Game On Magazine 2017 May 2017 | Page 98

2017 NHL DRAFT PREVIEW Patrick No. 1 Heading Toward 2017 NHL Draft Nolan Patrick wasn’t right all year. Hurt before the season started, he needed hernia surgery and never did get to 100 per cent health. Last year, Patrick was fifth in scoring in the Western Hockey League with 102 points (41 goals). Then, with 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in the playoffs, he led all scorers, was named the post-season MVP and carried the Wheat Kings to the Western Hockey League title. This year, he played only 33 games, but did have 20 goals and 46 points. When he’s right, there is no other draft-age player better than this 18-year-old Winnipegger. He’s so good that despite the injuries, he’s still the No. 1 North American skater heading into the 2017 NHL Draft. NOLAN PATRICK By Johnston Hall Photos by Jeff Miller, Bruce and Rik Fedyck, Chris Pullen/Cranbrook Photo, the Moose Jaw Warriors and Keith Hershmiller B ack in January, Nolan Patrick had only one phrase to define his 2016-17 season: “It sucked.” The young man expected to be the first overall selection in the 2017 NHL draft was still nursing the after-effects of hernia surgery and he wasn’t certain when he would play again. “The thing about this injury is that there’s no timeline on it,” he said. “So you spend every day wondering how long you’ll be out. You’re get- ting questions: ‘When are you back?’ I don’t have the answer.” He eventually returned, played 33 games and had 20 goals and 46 points. Despite the off-season surgery and with no guarantee he’d play much in 2016 or 2017, he started the season ranked No. 1 on the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau’s list of North American skaters, remained No. 1 at mid-season and in early April, found himself ranked No. 1 again. When he plays, there is no better junior hockey player in Canada. And the NHL scouts know it. “He’s got a good understanding of the game, has been taught good fun- damentals from a young age,” said Matt Ryan of NHL Central Scouting, the day Patrick was named No. 1 on the final ranking list of the season. “There are a lot of guys who don’t seem to have that understanding of the effort it takes to play at a high level with and without the puck. Pat- rick does.” Patrick who is 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, is the son of former NHL player 98 GAME ON 2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION NOLAN PATRICK