DRAFT: Park has special hometown moment of being drafted by Oilers with second-last pick

Park had a terrific 2024-25 season in the USHL with Green Bay, where he recorded 33 goals and 66 points in 56 games to finish fifth in league scoring and second in goals as a workhorse two-way centre before he joined the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen for three playoff games.

Park will play next season for the University of Michigan, looking to build on what was an impressive year for him by improving certain aspects of his game, such as his skating and size, while preparing to transition to the rigours of college hockey.

“I worked on my skating a ton last summer and throughout the season, and I think it’s still one of my biggest knocks and I’ll continue to work on it, but I think that’s definitely improved a good amount,” he said. “Skating is a big part of it, and then just transitioning to college hockey by just getting bigger, faster and stronger. I know it’s cliché, but it’s true, so those are definitely the two biggest aspects that I’m focusing on this summer.”

Aidan’s uncle Richard had a solid career in the NHL from 1994-2012, recording 241 points (102 goals) across 738 total NHL games for the Islanders, Wild, Penguins, Canucks, Ducks and Flyers, and helped provide him with the right perspective when it comes to making your way to the League.

Despite growing up in LA, Aidan was a Penguins fan during his younger years because his uncle, Richard, was drafted by them in the second round (50th overall) in 1994. He later returned to play his final NHL season with the Penguins in 2011-12, when Aidan was six years old.

“Last year after the Draft, he told me, ‘It may feel like the end of the world and. But it’s not.’ There are a lot of ways to make the NHL,” he said. “Nowadays, you see a lot of college guys sign as free agents, and you have two more chances at the Draft. He helped me look at the big picture and taught me to put in the work every day to give myself the best chance possible.”

Park hopes to follow in the footsteps of two other California products currently playing in the NHL in Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf and Dallas forward Jason Robertson, with emphasis on the latter as someone who also grew up nearby and was one of his hockey idols growing up.

“I think a guy like Jason Robertson is a guy I look up to,” he said. “He’s from Pasadena, not too far from here. A local guy, and he’s having an unreal NHL career. But it’s really cool to see players from here make it, because growing up, there weren’t really a lot of hockey players in LA, but the game’s really grown here, and that’s largely because of those guys.”