Deryk Engelland – The Hometown Hero
This is without doubt both the most obvious and popular choice among fans for who should be named the first Captain of the Vegas Golden Knights. Deryk Engelland is adored in Sin City and he has all the qualities you would want from the player wearing the “C” on their jersey.
Having begun his lengthy hockey career in the ECHL with the Las Vegas Wranglers, Engelland is a long-time resident of Vegas and he and his family hold a special place in their hearts for the city, which is evident based on the tremendous amount of charity work they carry out within the local community.
Not only that but Engelland rapidly became the face of the franchise after being taken by the Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. He very quickly became the go-to guy for the plethora of players looking to relocate to the area in the wake of the Expansion Draft, and he was relied upon to forge a strong bond between a group of strangers getting ready to play together as a team for the very first time.
And then there is the emotional side. The residents of Las Vegas will always cherish Engelland for the role he put on his own shoulders following the tragic mass shooting that rocked the city on Oct, 1. He made sure that Vegas’ brand new hockey team was out in full force at blood drives and he was a strong presence at memorials and when meeting with the victims’ families, first responders and those who were deeply affected by the shootings.
Who will ever forget that deeply moving and powerful speech Engelland gave prior to the Golden Knights’ home opener? In that small snippet alone we saw the true measure of the man and the kind of leader he is.
Engelland is a glue guy in the locker room and he is without doubt the true face of this franchise. He leads by example on and off the ice and you can clearly see how much respect he demands from both his team-mates and the Vegas coaching staff.
Yes, he’s reaching the end of his career and his playing abilities are starting to regress somewhat, as backed up by a tough season last year. However, he still has a role to play for the Knights and is the perfect mentor for the slew of high-end defensemen that are on the cusp of making the leap to the NHL.
Having recently signed a new one-year deal with a cap hit of $7,000,000, Engelland would be the perfect choice to be the first Captain in franchise history for the Vegas Golden Knights, who could then give the “A” to the players they think would be worthy of taking over the “C” once Engelland does eventually hang up his skates.