season in which players challenged deep-seated issues of racism and the lack of diversity within the sport, the league made history this week when Quinton Byfield became the highest-drafted Black player. Clad in a stylish white blazer and black bow tie at home in Newmarket, Ontario, for the remote draft, Byfield, 18, acknowledged the gravitas of the moment when he was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Kings. Previously, the highest-drafted Black players had been Evander Kane (2009, Atlanta Thrashers) and Seth Jones (2013, Nashville Predators), each taken fourth over all. “It definitely means a lot to me and is something special,” Byfield said in a news conference on draft night Tuesday. “Quinton is an exceptional young man and talented player with a very bright future,” Kings General Manager Rob Blake, a Hall of Fame defenseman, said in a statement after the first round.

Source: New York Times October 10, 2020 17:37 UTC