Rangers Prospect Hoping for Career in NHL


By Matt Mackinder I


t took until he was 15 for Andrew Yogan to re- alize that he could make hockey his career in life. Four years later, the first Florida-raised and


trained player to get drafted by a National Hockey League club is still trying to make that happen. Yogan, a Boca Raton native, was taken with the


100th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers. He was looked at as a potential early pick, but concussion problems derailed him during the 2008-2009 Ontario Hockey League season with the Erie (Pa.) Otters. Yogan also had shoulder surgery after being out of the lineup for all but 10 games last year and then saw his OHL rights traded north of the border to the Peterborough Petes this past August. If he plays in Peterborough, he’ll be one of the team’s three allot- ted overage (20-year-old) players. To even be playing in the OHL, arguably one of the


top development leagues in the world, was some- thing Yogan never imagined during his childhood in the Miami area. “Although I grew up in Florida playing hockey, I


was actually very fortunate to have awesome men- toring and coaching,” Yogan said. “I never played roller hockey – went straight to the ice. We also had an exceptional 1991 birth year of players to develop with. I was coached by (former Florida Panthers play- ers) Rob Tallas, Peter Worrell and Ray Sheppard with the Jr. Panthers organization and they always helped me out with my game. I couldn’t have asked for better leadership and knowledge of the game than I did from them.” That knowledge led to Yogan’s selection by the


Rangers. “I was just so excited, nerves were running


through my body, but it was awesome,” Yogan said back on June 26, 2010 when he was drafted. “I was so anxious and I wanted to get drafted so bad. It’s a great team, an Original Six team, and a great area. It feels great to be the first South Florida kid drafted and hopefully, we have more to come in the years to come.”


This past June, Plantation native Colin Suellen-


trop and Brody Sutter, two former Jr. Panthers, heard their names called at the NHL draft with Suel- lentrop going to Philadelphia and Sutter to Carolina. Yogan’s skill set earned him a spot in 2007 with


Yogan played half the season as a 15-year-old. His head coach in Windsor was former NHL defenseman Bob Boughner and that first year did wonders for Yogan’s confidence.


“The first time I experienced the reality of hockey becoming a career happened when I made the Spit- fires roster,” said the 6-foot-3, 202-pound center. “I had confidence they would develop me as a profes- sional and work on my game to benefit me in posi- tive ways. I chose the OHL over NCAA because the development the OHL provides the direction I wanted to go with the game. There are always pros and cons with every decision, and a lot of factors obviously go into the final decision, but ultimately I chose the ‘O’ because of the game schedule and development tradition.” Yogan played 50 games his rookie season and


scored five goals and seven points. He was traded to Erie in November 2008, ironically enough, for another Florida native in goalie Brandon Maxwell (Winter Park), and had to sit and watch Windsor cruise to an OHL title and Memorial Cup championship. “It was hard to be traded from Windsor, but hav- ing been with Windsor with so much experience on and off the ice, it taught me how about leadership and how to become a winner,” said Yogan. “I hope to carry this with me wherever I play.” Growing up, Yogan played all over North America


Boca Raton native Andrew Yogan has played the past three seasons with the OHL’s Erie Otters. Photo/Aaron Bell/OHL Images


the Windsor Spitfires, a team in southern Ontario that pegged him in the OHL draft in May of that year. Being that he has a late birthday (December 4),


in various tournaments. Hockey rinks weren’t exactly a stone’s throw from Boca, but his parents did what they could to see their son carry out a passion. “My parents knew that I would have to develop my game in Canada and the Midwest, so frequent tour- naments with my Chicago and Toronto pals also gave me great exposure to a higher level,” said Yogan. “My parents both supported my passion for hockey and my childhood dream. They have always been there for me, no matter what. I left Florida for the OHL as a 15-year-old, which was the more difficult decision, but I have devoted parents who traveled quite a bit to see me and support me.” Yogan was again at the Rangers’ main training camp this year after playing for the Connecticut Whale, New York’s top affiliate, at the end of last year. While the odds are against him playing in the NHL this year, he feels healthy and ready to finish out his OHL career with the Petes. And being 100 percent might be all Yogan needs to see a dream become reality.


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