Ty Edmonds wasted no time in giving his prediction.
Team Cherry, he said confidently, will beat Team Orr in tonight's CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Calgary.
Any guesses as to which team Edmonds will play for?
Edmonds, a rookie goaltender for the Prince George Cougars, is one of two puckstoppers on the Team Cherry roster. The other is Alex Nedeljkovic of the Plymouth Whalers. Together, they'll try to limit the damage done by Team Orr shooters like Leon Draisaitl of the Prince Albert Raiders and Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen, both of whom are ranked among the top 10 North American skaters for the 2014 NHL draft.
Edmonds, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, was pinching himself on Tuesday, realizing he was preparing to participate in the Top Prospects Game. In it, he and 39 other major-junior stars will have the chance to shine for NHL scouts and general managers. Edmonds is understandably thrilled to have the opportunity, and he's especially tickled to be suiting up for Don Cherry's squad. The coaching and broadcasting icon has made quite the impression on Edmonds over the years.
"Growing up, I watched him on Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday -- my dad and I always watched him -- and he's always someone I've looked up to and listened to," Edmonds said Tuesday from Calgary. "To meet him in person and get to talk to him is going to be incredible. It's something I never even imagined would happen."
Edmonds is also looking forward to meeting Bobby Orr, the legendary Boston Bruins defenceman considered by many to be the best player of all time.
"I didn't get to see him as much, obviously, because of my age but he's someone else I looked up to," Edmonds said.
In NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings, released Monday, Edmonds was the eighth-ranked North American goaltender. Earlier this season, he was selected as a CHL goaltender of the week. In three games at the beginning of October -- two of them shutout victories -- he posted a goals-against average of 0.34 and had a save percentage of .988.
Edmonds and the other prospects spent Tuesday doing off-ice and on-ice testing and doing interviews with various media outlets. They'll have a similar day today and will then skate in the game itself, which will start at 7 p.m. Mountain time, 6 p.m. Pacific.
"I'm pretty nervous but looking forward to it," said Edmonds, who has a 13-14-1-3 record with a Cougars team that has been ravaged by injuries to key players this season. "I'm only going to be playing half a game but I've still got to prepare for it as I would a full game. I've got to take it as if we're playing a top team like Kelowna or Portland because I know there's going to be skilled players but I can't let them get into my head. I've just got to play the way I know I'm capable of playing."
Edmonds, a ninth-round bantam draft pick by the Cougars in 2011, will also have to keep his mind from wandering into the seats, where all those NHL scouts and GMs will be parked.
"[Having them there] is obviously a huge part because you want to impress and you want to look your best," Edmonds said. "You definitely want to show them that you belong and that this is something you want to do for the rest of your life. But I'll just try to take everything in stride."
The game will be televised by Sportsnet.
Past participants in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game include Joe Thornton, Vincent Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nathan MacKinnon, all of whom were first-overall picks in their draft years.
NHL Central Scouting has Sam Ruopp, a defenceman for the Cougars, 135th on its list of draft-eligible North American skaters.
