Buffalo, N.Y. — Brooks Rogowski isn’t the first member of his family to hear his name called in a professional sports draft. He’s the first one, however, to hear it in the NHL. And after slipping out of the first round on Friday, he didn’t have to wait long Saturday to hear his name called.
Rogowski, a 6-foot-7 center, was the first pick off the board Saturday at No. 33 overall to the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Brighton native is the son of 1999 Chicago White Sox draft pick Casey Rogowski, who was also Michigan’s Mr. Baseball. His uncle Ryan Rogowski also played in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system. Both were in the crowd to see the younger Rogowski picked, though they may still wish he’d played baseball. The decision when he was 16 to solely commit to hockey was a tough one for Brooks.
“It was tough when I was younger,” Brooks said. “I was 16 making that decision, playing a sport you love. Honestly, I loved both. But I think it was the right decision getting to play a sport that gave me the best opportunity. And obviously I made the most of the opportunity and now it’s just continuing to work.”
Physically, Rogowski is a redwood. He’s so tall that when he walked into the interview room at KeyBank Center, he knocked the Canucks hat askew on the door frame. Rogowski says that his potential for growth in his game, with such a recent transition to full-time hockey is part of his allure.
“You get a lot of these guys who’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m still relatively new to it,” Rogowski said. “And I think there’s a lot more to me that needs to come out. Again, there’s a lot to improve still. There’s a lot to grow upon. I think that, again, was kind of an attractive feature for myself.”
Rogowski played the past two seasons in the OHL for the Oshawa Generals, scoring 11 goals and 23 points in 66 games his rookie season and following that up with a 15-goal, 42-point campaign in 46 games this past year.
Before he played for Oshawa, Rogowski was a prep hockey star in the MHSAA ranks, winning Division 1 state titles with Detroit Catholic Central, both times by beating his hometown school Brighton. He also played AAA for Little Caesars.
In 2027-28, Rogowski is coming back across the border to play at Michigan State.
“Being close to home in the future helps for sure,” Rogowski said. “And I think just having a coaching staff like that (is) unbelievable.”
Rogowski is the sixth Michigan State player or commit to be selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, following five first-round draftees defenseman Chase Reid (seventh, Seattle), winger Nikita Klepov (15th, Anaheim), winger Ethan Belchetz (17th, Utah), center Jack Hextall (30th, Calgary) and defenseman Tommy Bleyl (31st, Nashville).
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State commit Brooks Rogowski picked by Vancouver Canucks
Reporting by Connor Earegood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Connor Earegood, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
