Red Wings 2021 draft pick and Charlottetown Islanders defenseman Oscar Plandowski’s father is the director of amateur scouting for the Arizona Coyotes, and his mother is a professional skating coach, so he comes from the definition of a “hockey family.” The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of Plandowski this afternoon:
“Hockey is my No. 1 passion,” he said. “It’s been my dream to get drafted. I definitely get to see a different side of it, being able to witness it growing up, my dad preparing for drafts. I definitely wouldn’t be anywhere without both my parents. They’ve been a huge part of my career.”
There were advantages having an NHL scout dad, but also challenges.
“As a little kid it was the coolest being able to go into games for free walking in with my dad, going to see junior games, and traveling with him on the road the occasional time,” Oscar said. “It has its perks.
“But it also has its negatives, when your dad’s not there most of the winter. That can be tough. But the positives outweigh the negatives, especially preparing for the draft it was definitely huge.”
