Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop became the first active player on an NHL contract to come out publicly as gay. Prokop, 19, spoke with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and made a concurrent announcement on his Twitter page that included a sequence of rainbow hearts.
The 6-foot-4, 217-pound defenseman was drafted in October in the third round of the 2020 draft at No. 73 overall and signed a three-year, entry-level contract in December. He played the 2020-21 season with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, where he was an alternate captain.
Predators' Prokop comes out as gay
Prokop released a statement on his Twitter page saying he was "proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay.