McLeod will wait and hope

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Wes McLeod is comfortable in the knowledge that he did all he could do.
Now all he can do is wait, like so many other teen-aged hockey players.
The NHL’s 30 teams have gathered in Montreal where they will conduct the seven-round 2009 draft on Friday evening and through a lot of Saturday.
Some players know they will be selected in or near the first round. McLeod isn’t one of those, which is why he won’t be in the Bell Centre.
But he is hoping to get a phone call from an NHL team.
“I’m pretty excited . . . yes . . . but I’m not going to stress about it too much,” said McLeod, who was born in Burnaby but moved to Kamloops at the age of three. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
The 6-foot-1, 183-pound McLeod, who will turn 19 on Sept. 30, plays for the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. He had 30 points, including six goals, and 52 penalty minutes in 58 games last season.
In 2007-08, he had 14 points and 39 penalty minutes in 58 games with the Ed Dempsey-coached Spruce Kings.
Seen as a good skater with a terrific shot, McLeod also played for Team West in the CJHL Prospects’ Game in Summerside, P.E.I., in December.
During the season, he committed to attend the U of Alaska/Anchorage and play for the Seawolves, starting in the fall. However, he has deferred that decision for one year, meaning he will return to the Spruce Kings and then join the Seawolves for 2010-11.
In choosing the Anchorage campus, he chose not to attend Bemidji State, Northeastern, Quinnipiac or Western Michigan, all schools that pursued him.
McLeod said he quite liked his 2009-10 season.
“Yeah, I did. I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I thought I had a good season. It was a good steppingstone so I can take my game to the next level next season.”
When NHL Central Scouting issued its final rankings, McLeod’s name appeared at No. 200 among draft-eligible North American skaters. That doesn’t mean he will get drafted but it tells you that NHL teams at least know he’s alive.
“I’ve been talking to a couple of teams so . . . we shall see,” he said. “I’m not really entirely sure what’s going to happen, but hopefully everything goes according to plan and I do get drafted.”
He said he has heard from the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers, but it is the Calgary Flames who have shown the most interest. In fact, he has met with Al Tuer, a former WHL player and coach who scouts out of Vernon for the Flames.
“He said the Flames are interested in me joining their organization,” McLeod said.
According to NCAA regulations, McLeod isn’t allowed to employ an agent, but he can have an advisor, a role that is filled by former NHLer Ed Ward.
“He thinks I have a good shot,” McLeod said, “and Calgary seems most interested. I’m really excited.”
Unfortunately for McLeod, he hasn’t heard from the Colorado Avalanche, the team that was his favourite as he made his way through Kamloops’ minor hockey ranks. This weekend, then, there could be a change of allegiance.
“Yeah, exactly,” McLeod said with a chuckle. “We shall see.”

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com