He’s off to a Rockies start
Conor Timmins of Thorold first player selected in second round of NHL draft
Conor Timmins didn’t have too much time to celebrate being selected 32nd overall in the NHL Entry Draft.
After he was picked by the Colorado Avalanche as the first player chosen in the second round on Saturday, the 18-year-old from Thorold was told to be in Denver today to take part in a four-day development camp.
“It’s amazing, it’s a great feeling,” he said from the United Center in Chicago, where the NHL’s 55th draft was taking place.
Heading into the draft the 6-foot-2, 184-pound defenceman, who spent the past two seasons playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League, was ranked 18th among North American skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau. He came into the draft expecting to be chosen anywhere from 20 to 40.
“I wanted to be picked in the first round. I had high expectations,” he said. “It was kind of stressful sitting through the whole first round yesterday (Friday) and not being taken, but to be taken that early in the second is amazing.”
Timmins, who split his lone season in junior B between his hometown team, the Thorold Blackhawks and the St. Catharines Falcpons, didn’t have his eyes focused on any one franchise.
“It’s just a great experience,” he said about being drafted. “I really didn’t care where I went.
“This has been a long time coming, and to be picked by an organization like Colorado is pretty special.”
He had a chance to talk briefly with Avalanche officials on Saturday, but taking part in the development camp will give Timmins a “greater understanding of the organization and what they expect from me.”
“They like to give you a quick turnaround, just kind of get it over with and get you into the city as quickly as possible,” the son of Dan and Sandra Timmins of Thorold said.
Like all players going to an NHL camp, Timmins would love to make the jump to the big leagues, but he knows that’s not always realistic.
“Everyone goes into camp with the expectation that you’re going to make the NHL, but I think for me, and my development, I’ll spend another year in Sault Ste. Marie.”
Timmins, who turns 19 in September, was the second blue-liner chosen by Colorado in this year’s draft. Cale Makar, the top-ranked North American among defencemen eligible to be drafted was selected fourth overall after scoring 24 goals and collecting 51 assists for 75 points in 54 games with the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Timmins led all Sault Ste. Marie defenceman in scoring last season with seven goals and a team-high 54 assists for 61 points in 67 games during the regular season. He netted one goal and collected seven assists for eight points in 11 playoff games.
His plus-53 rating was tops on the Greyhounds and fifth best in the OHL.
Timmins’ favourite NHL defenceman is Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks and he likens his own style of play to Kevin Shattenkirk of the Washington Capitals.
Two members of the Niagara IceDogs were selected Saturday on the second day of the draft.
The Edmonton Oilers made picked forward Kirill Maksimov in the fifth round with the 146th overall selected, and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights picked centre Ben Jones in the seventh round, 189th overall.
Maksimov moved up to 66th in the NHL Central Scouting rankings after catching fire with the IceDogs following a mid-season trade with the Saginaw Spirit. He had six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 37 games in Saginaw before exploding for 15 goals and seven assists for 22 points in 29 games in the Niagara lineup.
Maksimov said in a video posted online at www.nhl.com that the Oilers are a team with a “bright future.”
“I’m really looking forward to being part of it,” said the 18-year-old from Moscow who came to North America two years ago to give “Canadian hockey” a try.
Being part of a rebuilding program with the IceDogs helped Maksimov put up more impressive numbers on offence.
“I got more opportunities, and I used them,” he said. “I am really thankful to my teammates, coaching staff and everyone in Niagara.”
In the video he ranked “getting stronger on the boards” as the top priority for improving his game.
Maksimov is the second member of the 2016-17 IceDogs to make a favourable impression on the Edmonton scouting staff. Earlier this year the Oilers signed Niagara captain Ryan Mantha, an overage defenceman, to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Jones ,170 th among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting rankings, scored 13 goals and assisted on 37 others for 50 points in 63 games for the IceDogs during the 2016-17 regular season.
The 18-year-old from Waterloo intends to use selection in the final round as a motivation to improve both his game and to prove nay-sayers wrong.
“Going into the seventh round, I have a chance to prove people wrong, but the only way that happens is by having a hunger to work hard and learn and push through,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“You can always get bigger and better.”
Jones finished third on the team in scoring in his second season with the IceDogs. He scored 13 goals and added 37 assists for 56 points in 63 games after netted five goals and collecting four assists in 61 games in his freshman year in the Ontario Hockey League.