Top prospects to watch Sunday include Portland d-man Jones
New York — As far as Seth Jones is concerned, there’s nothing more to be done now, so whatever happens on Sunday at the NHL entry draft is out of his hands.
The defenceman, pegged on some lists as the No. 1 ranked prospect, may not be the first off the board if the Colorado Avalanche stick to their recent statements and select forward Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
MacKinnon is closely followed by teammate Jonathan Drouin in most rankings, although Dan Marr, Central Scouting’s director, went so far as to say Drouin has some skills that are unmatched in this draft class.
“When I talk to a lot of scouts, they say he reminds them a lot of Joe Sakic when he played junior. His intuition, his quick read and react is excellent,” said Marr. “There are not too many players available who can see the ice and make the play. And he can deliver — offensively and defensively.”
Meanwhile, Jones, who starred with the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks, said he did talk to the Avalanche last Thursday but the team didn’t tell him which direction they were heading in.
“My mom is a nervous wreck. I’m fine,” he said. “This isn’t something I can control, so I’m just trying to make good use of my time in the city.”
Nurse on Oilers’ radar
Darnell Nurse, the six-footfour defenceman who is on the Edmonton Oilers’ radar but may not be available at pick No. 7, was one of the players the team brought in after the NHL combine. Ottawa 67s centre Sean Monahan and London Knights centre Bo Horvat also made visits.
For Nurse, it was the only city he travelled to and he did leave an impression with general manager Craig MacTavish.
Nurse’s father played with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League and his uncle is a former NFL quarterback, so he’s got a pedigree.
But Nurse said he also has a work ethic that he’d pit against any player. He lists Scott Stevens and Chris Pronger as players he watched when he was younger and says he now models his game after Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators.
Nurse also said he needs to put on a few more pounds before he’s NHL ready. He’s currently pushing 199.
“It was an awesome experience (in Edmonton). It’s good to take in places like that. Obviously, they have a really good up-and-coming team. That’s a good situation for any guy who goes there.”
Weather puts some draft plans on hold
Pity Curtis Lazar, who has been waiting weeks to experience the NHL draft and all the buildup to Sunday’s selections.
The Edmonton Oil Kings forward was set to fly from Kelowna to New York City via Toronto on Thursday. His flight from Toronto got to New York, but was not able to land because of the weather and was rerouted back to Ontario.
After spending the night in Toronto, he was recooked on a 4 p.m. flight on Friday — which was delayed.
Aside from missing out on a day in the Big Apple, he was more concerned about having to miss his interviews on Saturday.
At least Oilers coach Dallas Eakins made it to Toronto — albeit a half day later than scheduled. He’d got held up in Chicago after the original flight was rerouted back to O’Hara because of mechanical problems. Weather issues then prolonged the delay followed by a required pilot change after a three-hour wait on the tarmac.
He said it
“From a young age, I’ve been watching these and the fact that I’m here now is pretty surreal. If I could, I’d like to fastforward to when my name gets called, but I am trying to enjoy it as well. This is an experience I’ve wanted to go through in a long time.” — Hunter Shinkaruk of the Medicine Hat Tigers