Washington Capitals center prospect Eric Florchuk, the last player selected in the 2018 NHL entry draft (seventh round, #217 overall) recorded a natural hat trick on Monday at the Saddledome in Calgary. All three goals came in the first period of the Saskatoon Blades 9-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen Monday afternoon.
“It was nice to get those early. Just glad I could bury the opportunities when they came.”, Florchuk said after the game. “Our purpose was to come out here with a very good start on a 2 o’clock game on a Monday and get after them early. We ended up doing that and just kept the pedal to the metal.”
Florchuk, 19, missed five games due to an upper body injury he sustained in the first period of the season opener against the Prince Albert Raiders.
The hat trick marked the first three-goal performance of Florchuk’s WHL career. For the season, Florchuk has four goals and an assist on 13 shots in six games played. He has four goals in his last three games.
In 2018-2019, Florchuk played in 68 regular season games for the Saskatoon Blades and 10 playoff games. He had 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points overall, was +10, and also had 40 penalty minutes. The Saskatoon Blades finished in second place in the strong Eastern Division of the WHL, and ultimately eliminated in the second round of the WHL playoffs.
By Jon Sorensen
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