Four Bulldogs drafted to the NHL
CHICAGO — It’s not easy for a 17year-old to articulate the full range of emotions he experiences waiting for his name to be called at the NHL draft, but Mackenzie Entwistle will take a crack at it.
“Sitting there for three rounds — well, two and a bit — it was tough. It was tough, but it was fun. It was nerve-racking. You’re seeing all your buddies go up, and — it was fun, it was awesome, it was a good experience. I’m glad it’s over.”
The irony, though, is his journey has just begun.
The Georgetown native was the first of four Hamilton Bulldogs selected at the United Center in Chicago over the weekend — a record number for the young OHL club. He went to the Arizona Coyotes in the third round, 69th overall.
“I don’t even know how to explain it,” he said Saturday. “It’s awesome.”
After Entwistle, Matt Strome was chosen in the fourth round, 106th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers, followed by Slovakian import Marian Studenic, who was taken by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round, 143rd overall.
The Detroit Red Wings snagged Stoney Creek’s Reilly Webb in the sixth round, 164th overall.
For Entwistle, a versatile and good-natured forward who moves easily between centre and right wing, the draft went pretty much as expected. Like Strome, the penalty-kill specialist was forecasted to go anywhere between the first and third rounds.
“I didn’t really know where I was going to go,” he told the media after a reporter suggested he was a steal at 69. “I think I was projected around this area and I’m happy. It’s such a great organization and I’m happy to wear this jersey right now.”
He also fielded questions about last season — a challenging one in which he was sidelined more than a month with mononucleosis. With mono, he explained, “you lose a lot of weight and feel out of it” — in his case, about 10 pounds from his six-foot-three, 181-pound frame.
“The hardest part was not being able to go to the rink and participate in practice and workouts.”
Despite the setback, he was one of Hamilton’s best players in the playoffs and managed to excel in showcases and international tournaments, where he was given more ice time and opportunities. In April, he was named one of Team Canada’s top three players at the under-18 world championships, where he notched seven points in five games.
The fact that Strome — the younger brother of Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Strome and Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome — slipped to the fourth round will be seen by some as a surprise. In mock drafts, the 18-year-old left winger was often rated higher than Entwistle, and at the start of last season the NHL’s scouting service predicted he would be an early first round pick.
So why was he still around at 106? “I don’t know,” he said. “I guess that’s the draft for you. I think that anybody can go anywhere and I think that I can just use this as motivation.”
But there was likely more to it than chance.
Though Strome led Hamilton in scoring and is lauded for his hockey smarts, skill and size — at six-footthree and 203 pounds, he’s tough to move in front of the net — his awkward stride and lack of speed are issues even he acknowledges. When asked by a reporter what he’ll be working on over the summer, he said his skating is “the biggest thing.”
Steve Staios, however, downplays the concern.
“I think everybody has seen or lived through that awkward stage where you’re still growing into your body,” said the Bulldogs president and general manager.
“We feel like Stromer is right there and once he finally gets to that point and Mother Nature takes over and he matures, we think there’s a high, high ceiling.”
A former NHLer who previously oversaw player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Staios also said he thinks the Flyers are “going to look really good at the end of the day.”
Studenic, meanwhile, went right where scouts predicted, while Webb was more of an off-the-radar pick. With injuries keeping him off the ice for all but 20 games over the past two seasons, he didn’t get much attention in the lead up to the event — although Staios and Bulldogs coach John Gruden predicted he would be drafted.
When he was finally inserted in Hamilton’s lineup in March, he was up-to-speed and frequently one of team’s most reliable blueliners.
“An original six team?” he said over the phone Saturday. “I couldn’t be more excited or happier where I’ve gone.”
Forty-two OHLers were selected over the weekend, including five in Friday’s opening round. Owen Sound led with six, followed by Guelph, London and Hamilton, who all had four picks each.
For the Bulldogs, the draft set a new standard. A year ago, at the end of the team’s inaugural season, only one player had his name called — defenceman Cole Candella, who went to the Vancouver Canucks in Round 5.
“I think it shows that we’re progressing as an organization,” said Staios, in Chicago. “We want to set the foundation and an environment where they can grow and do this, but then it’s up to the player. So the credit goes to the player.” NOTES: Kaden Fulcher wasn’t drafted, but did score an invite to Detroit’s development camp next month. The Bulldogs goalie was rated 18th among North American goalies by the NHL’s scouting service going into the weekend . ... Entwistle is off to Arizona — already. Less than 24 hours after he was selected Saturday, Hamilton’s highest-ever draft pick was on a plane to the Grand Canyon State for development camp and a skating clinic. He won’t be home for at least two weeks . ... Of the four Bulldogs drafted over the weekend, three — Entwistle, Strome and Webb — were part of the team’s inaugural OHL draft class, which was assembled by former coach and GM George Burnett. Two of his other picks that year were also selected in Chicago — defenceman Fedor Gordeev, who the Bulldogs traded to Flint at the start of last season; and forward Skyler Brind’Amour, who has been playing south of the border in the USHL.