WINNIPEG – The first round of the NHL Draft is on Friday in Dallas and sitting in the stands, hoping to hear his name called will be Winnipeg’s Jett Woo.
Woo, 17, is the top ranked Manitoban in the draft and as the 28th ranked skater in North America, it’s not a matter of if, but when Woo will be selected.
“I’ve noticed myself kinda losing some sleep and getting nervous a little bit,” Woo said.
“I’ve talked to buddies and they say that it’s a dream come true as soon as you hear your name so I’m excited to see what I feel.”
Named after actor Jet Li and not the hockey team, Jett saw his draft ranking drop this season after injuries limited him to 44 games with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He finished the campaign with nine goals and 16 assists but Woo feels he had a good showing at the recent draft combine despite one small hiccup after the dreaded Wingate test.
“Actually I kinda threw up afterwards in the black room,” Woo said.
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“But like I said, seeing videos of my friends doing it and to see so many people go through it before I did, it’s something I was kinda nervous for, but excited at the same time.”
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Jett’s dad Larry played in the WHL and with the Manitoba Bisons in the 90’s and now as a coach the whole process has been a difficult experience.
“As parents we just want the best for our son,” Larry Woo said. “And so sometimes that’s real hard because you obviously have lots of people talking about your kid whether it’s on social media or whatever.”
The younger Woo said he doesn’t really have a favourite team so he’s not overly concerned where he goes. But some clubs showed more interest than others.
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“I don’t really want to choose a team before I really am picked,” Woo said. “Obviously some of the body language or hints or maybe they were just trying to throw me off my game, but I can’t really say anything right now going into the draft. Everything is up in the air and you just kinda see what happens.”
He’s hoping that includes a call to the stage sometime in the first round on Friday.
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