Meridian native Tyus Sparks was taken in the fourth round of the NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals on Saturday and will have a chance to do something no Idaho-born player has done in nearly 70 years.
The Capitals traded up to select Sparks, a forward, 101st overall, acquiring the pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for the 112th pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick the Capitals had acquired from the San Jose Sharks.
“There was a lot of anticipation for sure,” Sparks told WashingtonCaps.com. “Being here yesterday and watching all the guys going and coming back this morning, I was just waiting for my name to be called. Once I heard it it was a great feeling for sure.”
Sparks became the second-highest Idaho native to be ever selected in the NHL Draft, according to his junior hockey team, the Spokane Chiefs. An Idaho-born player has not appeared in an NHL game since Guyle Fielder, a Potlatch native who died at 95 earlier this year, played in six games for the Detroit Red Wings during the 1957-58 season. Pat Shea, another Potlatch native who played 10 games for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1931-32, is the only other Idaho native to ever play in the NHL.
Sparks started last season playing with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League before being traded to the Spokane Chiefs midway through the season. He finished the season with 28 goals and 37 assists in 69 games.
“He’s a shooter,” John Williams, NHL Central Scouting’s senior western scout, told NHL.com prior to the draft. “He’s got really good hands, and he is one of the best one-time shooters I’ve seen this year. He has the ability in the offensive zone to find space and get good spots, kind of like a Brett Hull. He’s a guy that just kind of finds spots, gets in good shooting positions and can really fire it and can beat goalies clean.”
Sparks is the son of two former Boise State athletes. His father, Nate, was a quarterback in 1997-98 and later played in the Canadian Football League. His mother, Debbie, was a Boise State gymnast.
“They pushed me when I was younger,” Tyus Sparks said. “They gave me a little bit of grit in my game.”
After playing with the Idaho Jr. Steelheads at an early age, as his skill progressed, the family started making 10-hour drives from the Treasure Valley to Vancouver, British Columbia, every weekend so he could play tougher competition, a fact that was noted on the NHL Network broadcast after he was selected.
“It’s unbelievable what my parents did, I love them so much,” Sparks, who from 2021-24 flew solo from Boise to Los Angeles on weekends to play for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings, told NHL.com. “They care for me so much and they care about my career. They did a whole lot for me and still do.”