The first contracted NHL player to come out as gay

The 19-year-old was recruited in the third round (73^e in general) by the Tennessee organization in the 2020 NHL Draft. He announced his sexual orientation on his Twitter account Monday morning.

Although the past year and a half has been crazy, it has also given me a chance to find out who I really am. I’m no longer afraid to hide my identity, he wrote.

Today I am proud to say publicly that I am gay.

It’s been a journey to get to this point in my life, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come out as gay. From an early age, I dreamed of becoming an NHL player, and I believed that living my life authentically would allow me to stay completely on the ice and improve my chances of realizing my dreams., continued Prokop, who signed an NHL entry contract with Predators in December 2020.

I hope that by sharing my identity, I can help others see that gays are welcome in the hockey community as we strive to make hockey truly for everyone.

A native of Edmonton, Prokop played junior hockey with the Calgary professional hitman in the Western Hockey League (WHL). He played 150 matches over the past four seasons. He was also the assistant captain of his team this year.

The Predators welcomed the news on Monday.

The Nashville Predators are proud of Luke for the courage he demonstrated today in revealing his homosexuality, and we will unequivocally support him in the days, weeks, and years to come as he continues to develop as hopePresident Sean Henry said.

We are committed to ensuring that there is no impediment to its success. Her courage is an inspiration to us and the LGBTQ community in Nashville., said Predators general manager David Boyle, who coined Prokop.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also said He shares his hope that these ads will become more popular in the hockey community.

Last month, Carl Nessib became the Las Vegas Raiders The first openly gay player in the NFL. To date, he is also the only active player in the four major North American leagues (NFL, MLB, LNH, and NBA) who has come out as gay.