DALLAS -- After a rough week, the Lethbridge Hurricanes needed some good news.
On Saturday, Calen Addison provided it when he was selected in the second round, 53rd overall, by the Penguins in the NHL Draft.
The Hurricanes' star defenseman was drafted just seven days after teammates Jordy Bellerive, a fellow Penguins prospect, Ryan Vandervlis and former teammate Matt Alfaro were injured in a bonfire accident in the southern Alberta city of 93,000 residents.
Bellerive, who signed a three-year entry level contract with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent last summer after turning heads at the team's development camp, suffered what he called “very severe and painful burns." He is expected to make a full recovery.
Bellerive and Alfaro are in stable condition, but Vandervlis was in critical condition after being placed in a medically-induced coma.
"Guys are getting better and there's some positive news to come along the way," Lethbridge coach Brent Kisio told DKPittsburghSports.com. "We're just hoping for the best."
Addison and Bellerive aren't just teammates, though, they're best friends.
"He got drafted the year before me, we went No. 2 overall (in the WHL Draft), both of us," an excited Addison said at the American Airlines Center. "We both kind of signed at the same time. Our organization was in a slump, but since then we've been at the top of the league every year. We’ve just went though it all together. We're just really close friends. It's so special for us."
Lethbridge, which has produced NHL draftees Luca Sbisa, Kris Versteeg, Chris Phillips, Bryce Salvador and Jamie McLennan, among others, went 123-78-0-15 with Addison and Bellerive in the lineup in the WHL.
"It was awesome," Addison said of his 207-18 season which saw him put up 68 points (11 goals, 54 assists) in 65 games. He became the 15th player in Hurricanes history to be selected in the first or second round of the NHL Draft.
Naturally, one of the first calls Addison made after being drafted on Saturday went to his injured teammate:
Just two besties bonding over the Pittsburgh Penguins. ?
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at Penguins draft pick @calenaddison calling his best friend, teammate, and fellow Penguins prospect, @jordybellerive.
Read more about PIT's newest defenseman: https://t.co/N82KZR1Nt3 pic.twitter.com/zXADYgjCCm
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 23, 2018
"He's like my best friend, we talk pretty much every single day," said Addison. "This is crazy. I don't even know what we’re going to be talking about after. I'm just super-excited. He honestly hasn’t said one bad thing about the organization. I can’t even explain how excited I am."
Who knows? Addison and Bellerive might even be teammates again in Pittsburgh.
"They’re my favorite team to watch," Addison said. "They’re so good all the time. You can tell how hard they compete and how hard they want to win every year. They’re so fast and skilled, that’s why I’m excited to be there."