Nolan Patrick, the consensus top prospect on the NHL's Central Scouting final rankings, isn't going to let an injury-riddled draft year ruin his focus on transitioning to the pros.
Patrick only played in 33 games for the Brandon Wheat Kings this season - scoring 46 points - as sports hernia surgery and a leg injury limited the spotlight of his presumed final junior campaign.
Some scouts believe the emergence of Swiss pivot Nico Hischier could knock Patrick off his perch at the top of draft boards, but the Winnipeg native isn't letting doubts over his fitness get to him.
"If someone doesn't want to take me because of my injuries this year, so be it," Patrick told Dave Isaac of The Courier Post. "I'll be happy to go anywhere."
The New Jersey Devils surprisingly won the lottery, with the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars rounding out the top three.
Patrick admitted he struggled to discover his game after surgery, which kept him out of the world juniors on top of the majority of the Wheat Kings season.
"Not nearly as effective as I wanted to be," Patrick said. "For me coming back I didn't skate for two months just healing. It's tough to get your legs back. Quite a few of the games I wasn't in good enough shape to be as effective as I wanted to be out there. I think in the second half I put together a few good games there. It wasn't the ideal year, but it is what it is."
Patrick, however, did state earlier in the month that he feels 100 percent healthy. The draft is scheduled for June 23-24 at the United Center in Chicago.
