Two Bulldogs who grew up playing minor hockey together expected to go before fourth round

If you believe the predictions, Mackenzie Entwistle will be chosen 36th at this weekend’s NHL draft. Or 44th. Or 62nd. And he doesn’t really care which.

“It’s been so stressful,” he said — the season, the combine, the interviews with NHL scouts and managers. “I’m just kind of excited to get it over with and I’m kind of excited to be owned by a team. And, if I get drafted, obviously, for them to tell me what they want me to be as a player and what they want me to improve on. “You know what I mean?” The truth is, not really. Because sitting in the stands and waiting for your name to be called is an experience off limits to all but the best junior hockey players in the world.

But Matt Strome, his Hamilton Bulldogs teammate, does.

Like Entwistle, he’s seen the mock drafts, which say he could go anywhere between the first and third rounds. And, also like Entwistle, he’s not overly concerned with the issue of when.

“I think, ultimately, when you get to camp, whoever performs the best — whether you’re 10th overall, 20th overall, 40th, 70th or 120th — whoever performs the best will get that chance. So I don’t think it really matters,” he said. “But I hope to go in the first round or as high as I can.”

Strome, a smart and skilled left

winger, and Entwistle, a versatile forward who moves seamlessly between centre and right wing, played minor hockey together for nearly a decade before being drafted to the OHL a round apart in 2015.

Now, they’re the Bulldogs’ best bets for a high pick in Chicago.

Strome, 18, and Entwistle, who’s a year younger, are both expected to be snapped up before the fourth round. There’s little consensus, though, about who will be chosen first

Ultimately, it will come down to what teams are looking for. Strome’s stride isn’t pretty, but he’s a big, powerful playmaker with an inherent ability to score (he led the Bulldogs with 34 goals last season). Entwistle, meanwhile, has defensive savvy and a recent coaches’ poll put him among the top penalty killers in the league.

On top of Strome and Entwistle, Bulldogs forward Marian Studenic and goalie Kaden Fulcher were also on NHL Central Scouting’s radar in the lead up to the draft. The former, an import from Slovakia, is widely projected to go between the third and fifth rounds.

Strome and Entwistle will both be at the United Centre with their families for Round 1 Friday evening. The draft continues Saturday with Rounds 2 through 7.

Notes: A handful of Bulldogs players and prospects have been invited to vie for a spot on Team Canada. Forward Will Bitten is on the roster for the national junior team camp, while forward Connor Roberts will play for a place on the under-18 squad. Xavier Henry, Connor McMichael and Navrin Mutter, who were drafted by the club in April’s priority selection, were all named to the lineup for Canada’s under-17 camp. The national teams’ summer showcase kicks off July 22 in Calgary.