Sure, sitting and watching the entire second day of the process and seeing name after name come up -- the vast majority ranked far below the Winnipeg product on top of it all -- was a disappointing experience. Especially when pick 224 came up and it was all over.
But no sooner did that final selection take place than Alarie’s phone rang with his agent on the line. The offers were flowing in from NHL teams looking to offer the high-scoring left winger a spot in their development camps, even though they’d passed him over moments earlier.
“Just watching the last few picks, you always hope your name will appear on the TV, but it didn’t happen and I was disappointed and sad and all that,” Alarie said Thursday from his home in Winnipeg. “Then just seeing from my agent that not one but a few teams actually wanted me to come was exciting. It shows that some teams believe in me and that they see a future for me in hockey.”
In the end, Alarie and his agent decided that the Florida Panthers would be the best fit. As a result, he’ll join the team for their development camp and the Tampa Bay Lightning Prospects Tournament late next month.
It was a whirlwind of emotions at the time, but one that has left the 18-year-old hungry for the opportunity.
“(The Draft) didn’t go as planned and it is what it is, but I don’t shy from challenges,” Alarie said. “I’ll go to Florida and show them what I can do, show that I’m a good player and they can keep me in mind for the next draft and anything else that might happen.”
An impressive showing at the camp will go a long way in that direction -- the event is filled with drafted players, including three recent first-round picks. Lighting things up will only lead to big things, and it’s something Alarie is going to do his best to accomplish.
“There are going to be a lot of really good players, and it’s not every day you play against guys of that calibre,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it and I’m excited to have that challenge.”
Before all that, though, there’s the upcoming Warriors training camp, which opens on Sept. 7. And barring an extraordinary turn of events, Alarie will be back in a Moose Jaw Warriors uniform right around the time the puck drops on the regular season on Oct. 1 against the Saskatoon Blades.
Given what happened with other Warriors in the Draft -- four members of the local crew were selected, including Ryder Korczak (New York Rangers), Cole Jordan (Calgary Flames), Martin Rysavy (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Max Wanner (Edmonton Oilers) -- and captain Daemon Hunt (Minnesota Wild), the team will have no less than six players considered to be NHL prospects in their line-up this season.
That has Alarie looking forward to seeing just what they can accomplish
It’s exciting,” he said. “I know the last two years I’ve been there we haven’t done the best standings-wise, but it was part of the plan to be young and gain experience. I think this year it’s going to pay off, a lot of young guys have matured and I think we’re going to be a really good team and I expect us to have some good things happen… We’re ready to win some games and we’ll win a bunch this year.”
