If it鈥檚 his home province B.C. Lions calling his name, fantastic.
If it鈥檚 the Montreal Alouettes, terrific. No matter which of the nine Canadian Football League teams that calls his name in Tuesday鈥檚 CFL draft, Vernon鈥檚 Ben Hladik will be thrilled. A dream of his will have been reached.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait, this is what I鈥檝e waiting for for a long time,鈥� said Hladik, 22, a star linebacker with the UBC Thunderbirds who has been back in his hometown staying with his parents since COVID hit in 2020. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what I鈥檝e been practicing for. It鈥檚 what I鈥檝e been playing for and what I鈥檝e been putting in all of the effort for.鈥�
There will be six rounds in Tuesday鈥檚 draft. The Hamilton Tiger Cats have the first overall pick. TSN CFL writer Marshall Ferguson has Hladik going fourth overall to the Lions in his final mock draft.
鈥淭he star of combine season, Hladik posted looney tunes numbers to match his monster鈥檚 frame,鈥� wrote Ferguson. 鈥淎t 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, the BC native ran a 4.55 40-yard dash and lifted 225 pounds 29 times on the bench press. Hladik is much more than a number though.
鈥淗e was a defensive captain for the Thunderbirds in 2018 and 2019 to go along with back-to-back Canada West All-Star and U SPORTS All-Canadian nods.鈥�
Whichever club selects him, they鈥檙e going to get in Hladik, as 3downnation.com describes, 鈥渁 physical freak.鈥� The website has Hladik ranked as the second overall linebacker behind Calgary鈥檚 Amen Ogbongbemiga, who plays in the U.S. NCAA Div. 1 college ranks with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
鈥淗e (Hladik) put 29 reps on the bench, ran a 4.66 forty (40-yard dash), jumped 10-feet seven-inches and showed off his bend with the devil鈥檚 three-cone with a scary 6.66 seconds,鈥� said the website, devoted to the CFL. 鈥淭hat athleticism translates to the field where he鈥檚 made 30.5 tackles for a loss in 28 games for the Thunderbirds despite what some consider a disappointing 2019 season.鈥�
UBC went 2-6 in 2019. Hladik, studying psychology, missed his senior year with the T-Birds due to COVID. He was a U-SPORT All-Canadian in 2018. Hladik led the Vernon Panthers to their first B.C. AA Subway Bowl high school football championship game in 2016, where they lost to the No. 1 ranked Seaquam Seahawks of Delta. Hladik became the first Vernon player to be named provincial AA MVP that season.
Whichever team picks Hladik Tuesday, they will get a player ready to start his professional career.
鈥淲hoever picks me will get a player that can come in and make an impact whether it鈥檚 on defence or on special teams,鈥� said Hladik. 鈥淎s soon as I get to training camp, I鈥檒l be looking to make an impact.鈥�
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie announced on April 21 that the league would return to play in 2021 after cancelling 2020 due to COVID.
The league is planning a 14-game season starting on Aug. 5 (league normally starts in June) and the Grey Cup, usually held on the last Sunday in November, is scheduled for Dec. 12 in Hamilton. League plans are subject to the state of COVID-19 across the country.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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