LUKE PROKOP, born on this date, is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League as a prospect for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL), who selected him in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. In 2021, Prokop came out as gay, becoming the first player under contract with an NHL team to do so.

Prokop attended the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Prokop with their first round selection, the seventh overall, of the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. He played for Canada’s national under-18 ice hockey team in the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships.

The Predators selected Prokop in the third round, with the 73rd overall selection, of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. In December 2020, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Predators, and spent the 2020–21 season with Calgary.

The Hitmen traded Prokop to the Edmonton Oil Kings in October 2021. He opened the 2022–23 season with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL. In October 2022, the Seattle Thunderbirds traded three conditional WHL draft picks to Edmonton for Prokop.

In November 2023, Prokop became the first openly gay player in the American Hockey League’s history, by making his first appearance in a game as a player for the Milwaukee Admirals.