STRAIGHT TO THE DRAFT

The NHL Draft is coming up on Friday in Minnesota. Obviously one of the big questions from an Express point of view is where and what team will select Destry Straight?

We will find out, more than likely it will be on Saturday when rounds 2-7 are conducted with Straight ranked 100th among North American skaters.

In Sunday's edition of the Vancouver Province the BCHL's Coastal Conference rookie of the year was featured as part of their 2011 Head of the Class feature by Howard Tsumara.

Read the article below.

Destry Straight isn't wasting time looking over his shoulder.

In fact, he's got the perfect name for a hockey player who gets to where he needs to go in the most efficient way possible.

Yet when the senior at West Vancouver's Sentinel Secondary was lacing up his skates in the fall for his first season of junior hockey, he figured there might be a few crooked miles to skate first, before he fulfilled his dream of playing NCAA Div. 1 hockey in the U.S.

Well, the straight-up truth is that Straight changed things in a hurry.

"I didn't think coming in that I would be leaving after one season," admits the 6-foot-1, 170-pound centre, who exploded on the scene with the B.C. Hockey League's Coquitlam Express and was named the league's Coastal Conference Rookie of the Year. "I thought it was going to be a two-to-three year thing. But over the course of the season, my expectations went up and I think I actually could have done more than I did."

Despite his inexperience, Straight's combination of high-tempo fluidity and creative vision immediately opened all the right eyes.

In late October, just a handful of weeks into the season, NHL Central Scouting had graded him with an 'A' rating which is assigned to "a must-see player who is predicted to be a potential first or second round draft selection in the upcoming NHL draft."

Straight, who would go on to lead all BCHL rookies in points this season (21-46-67, 59 games) and be named the league's Coastal Conference Rookie of the Year, was the only BCHL player assigned that designation.

"Did I expect to lose him after a year?" asks Coquitlam head coach Jon Calvano, who also coached Straight at the major midget level. "No. Destry exceeded expectations as far as his readiness to make the step to the NCAA and a school like Boston College. But he didn't exceed my expectations as far as what he could do in terms of his offensive output."

In its most recent rankings, Central Scouting had Straight 100th among North American skaters in advance of the NHL's June 24-25 entry draft in Minnesota.

Yet despite what happens in the draft, Straight is thrilled to be headed for Boston College, a school which has played in 22 Frozen Four national semifinals, and has won four national championships.

"I wanted to go where the best hockey was and Boston College was the reigning champions," said Straight, who made his committment to the school in late November. "I think it's the perfect fit for me."