Dragicevic ready to make immediate impact in Raiders lineup
One week ago, the Prince Albert Raiders and Tri-City Americans completed the biggest trade of the offseason. Terrell Goldsmith, Grady Martin, and Nathan Preston had found out they would be playing in the US Division next season, while Lukas Dragicevic and Eric Kahl would be finding their way to the East Division.
Dragicevic explained how the trade went down for him.
“I was a little surprised by it,” he said. “I got of the phone with the GM and I was at home, so my family was home and I told them. We were all super excited, and I got to tell all my other family members, and they were all super happy for me. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I’m really excited to come to Prince Albert. I’ve only played there one time, but the fans are great from what I’ve heard and seen during that one game. I just can’t wait to get there and get into a great season coming up.”
‘Drago’ wrapped up his third full season with the Americans in 2023-24. He finished fourth in team scoring, and led the club in points by a defenceman, scoring 14 goals and adding 36 assists for 50 points. In 202 WHL games, the blueliner has scored 35 goals and registered 122 assists (157 points). 2022-23 was a breakout season for him, however, as he tallied 75 points (15G-60A). The closest Raider defenceman to 75 points in a season in the past decade was Josh Morrissey, who had 73 points in the 2013-14 campaign. More recently, Landon Kosior, who had 63 in 2022-23.
“I think my puck moving, my skating ability, my transition game is good, but I also think my defensive game has gotten a lot better over the years,” Dragicevic explained. “Those are the things I want to bring into this system. I’m an offensive puck moving defenceman that likes to get up the ice and make plays and put the puck in the hands of the forwards. At the same time, I like to stop plays as well and be hard to play against, just being hard to beat in front of the net and in the corners.”
Growing up in Richmond, BC, Dragicevic already knows some of his new teammates. He said a few texted him right away after being traded, and made him feel welcome already.
“I had a few guys on the team reach out to me. Me and Niall (Crocker) go back, we played together in bantam about five years ago, and we’ve kept in touch since then. A couple of the other guys reached out to me, and I definitely feel very welcome.”
Dragicevic was a second round pick by the Seattle Kraken in the 2023 NHL Draft, and has since signed an entry level contract. While his 19 year old season coming up is a big one for his development and with pro aspirations coming up, he says his focus right now is solely on contributing to the Raiders.
“This is a huge year, but I don’t want to look to far in the future,” he said. “I want to have a great year in Prince Albert and go on a long run. That’s my goal for this year and we’ll see about next year when it gets here, but for right now, I’m all eyes on the team in Prince Albert coming up.”
