For Moose Jaw Warriors standout Ryder Korczak, the situation is definitely the latter.
Korczak could potentially hear his name called as early as Friday night when the NHL makes its first 32 picks and if not then, odds are very good he’ll be among the first names called during the second- through seventh-round selections on Saturday.
Regardless of how it all shakes out, the Yorkton product is looking forward to finding out where his NHL destination will be.
“It’s really exciting and the nerves are kicking up a little bit but other than that it’s going to be a fun time,” Korczak said on Thursday afternoon. “I feel like I’m good enough for the first round, but obviously people see other things. Wherever I go I go, it could be first round, it could be second round, it could be third round, you just never know. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow or Saturday and just hope for the best.”
Korczak entered the 2020-21 season as an ‘A’ ranked prospect by the Central Scouting Bureau, meaning he was expected to be a bonafide first-round selection.
A jaw injury in the Regina hub robbed him of games and hampered his production, though, and when the final CSB rankings were released, Korczak had slipped to 34th among North American skaters.
That translates into a mid-second round pick most years -- including in 2019, when older brother Kaeden was ranked 32nd and eventually went 41st overall to the Golden Knights.
And yes, Ryder has his eye on that number.
“Definitely one of my goals is beating 41, but who knows,” he said with a laugh.
Korczak has been in contact with several NHL teams leading up to the draft, including a conversation with the Anaheim Ducks just prior to chatting with MooseJawToday. That’s an indication the interest is there, adding fuel to the hope of an early selection.
An interesting aspect of those conversations has been other players. Korczak is among four Warriors in forward Eric Alarie and defencemen Cole Jordan and Max Wanner who were also ranked by the CSB, leading NHL teams to throw a few queries Korczak’s way about his talented teammates.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of things about our guys, everyone has been asking questions about them and I’m hoping for nothing for the best for them,” Korczak said. “They’re all good hockey players and better people and it’s going to be cool if all of us get drafted.”
Alarie is ranked 51st among North Americans and based on past drafts could go as high as the third round, while Jordan came in at 88th and could land in the fifth round. Wanner is a long shot after being listed at 223rd in the final rankings.
A future Warrior could also hear his name called, as Czech prospect Martin Rysavy was listed at 89th among European skaters and has been projected to go as high as the middle rounds by some observers.
Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product and Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman Ethan Peters is also among those who could hear his name called after being ranked 198th.
NHL Draft coverage begins at 6 p.m. on Sportsnet on Friday, with coverage of the second round and beyond beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday.
You can also follow all the picks as they happen on NHL.com.
