South Jersey's Cayden Primeau chosen by Montreal in NHL draft

CHICAGO — It was difficult to figure out who was more excited, the player who had just been chosen in the NHL draft, goalie Cayden Primeau, or his proud father, Keith, a former Flyers standout.

"There's no one word to describe it all," said Cayden Primeau, 18, who grew up in Voorhees and was selected by Montreal in the seventh round Saturday with a pick it had acquired from the Flyers, who are overflowing with goalie prospects.

Primeau's dad said he was an "emotional train wreck" before his son was selected, and that he was "thankful that the Flyers gave Montreal the opportunity to draft Cayden. It's an Original Six team, and the opportunity to put on a Habs jersey is … I mean, my mom was crying."

The younger Primeau was excited to be with an organization that features Carey Price, one of the league's elite goalies.

"I want to learn from him and take from him anything he does on the ice or off the ice that puts him above and beyond everyone else," he said.

Keith Primeau said his son was "never too high or never too low" when he plays, and that kind of even-keel temperament will help him. "And obviously in that market, that's going to bode well. It's going to be huge," Keith Primeau said.

Keith Primeau, a former Flyers captain, said he once tried to discourage his son from being a goaltender, but he eventually accepted the idea.

"He loves the position, and he's a real student of the position," he said.

Cayden was three months old when Keith Primeau was traded from Carolina to the Flyers. Now 17 and a graduate of Bishop Eustace Prep, he has a four-year scholarship to Northeastern University.

The 6-foot-2, 186-pound Primeau had his ups and downs this season with the Lincoln Stars in the USHL — he had 3.16 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage — and he was the seventh-ranked  North American goalie prospect in this year's draft, according to the NHL's Central Scouting.