Glenn Gawdin’s upcoming high school grad celebration is taking a backseat to an even bigger day in his life.
Sure the Richmond teen is looking forward to the special night at a downtown hotel on June 25 with friends and classmates he grew up with at McRoberts secondary, but the moment he has dreamed about will become a reality two days later.
Gawdin is poised to become the first player from Richmond to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft since the Dallas Stars chose Raymond Sawada 11 years ago.
The 18-year-old finished 59th among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s final rankings, meaning he should hear his name called sometime on June 27 from the proceedings in Florida.
“Don’t get me wrong. High school graduation is a big deal but just not the biggest of all for me,” laughed Gawdin. “There are just some other things I’ve been looking forward to more. It’s hard not to think or be excited about it.”
Gawdin recently concluded his second season in the Western Hockey League with the Swift Current Broncos — posting 54 points in 72 games, with 15 goals. He centred a line that included 20-year-old Coda Gordon and says he developed good chemistry with the Calgary Flames’ draft pick.
His play earned him a spot on Canada’s roster for the recent U18 World Championships in Switzerland. He concluded the tournament in style, scoring twice in a 5-2 bronze medal game win over the host country.
“It was pretty exciting and bit of a whirlwind too,” said Gawdin. “We were knocked out of the playoffs but was told there was a possibility I was going to be selected and should stay in shape when I got home. I was basically back for two days then leaving again for Switzerland.
“We had to come together quickly as a team but I was familiar with a lot of the guys from the Prospects (game) and other Hockey Canada competitions and camps over the last couple of years. “We played Switzerland in round-robin as well and the atmosphere for both games in front of a packed house was unreal.”
Anticipating what could be on the horizon, Gawdin took courses over the summer so he wouldn’t be overwhelmed with school work, leading up to the draft.
He is taking just one class at McRoberts to finished up his diploma. That allows him time to resume training in preparation for the NHL Scouting Combine, slated for June 1-6 in Buffalo.
It will feature 120 of the top North American and international skaters, along with goaltenders. They will be put through complete physical and medical assessments with all 30 teams in attendance.
There will also be time for one-on-one player interviews.
Gawdin has already talked to plenty of NHL scouts over the course of the season but isn’t putting too much stock into the conversations.
“It’s something I really can’t control and don’t want to spend a lot of time speculating about it,” he said.
Gawdin grew up through Richmond Minor’s hockey programs and was aged up to play Bantam rep a year ahead of schedule. For his third season of eligibility, he shifted over to Seafair’s top Bantam team where some impressive numbers led to being selected fifth overall by the Broncos’ in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
He enjoyed another high-scoring campaign during his one season at Major Midget with the Greater Vancouver Canadians but has become a more complete player since making the jump to the WHL. He credits Broncos’ general manager and head coach Mark Lamb for the necessary development to become an NHL prospect.
“What he has done for me the last two years is huge,” said Gawdin. “He has had success as a player in the WHL and NHL and knows what aspects of the game are required to play at those levels. He has really helped me out a lot.”
