Ryan Howse Called to the Big Show

The 2009 NHL Entry Draft heard 211 players called by 30 teams through seven rounds. On Saturday, the Calgary Flames used the 13th spot of the third round to call Prince George minor hockey product Ryan Howse as the 74th overall selection. Following the draft, I sent Ryan a quick text message not expecting to hear much back ... afterall he would be spending time with family and friends in the aftermath of a life changing moment.

A few minutes later my BlackBerry made that all too familiar sound to notify me of a text message, it was from Ryan. The message contained a thank you for me and a thank you for the entire Spruce Kings organization for getting him ready for the Western Hockey League. This was quite unexpected for me so I had to respond seeking permission to use his text message as a quote on the Spruce Kings website. Again he responded quickly and asked if I would also include a thank you to Ed Dempsey for playing him during the RBC Royal Bank Cup.

I just want to say congratulations to Ryan Howse, for all his hard work and determination to work through obstacles to become the latest Prince George minor hockey product and Spruce Kings alumni to go on to the National Hockey League. Of course there is still a process for Ryan to go through before he will play in his first official NHL game with a team that boosts of players that include Jarome Iginla, Dion Phaneuf, Todd Bertuzzi and now Jay Bouwmeester.

I think its safe to say that Calgary believes they got their man; in fact, on the Calgary Flames website the names of Bouwmeester and Howse are used in the same sentence. After acquiring the defenceman from Florida, the Flames also made a deal that saw them move up ten spots in the third round to secure Ryan Howse. The Flames are quite high on their second overall pick, who they describe as a "sniper" with "really good offensive skills."

It was a bit of a bitter sweet day in the draft as the hope of hearing Wes McLeod's name called never came to fruition. I also had a chance to text Wes, who admitted that he was okay with not being drafted. He was prepared for it either way and is just planning on making this next season the best one he can. The good news in all of this is that Wes has chosen to defer going to the University of Alaska-Anchorage to play for the Spruce Kings for one more season. Wes made the decision saying he wants to be better prepared to play hockey at the NCAA level.