scamperdog
08-29-2006, 07:45 PM
Time for Drazenovic to lead
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
Nick Drazenovic has been around long enough to know how this junior hockey business works. When first-round draft picks turn 19, the mantel of ‘their team’ is placed squarely on their shoulders, a knighting ceremony without the sword.
This is Drazenovic’s year. This, by the passage of junior hockey, is his team. It doesn’t hurt that he’s the hometown boy, born and raised in Prince George — and a rarity for this franchise a local player worthy of front line duty.
“It’s awesome to have my family around me, and everyone is so supportive,” said Drazenovic, who enters his fourth full year as a Prince George Cougar with 223 regular season games under his belt.
“Since Day 1, the crowd and everyone around town has been great. They’ve never cut me down, even when I’ve played bad. They’ve always been behind me, and that just shows the loyalty of our fans, that when the chips are down they’ll still stick with you.”
Despite any knocks he might get for being knocked off the puck too easily, Drazenovic has proven remarkably durable, playing in 72 games in his draft year and 71 last season. In his three full seasons, he’s missed a total of eight games, and scored 59 goals. Throw in the play-making that led to 105 assists, and he has 164 points as a Cougar — good numbers for a guy taken 11th overall in 2002.
His point production has steadily increased, from an eye-opening eight points in 15 games as an underaged player, to seven goals and 37 points as a rookie, to 18 goals and 56 points as a 17-year-old, and then to an even 30 goals and 63 points last season.
General manager Dallas Thompson is counting on Drazenovic taking those numbers a step higher.
“Right off the bat, we’re looking for leadership from Nick, but we really want more of the same from him,” said Thompson.
“He had a pretty good year as an 18-year-old, and we’re looking for him to build on that. It’s funny, last year we had a little thing going where at the end of the year he kinda figured out what I had projected for him for goals, and he got it. He’s asking me this year what the number is, and I haven’t given it to him yet. It’ll be more than the 30 he had last year.
“If Eric Hunter doesn’t come back, a lot more falls to him. Guys like Brett Robertson and Jared Walker are going to provide that insurance for us, and if we get Hunts back we’ll be solid up there. If we don’t, then we need some of those other guys to add more, which they can, and it’ll have to be a little more by committee.”
What would most certainly take the pressure off Drazenovic this season is the return of Hunter, who leaves Sept. 6 for the camp of the New York Rangers. This edition of the Cougars would then clearly become Hunter’s team. Hunter is eager to sign his first pro contract, while all of Prince George hopes the Rangers and Hunter’s agent can’t agree to terms.
“It’s not just only me hoping he comes back, it’s the entire team,” said Drazenovic.
“It’s about winning, because Hunts will help so much that we will win more games with him in the lineup. If he doesn’t come back, it makes our team weaker and makes it harder on guys like myself. If he comes back, we will be a strong team and we will be contenders.”
If anything bothers Drazenovic, it’s the fact he’s suited up for just nine WHL playoff games — four of those when he was a 15-year-old in WHL terms. And the St. Louis Blues draft pick has yet to pick up a playoff point of any kind.
Drazenovic comes into this season with a new perspective, thanks to a summer visit to St. Louis for a Blues prospects camp. He got the big-league experience, sitting with his peers in a suite at Busch Stadium for a major league game between the Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, all the while recognizing the precious opportunity he’s been given.
“It was amazing — you hear things about NHL camps, but I was mind-boggled by it,” said Drazenovic, who doesn’t expect to get into serious contract talks until the season is over.
“Everything was so first class, done proper — little things like fridges in every room full of Gatorade, things that are like a carrot in front of you that gives you incentive. They wanted us all to get rid of the nervousness before the real camp in September. I need to have a good year.”
www.princegeorgecitizen.com
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
Nick Drazenovic has been around long enough to know how this junior hockey business works. When first-round draft picks turn 19, the mantel of ‘their team’ is placed squarely on their shoulders, a knighting ceremony without the sword.
This is Drazenovic’s year. This, by the passage of junior hockey, is his team. It doesn’t hurt that he’s the hometown boy, born and raised in Prince George — and a rarity for this franchise a local player worthy of front line duty.
“It’s awesome to have my family around me, and everyone is so supportive,” said Drazenovic, who enters his fourth full year as a Prince George Cougar with 223 regular season games under his belt.
“Since Day 1, the crowd and everyone around town has been great. They’ve never cut me down, even when I’ve played bad. They’ve always been behind me, and that just shows the loyalty of our fans, that when the chips are down they’ll still stick with you.”
Despite any knocks he might get for being knocked off the puck too easily, Drazenovic has proven remarkably durable, playing in 72 games in his draft year and 71 last season. In his three full seasons, he’s missed a total of eight games, and scored 59 goals. Throw in the play-making that led to 105 assists, and he has 164 points as a Cougar — good numbers for a guy taken 11th overall in 2002.
His point production has steadily increased, from an eye-opening eight points in 15 games as an underaged player, to seven goals and 37 points as a rookie, to 18 goals and 56 points as a 17-year-old, and then to an even 30 goals and 63 points last season.
General manager Dallas Thompson is counting on Drazenovic taking those numbers a step higher.
“Right off the bat, we’re looking for leadership from Nick, but we really want more of the same from him,” said Thompson.
“He had a pretty good year as an 18-year-old, and we’re looking for him to build on that. It’s funny, last year we had a little thing going where at the end of the year he kinda figured out what I had projected for him for goals, and he got it. He’s asking me this year what the number is, and I haven’t given it to him yet. It’ll be more than the 30 he had last year.
“If Eric Hunter doesn’t come back, a lot more falls to him. Guys like Brett Robertson and Jared Walker are going to provide that insurance for us, and if we get Hunts back we’ll be solid up there. If we don’t, then we need some of those other guys to add more, which they can, and it’ll have to be a little more by committee.”
What would most certainly take the pressure off Drazenovic this season is the return of Hunter, who leaves Sept. 6 for the camp of the New York Rangers. This edition of the Cougars would then clearly become Hunter’s team. Hunter is eager to sign his first pro contract, while all of Prince George hopes the Rangers and Hunter’s agent can’t agree to terms.
“It’s not just only me hoping he comes back, it’s the entire team,” said Drazenovic.
“It’s about winning, because Hunts will help so much that we will win more games with him in the lineup. If he doesn’t come back, it makes our team weaker and makes it harder on guys like myself. If he comes back, we will be a strong team and we will be contenders.”
If anything bothers Drazenovic, it’s the fact he’s suited up for just nine WHL playoff games — four of those when he was a 15-year-old in WHL terms. And the St. Louis Blues draft pick has yet to pick up a playoff point of any kind.
Drazenovic comes into this season with a new perspective, thanks to a summer visit to St. Louis for a Blues prospects camp. He got the big-league experience, sitting with his peers in a suite at Busch Stadium for a major league game between the Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, all the while recognizing the precious opportunity he’s been given.
“It was amazing — you hear things about NHL camps, but I was mind-boggled by it,” said Drazenovic, who doesn’t expect to get into serious contract talks until the season is over.
“Everything was so first class, done proper — little things like fridges in every room full of Gatorade, things that are like a carrot in front of you that gives you incentive. They wanted us all to get rid of the nervousness before the real camp in September. I need to have a good year.”
www.princegeorgecitizen.com