When it comes to playing EA Sports NHL 2021, nobody is better in Canadian major junior hockey than Lukas Svejkovsky.
The 19-year-old from Point Roberts and Medicine Hat Tigers forward captured the Canadian Hockey League’s first-ever Memorial eCup on Thursday by sweeping Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Saint John Sea Dogs player Riley Bezeau in the best-of-three final. The win capped a perfect eight-game run that saw Svejkovsky outscore his opponents 43-11 in the process, playing as his own Tigers' team.
In total, 60 player representatives across the CHL were selected to represent their club in the elimination-style virtual tournament.
“The growth of gaming and esports offers a new opportunity to stay connected with our fans. It is also a fun way to give our players a chance to showcase their skills in a format that many of them enjoy in their spare time,” said CHL president Dan MacKenzie.
As part of the event, the CHL will be making a donation of $1,000 to a charity of Svejkovsky’s choice. Kia Canada also provided a gift card of $1,000 for the tournament winner, which Svejkovsky has chosen to donate back to a second charity. The two charities Svejkovsky has chosen to support are both of great importance to the Tigers – the Medicine Hat Santa Claus Fund and the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society.
Along the way to the title, Svejkovsky knocked off WHL Alumni guest Zach Hodder, Rhett Rhinehart and the Saskatoon Blades, Zachary Roy and the Hamilton Bulldogs, Danny Katic and the Saginaw Spirit, and Ty Collins and the Mississauga Steelheads, before Thursday’s championship win over Saint John.
Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Svejkovsky has split his time in the WHL between the Vancouver Giants and Tigers. In 119 career WHL regular season contests, he has collected 64 points (27G-37A), adding another 13 points (4G-9A) in 22 WHL playoff games.
He was among just 40 players invited to the USA U20 Team Selection Camp held back in September in Michigan.
He played the Memorial eCup from the home his family is currently renting in Tsawwassen that has allowed him to continue to skate and train at Planet Ice in North Delta while avoiding the border closure due to the pandemic.
Making his feat even more impressive was the entire tournament was played on the PlayStation 4 gaming console which Svejkovsky had to borrow from a friend. He owns an Xbox.
The start of the WHL season was recently pushed back as the league awaits for COVID-19 numbers to hopefully improve and restrictions to be loosened in the weeks ahead.
