Patrick picked second overall by Philadelphia

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/06/2017 (3242 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CHICAGO — In the end, a dynamic skater from Switzerland derailed Nolan Patrick’s opportunity to make Brandon Wheat Kings history.

The 18-year-old forward from Winnipeg was selected second on Friday at the National Hockey League draft at the United Center when the New Jersey Devils opted to choose Quebec Major Junior Hockey League star Nico Hischier of the Halifax Mooseheads. Patrick went a pick later to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he will join former Brandon teammate Ivan Provorov.

Former Brandon star Brayden Schenn was traded from Philadelphia to St. Louis later in the draft.

Patrick, who battled injuries last season and played only 33 games with the Wheat Kings, tied defenceman Wade Redden for the highest-ever Wheat King picked in the 55-year history of the NHL draft. Redden went second overall to the New York Islanders in 1995.

“I didn’t know where I was going to go but I kind of had a feeling that I was going to end up in Philly and that was a place that I would be real excited if I had a chance to go there,” he said. “It’s tough to put into words right now but it’s a special day for me and my family.”

Patrick had been a virtually unanimous choice for two years to take the top spot in the 2017 draft, but the combination of an injury-filled season and Hischier’s rapid ascent knocked him off the throne.

Patrick said he wasn’t very worried about it.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Patrick said. “If you don’t want to draft me, then don’t draft me. I’m really happy I went here.”

Philadelphia’s team doctors examined Patrick, whose 2016-17 season never really got off the ground.

After off-season sports hernia surgery, Patrick was held out of the lineup at the start of the season. He played just five games before an injury — later determined to be another undiagnosed sports hernia — sidelined him again. Patrick returned on Jan. 13, and played most nights until he suffered a knee injury on March 17 that cost him the playoffs.

“You never want to be hurt, especially in your draft year,” Patrick said. “Obviously that was a tough year for me but I think it will make me stronger as a player. Adversity at this age doesn’t hurt. I’ll just move on from there and get ready for next season.”

He mustered 20 goals and 26 assists last season, following his 17-year-old year when he was named the Western Hockey League’s playoff MVP after a 102-point regular season.

Patrick, who was selected fourth overall in the 2013 WHL draft, came to Brandon with a can’t-miss tag as a 16-year-old for the 2014-15 season. He responded with 30 goals and 26 assists in 55 games and was named the league’s rookie of the year.

He said the Wheat Kings did a tremendous job in making him a better player.

“I could go on and on about Brandon,” Patrick said. “Kelly McCrimmon was huge for me in helping me to develop as a player. When I was 16 he made me work for my ice time and then he pushed me to succeed after that. He’s a great hockey man. He obviously got that job in Vegas for a reason … Kelly was huge for me in Brandon.

“And all my teammates, I played with some unreal guys with Morgan Klimchuk, Jayce Hawryluk, Tanner Kaspick, Kale Clague … Jordan Papirny, all awesome guys who supported me through everything. I think the teammates are something that helped me to get to here.”

Patrick, whose parents, two sisters and uncle James were all along for the experience, roomed with Hischier at the NHL combine. The two also took in a number of events together in Chicago this week, adding with a smile that they never spoke about the draft even once.

“He’s an awesome guy and I loved hanging out with him,” Patrick said. “We made a good friendship over the last little bit here. It’s wasn’t a rivalry for us at all. I’m really happy for him. You could tell how happy his family was for him so it’s cool to see the first Swiss player ever to go one. That’s awesome for him. Now both of us can start working on making the NHL.”

He said New Jersey simply made a decision between two guys who have varying skillsets.

“I think me and Nico are completely different players,” Patrick said. “I think he may be a little more offensively dynamic than me and I think I may be a little more defensive than him. We’re just completely different players. They wanted him and it’s not like I’m sitting here mad wishing I went to Jersey. They didn’t want me so it doesn’t matter too much to me.”

When asked if he was a potential franchise player, Patrick said that wasn’t even on his mind. With his stated goal of making the Flyers in the fall, he instead plans on getting faster and stronger this summer.

The rest will take care of itself.

“I’m not going to look that far,” Patrick said. “I still need to make the NHL and establish myself. I’m just going to try to play my game and contribute as much as I can. Obviously, I think the Flyers have a really good team. If you look at their D-corps coming up, they have some unreal prospects so I think in a couple of years and even this year coming up they have all the tools to do well.”

He said he likes Philadelphia, adding the fact that Provorov is there should make his transition easier.

“I’m really excited,” Patrick said. “I’ve been there a few times and it’s obviously a great sports place. I like the way the team plays and hopefully I can fit into that.”

For Philadelphia general manager Ron Hextall, a Brandonite who also played for the Wheat Kings, Patrick falling to second was a fortuitous development.

He happily scooped him up.

“He’s a big strong guy,” Hextall said of Patrick. “He’s got a heavy stick and plays the game the right way. We want to see a higher pace, we want to see a bigger body, you want to him working harder to get to the net, all the little things that you have to do to be an NHL player. He’s going to have to make an adjustment.”

The draft continues today for six more rounds beginning at 9 a.m. Patrick’s teammates Stelio Mattheos and Ty Lewis, as well as Morgan Geekie of Strathclair (Tri-City Americans) and Nick Henry of Portage la Prairie (Regina Pats) are among the players who could be chosen.

ICINGS: This year’s NHL draft was the first time the event has ever been staged in Chicago. The draft started in 1963 … With the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights, who took Winnipegger Cody Glass sixth overall, 31 teams were involved in the draft for the first time … Patrick’s early selection was the fourth time in the last five years that Brandon has had a player taken in the top round … Former Wheat King Ryan Reaves and the 51st pick were dealt from St. Louis to Pittsburgh for Oskar Sundqvist and the 31st pick … Chicago fans apparently don’t like many of the visiting squads that come to the United Centre. Virtually every team received a hearty boo from a large crowd, many of whom wore Blackhawks jerseys … Interestingly, Patrick’s father Steve was selected 20th overall in 1980 by the Buffalo Sabres. He also skated for the Wheat Kings …If Patrick had been born four days earlier in 1998, he would beaten the NHL’s Sept. 15 birthday deadline and been taken last year.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson