Home province kid. Watching the B.C. Lions growing up. Selected in Canadian Football League draft by the Lions. Soon to be playing for them.
Life for Ben Hladik in the spring of 2021 is pretty fine.
At approximately 6:25 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday, May 4, the Leos made Hladik their third-round selection with the 22nd pick overall in the CFL draft.
鈥淚t seems surreal, a dream come true,鈥� said Hladik, 22, a linebacker with the UBC Thunderbirds, from his parents鈥� home Wednesday, May 5. 鈥淚鈥檓 from Vernon, I grew up watching the Lions and now I鈥檓 a member of the B.C. Lions. It doesn鈥檛 get much better than that.鈥�
Going local in round three 馃檶馃徔
鈥� BC LIONS (@BCLions)
With the 22nd overall selection, have selected LB Ben Hladik 馃
Welcome to the den, Ben!
Hladik was the fifth linebacker chosen in the draft. He had been ranked pre-draft as high as No. 2. One TSN writer had Hladik going to the Lions fourth overall in a mock draft.
Hladik鈥檚 stock rose after the CFL combine season, which puts draft prospects through a series of drills in front of team scouts and personnel. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Hladik, described by one CFL website as a 鈥減hysical freak,鈥� ran the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds and lifted 225 pounds 29 times on the bench press.
He was a defensive captain for the Thunderbirds in 2018 and 2019 to go along with back-to-back Canada West All-Star and U SPORTS All-Canadian nods. Hladik finished second on the 鈥楤irds in 2019 with 48.5 tackles, the fourth-highest total in the Canada West. He added two sacks and an interception which he ran back 50 yards for a touchdown. Hladik was also named Canada West鈥檚 top defensive player in 2018.
Hladik, studying psychology, missed his senior year with the T-Birds in 2020 due to COVID. He led the Vernon Panthers to their first B.C. AA Subway Bowl high school football championship game in 2016, where they lost to the No. 1 ranked Seaquam Seahawks of Delta. Hladik became the first Vernon player to be named provincial AA MVP that season.
He watched the draft with his family.
鈥淭he wait (for his name to be called) felt forever,鈥� laughed Hladik. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to get started and to play football again.鈥�
Panthers head coach Sean Smith is elated for his former MVP.
鈥淣ot only because it鈥檚 a huge accomplishment, but because he鈥檚 worked so hard to get there,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淪o to see him rewarded for all that he鈥檚 sacrificed and worked for over the last seven-to-eight years of his football life is a great feeling. I鈥檓 so proud that he鈥檚 been able to maximize his talents to reach the highest level. Ben has definitely earned this opportunity to play professionally.鈥�
Smith said Hladik will use being drafted in the third round as motivation for the other eight CFL teams making a mistake in taking a pass on him.
鈥淚 have no doubt that he鈥檒l do whatever it takes to make the Lions roster and get on the field quickly,鈥� said Smith.
UBC head coach Blake Nill called Hladik the 鈥渟teal of the draft鈥� for the Lions.
馃張 FB | T-Birds linebacker Ben Hladik sticks close to home as he's selected by the in the third round of the Draft!
鈥� UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds)
鈥淏en was the first kid who committed to us after the Vanier Cup win in 2015 and I thought we hit the jackpot right there,鈥� said Nill on gothunderbirds.ca. 鈥淚 looked at that kid and thought he鈥檇 be one of our best, and he鈥檚 never let us down. Ben has been (defensive coordinator Pat) Tracey鈥檚 go-to guy for four years. He鈥檚 been a leader as a young man, played every position we felt we needed an advantage at and he鈥檚 just a tremendous individual. He鈥檚 going to be a tremendous pro, he鈥檚 going to do everything they ask.鈥�
Hladik鈥檚 UBC linebacker teammates Nick Cross and Elliot Graham were also picked Tuesday. Cross went in the first round, ninth overall, to the Hamilton Tiger Cats while Graham was selected by the Calgary Stampeders in the fourth round, 29th overall.
鈥淚鈥檓 very, very happy for the players but I鈥檓 also proud of what it represents for our program,鈥� said Nill who has now overseen 22 players drafted to the CFL in his six years with the T-Birds.
The Lions made five picks Tuesday.
In the first round, they took defensive end Daniel Joseph from North Carolina State and went with offensive lineman Alaric Johnson from Iowa in Round 2. The Lions didn鈥檛 have a fourth-round pick and finished the six-round draft by choosing defensive lineman Alfred Green from Wilfrid Laurier University in Round 5, and offensive lineman Tyler Packer from the University of Calgary in the final round.
鈥淎ll the picks that we made are guys that have potential,鈥� said Lions director of football operation Neil McEvoy on bclions.com. 鈥淚n Ben, he鈥檚 another exciting athlete that鈥檚 going to come in and hopefully be with our football team for years to come.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a guy that will develop into a linebacker or defensive lineman and take some reps with the first-team group. You want guys who have the opportunity and athletic ability to complement what you currently have. He鈥檚 certainly a guy I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing him develop.鈥�
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie announced on April 21 that the league would return to play in 2021 after cancelling 2020 due to COVID.
The league is planning a 14-game season starting on Aug. 5 (league normally starts in June) and the Grey Cup, usually held on the last Sunday in November, is scheduled for Dec. 12 in Hamilton. League plans are subject to the state of COVID-19 across the country.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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