Ty Edmonds and Sam Ruopp won't be in the crowd today at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia but they will be tuning in the live online broadcast of the NHL draft.
Chances are, both Prince George Cougars will see their names posted as the drafted players are announced.
Edmonds, who turns 18 on Aug. 20, was good enough to earn a spot in the CHL Top Prospects Game in January and his numbers as a rookie goaltender for the Cougars last season should be enough to convince at least one big league team to put their faith in him when choosing the next crop of future NHLers.
In 55 games with the Cougars the Winnipeg native posted a 19-19-2-4 record with a 3.15 goals against average. He faced 1,677 shots for a .887 save percentage. Edmonds is ranked 18th by NHL Central Scouting among North American goalies eligible for the draft.
"It's very cool for me to be in the conversation like that," said Edmonds. "This is a chance for me to be part of an NHL team and that's something I've wanted to do all my life."
Edmonds went through growing pains as a rookie goalie thrust into the top job early in the season when incumbent Brett Zarowny went down with a long-term injury. Edmonds says he's anxious to return to the Cougars and lead the team into the playoffs next season, a goal that has eluded the team the past three seasons.
"I went through a lot of highs and lows in my first season but it helped me develop and grow as a player and as a person," he said. "I've been in a lot of games and seen a lot of nets but it's all been worth it."
Ruopp, a defenceman, is ranked by Central Scouting as the 127th best North American skater available in the draft. In 65 games in his rookie season with the Cougars, Ruopp collected five goals and 11 assists for 16 points and 55 penalty minutes. Half of that penalty total was a result of Ruopp dropping his gloves. At six-foot-four, 179 pounds, the 18-year-old native of Zehner, Sask., is not afraid to come to the defence of his teammates. All five of his WHL scraps are on hockeyfights.com, which offers proof he's quite adept with his fists. His toughness and strength, combined with his puck-moving abilities and strong skating stride might get him drafted today.
Ruopp will be monitoring the draft today with his family, including his 21-year-old brother Harrison, a former Prince Albert Raiders defenceman who was drafted three seasons ago in the third round by the Phoenix Coyotes and played last season in the AHL for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
"I'm pretty sure it's on TSN and I'll be up watching it," said Ruopp, taking a break from his high school graduation ceremony in Balgonie, Sask. "It's crazy to think about it. It's out of my control right now and whatever happens, happens. It doesn't change my motivation for next season."
Now with a season in the WHL under his belt, Ruopp feels more comfortable picking up where he left off with the Cougars.
"Last season unfortunately we didn't make our goal of making the playoffs but it was an unbelievable experience for myself and I thought I developed amazingly throughout the year," said Ruopp.
"I'm a shutdown defenceman, just meat and potatoes, and I block shots and love the penalty kill. I'm not afraid at all about fighting, having two older brothers (Harrison and 23-year-old Brayden), I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them and my family."
Defenceman Josh Anderson, the Cougars first-round pick (third overall) in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, has been invited to the Team Pacific camp in Calgary, July 29-Aug. 4. The team will play in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Oct. 31-Nov. 8 at a yet-to-be-determined site. The six-foot-three, 216-pound native of Duncan, who turns 16 on July 29, played last season in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League for the South Island Silvertips. In 34 games Anderson picked up a goal and 13 assists, as well as 72 penalty minutes. He also played two games for the Cougars.
The Washington Capitals announced Friday they've hired former Cougars head coach Lane Lambert as an assistant coach, following head coach Barry Trotz to Washington. Lambert, who coached the Cougars for two seasons from 2002-05, served as an assistant to Trotz for the past three seasons with the Nashville Predators. It's expected Lambert will coach the forwards. Blaine Forsythe and Mitch Korn are the other Capitals assistant coaches. Trotz was fired in April after 15 seasons behind the bench in Nashville.
