About this time last year, the NHL draft passed by Sam Ruopp.
In his first year of eligibility, the big Prince George Cougars defenceman watched on his computer while 210 players were chosen by NHL teams and he was left in the lurch.
But he wasn't alone in his disappointment. None of his Cougar teammates made the draft list in 2014. That Cougar draft-day shutout will surely be broken this weekend.
Centre Jansen Harkins is listed by NHL Central Scouting as the 15th-best North American skater available and is being touted as a first-rounder after he led the Cougars in scoring with 20 goals and a team-record 59 assists for 79 points. (See other story).
Forward Brad Morrison was ranked 124th on Central Scouting's final list and Cougars defenceman Tate Olson holds down the 146th spot on that same list. Also in the mix is left winger Jared Bethune, who joined the Cougars in October from the USHL. Bethune is not officially ranked with the top 210 North American skaters but is still listed (without a numbered rank) after climbing as high as 101st in the midterm rankings.
Although he wasn't on any of Central Scouting's lists last season, Ruopp, the Cougars' captain, distinguished himself as one of the most punishing defencemen in the WHL while scoring three goals and assisting on 23 others in 64 games last season. He logged a ton of icetime on special teams and was matched against the other teams' top lines, yet still finished with a plus-3 rating.
He said he'll be watching the draft proceedings on his computer screen again this weekend.
"Same thing as last year - you never know what's going to happen, you just have to stay positive," said Ruopp. "I had a bit more exposure this year and I talked to several teams and that's pretty neat, just getting to talk to teams and kind of going through the motions. I know our team's success should have helped out a bit more. I miss it so much, I'm so excited for next season. We ended off strong, with such a positive vibe."
Ruopp is using sweat equity to add bulk to his six-foot-four, 183-pound body working on his family's 2,200-acre grain farm in Zehner, Sask., with his 22-year-old brother Harrison, a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect who played in the ECHL last season.
"I'm working really hard in the gym with my brother and some other WHL players - my dad is putting us to work doing all the stuff he doesn't want to do, like sweeping out the grain bins," said Ruopp. "We're on the ice at least twice a week."
Morrison focused on learning to play better defence in his sophomore season and was rewarded for his solid two-way play with more icetime and a much-improved -3 plus/minus rating. Blessed with great footspeed and tricky stick skills, the Prince George minor hockey product totaled 23 goals and 50 points in 67 games, fourth-best among the Cats.
Morrison is spending the summer in Kelowna, where his mother Pauline lives. He'll watch the first-round on TV tonight to see if Harkins gets picked but says he won't be monitoring the later rounds Saturday on the Internet. If he does gets drafted, his agent will let him know.
"I'm nervous, obviously, there's a lot of emotion that goes along with the draft," said Morrison. "It's on at seven in the morning (Saturday) but I might just sleep in or come to the gym early in the morning and hopefully I'll get a phone call with some good news.
"I've heard bad stories about guys watching the draft and not getting picked and I don't want to be a part of that - too nervewracking. Hopefully we'll get a few Cougar names called throughout the draft, I think it would be good for our team to have as many guys involved in the NHL as possible."
Morrison's father Doug, who lives in Prince George, was a second-round pick of the Boston Bruins (36th overall) in 1979 and went on to a 10-year pro career, scoring seven goals in 23 games over three seasons with Boston.
"He told me he watched it on TV because he was expecting to get drafted in the higher rounds but there's no way I'll be watching," said Morrison. "I'll be rooting for Jansen, hopefully he gets picked in the first. It would be good for the team and good for his confidence."
Olson is a strong skater with a big shot who has learned from Ruopp how to use his six-foot-two, 180-pound bulk to his advantage to crush bodies into the boards. He picked up five goals and 24 regular-season points and emerged as a scoring star in the playoffs with three goals in five games in the Cougars' five-game series loss to Victoria.
Olson, 18, who graduated Thursday from Holy Cross high school in Saskatoon, said he has plans to go away with his family to a nearby lake for the weekend to try to get his mind off the draft.
"I'm just hoping for the best this weekend, lots of nerves going on," said Olson. "I'll probably look from the computer at the lake to see what's going on. Hopefully everyone can get a chance up there, I think everyone (potential Cougar picks) is pretty nervous right now."
Olson is playing summer hockey twice a week in the Saskatoon adult rec hockey league and is also taking power skating lessons.
The American-born Bethune, a six-foot, 185-pound native of Warroad, Minn., took a few months to adjust to the speed of the WHL. He still has to improve his skating skills but he's strong with the puck on his stick and showed glimpses of greatness in his rookie season, finishing with six goals and 20 points in 61 games.
