Noah Hanifin fighting nerves as he awaits to learn NHL Draft fate
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. —Noah Hanifin has seen all the Tweets. The notifications pop up on his phone displaying the hopes of fans hoping he lands with their favorite team. He hasn’t, however, kept track of the rumors about the No. 3 pick and the desires of some general managers to trade into that spot to take the 18-year Boston College defenseman.
“You can’t really pay attention to it because there are so many examples of crazy things happening in the past,” he said.
The NHL Draft begins at the No. 3 pick, held by the Arizona Coyotes. Hanifin could land there or he could fall a few spots. The uncertainty of his fate started to hit him when he arrived in South Florida.
“There’s definitely a lot of nerves. It’s starting to hit me now, a day away,” Hanifin said on Thursday. “You’ve been dreaming about something your whole life and now that it’s here it’s pretty surreal. There’s so many teams and so many things that could happen in the draft that it’s kind of making it really exciting for me. Guys like Connor [McDavid] and Jack [Eichel], they know where they’re going, but for me personally and some other guys, we really don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Hanifin, the second-youngest player to ever play for BC, started playing hockey as a forward, but his coach at the time, Neil Shea, felt he’d find better success as a defenseman; a move that has paid off.
“He really taught me the game. He helped me fall in love with it,” Hanifin said of Shea, who’s now a scout for the Colorado Avalanche. “I started playing with him when I was 7 years old and he switched me back to D. He saw me as a bigger guy that could skate pretty well. He thought I could develop as a good defenseman some day. I’m really happy he did that. It worked out for the best.”
Hanifin is repped by the Orr Hockey Group, who also have 2014 No. 1 pick and reigning Calder Trophy winner Aaron Ekblad as a client. He hasn’t reached out to the Florida Panthers defenseman yet, but plans to this summer. He has, however, spoken to fellow BC alum Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers about making the transition from NCAA to the NHL. There are also lunch plans this weekend with Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik, another former Eagle.
“Being where I’m from, there are a lot of guys that had to make a decision to go play pro or go back to school,” he said. “I’m just going to try and use as many resources as I can.”
Despite being on the fence about whether to go pro or stay at BC another year, Hanifin believes he won’t be overwhelmed if he does indeed decide to make the jump.
“I’m very confident in my capabilities. What I got at BC this was great. I developed a ton and you never know, maybe going back to BC wouldn’t hurt me,” he said. “Maybe I could get a lot better to prepare myself even more for the NHL. That’s something I have to consider. Obviously I have see what team drafts me, talk to the team, see what their opinion is, but right now I’m just trying to enjoy this. You only go through this once in your life.”
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