And how did so much adult psychic weight land on Day’s broad shoulders? The three stars who were given exceptional-player status each went first overall in the NHL Draft, and Day wasn’t considered one of the seven best Canadian defencemen among the ’98 birthdays, making him an apparent long shot to even be a first-rounder next June. 2016 NHL Entry Draft: Ranked #58 by TSN/McKenzie Born in Belgium to Canadian parents, lived in Singapore for a few years, and played all his minor hockey in the United States. 2016 Draft; QMJHL Draft. Seguin may miss beginning of next season due to torn hip lab... Stars GM confirms Bowness will be permanent head coach, Stars' Khudobin will test free-agent market, Blue Jackets place Wennberg on waivers for purpose of buyout. NHL 2020 Draft Day Blog - UPDATE: OILERS DRAFT... October 6, 2020, 1:56 PM ET [60 Comments] Sean Maloughney Not a subscriber? We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. I accept that, but it’s hard to win.”. “It was a tough situation, a weak team that he was coming into,” his father, Keith Day, says. Day competed for the Compuware 97s team and was a star, despite playing up an age group, posting 11 goals, 24 assists for 35 points in 63 games. I have a whole season to help my [draft] stock. He didn't think the game at a high level, which prompted numerous turnovers or poor decisions in his own end. The others took flight with their early start in major junior. Thanks to his skating ability, he could sometimes fix those mistakes before they became goals-against, but that was because his opponents were teenagers; that would never fly at the pro level. But he went for Exceptional Status and the wish was granted. But at 17, that future is already in question. couts maintain a professional sangfroid, not pulling for draft-eligible players, just keeping their distance. There could be short-term bubbles, a shorter season and a lot less revenue, depending on the availability of a vaccine. “You could see the difference [emotionally] between him and the 19- and 20-year-olds on the team. Don't miss out - sign up for our newsletters! People forget I’m 17. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'thehockeywriters_com-box-3','ezslot_8',652,'0','0'])); On further review, you get a distinct impression that those who signed off on Day’s application might have had reservations. The genie was out of the bottle and Day never lived up to the lofty hype. While it is not normally news when a third-round pick is cut loose from an organization, Day has never been a typical case. “You know, he’s had it rough,” the scout mused. Please look straight ahead to find the dark clouds rolling in on the horizon. Rogers Media uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Tavares, McDavid, and Ekblad all went No. However, McDavid quickly announced that he would undoubtedly join the Erie Otters and showed an unwavering willingness to be a vital player in the future of the Erie Otters’ franchise. Says one former member of Hockey Canada who sat in on the evaluations of Ekblad, McDavid and Day: “Of the players we talked to, Sean was probably at the low end of the spectrum when it came to emotional maturity.” Day’s coach and GM in Mississauga, James Boyd, puts an even finer point on it. Day was granted "exceptional status" into the OHL as a 15-year-old. Not that he’s a bad kid, just that he’s not Crosby, not McDavid, not at that level of seriousness.”, The less-than-exceptional rap took firm hold when Day struggled in his rookie OHL season, going minus-35 with a Steelheads team that won just 24 games.