Three current or future Colorado College hockey players have good reason to pay a little more attention than usual to the 50th NHL draft later this month.
 
Incoming freshman left wing Hunter Fejes of Anchorage, 2013 defenseman signee Jaccob Slavin of Erie, Colo., and current goalie Josh Thorimbert of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, could be selected in one of the event's seven rounds scheduled for June 22-23 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
 
Fejes, rated No. 91 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, has garnered the most attention. He is likely to be picked in the first five rounds. Many scouts came to see him and his teammates while Shattuck-St. Mary's rolled to another USA Hockey Tier I Under-18 national championship this past season.
 
A lifelong Pittsburgh fan who has especially followed Sidney Crosby's career. Fejes admitted being “pretty pumped: about his own interview with Penguin scouts. Crosby, also a SSM graduate, is touted by Shattuck coaches as an example to emulate. If they had not previously seen elements of the Pens star's game in his potential, they might have this season when Fejes led the team with 38 goals and finished second with 78 points in 55 appearances.
 
“I am just happy to have the experience and enjoy taking it all in,” he said.
 
Other NHL teams that have interviewed Fejes include Anaheim, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, the New York Islanders, the N.Y. Rangers, Toronto and Vancouver.
 
With so much attention and a high rating, Fejes knows he'll be disappointed should the NHL teams pass him up in the draft. But he is keeping a cool head about all possibilities.
 
“I have been practicing with Scotty Gomez and Tim Wallace,” said Fejes. “Tim was never drafted and he has played in the NHL a long time (five years). Being drafted is not the only way to get to the goal.”
 
Like Fejes, Slavin has garnered some attention and also hopes to be drafted. He traveled to Buffalo, N.Y., to meet with the Sabres for a physical, along with fitness and psychological tests.
 
“It went pretty well,” he said in early June before leaving Colorado again for USHL Chicago's training camp. “It was definitely a new experience for me.
 
“I feel pretty confident, but whatever happens, happens. It will all work out, I am sure.”
 
Other organizations that have contacted Slavin, who may be chosen in the later rounds, include Carolina, Florida, Nashville and San Jose.
 
Some CC fans may be surprised to realize that Thorimbert, who will be a junior this fall, even is available for the draft. Born in October 1992, he initially was eligible last summer. Now with another year of college experience under his belt, organizations may consider drafting him in the later rounds instead of waiting to sign him as a free agent. Although none of the scouts have spoken with him personally, he said officials have been in contact with the CC coaching staff.
 
That's exciting for the laid-back 19-year-old, but it will not change his own plans for draft day. While his family typically watches the first round together, Thorimbert plans to be at his summertime construction job on Saturday.
 
“If it does happen, they will have to call me,” he said. “I am more focused on getting better, getting stronger, more flexible and helping the Tigers enjoy another successful year.”
 
The top NHL draft picks in program history are former Tigers Jaden Schwartz, No. 14 overall (St. Louis) in 2010 and Mark Stuart, No. 21 (Boston) in 2003). Schwartz made his pro debut late this season with the Blues. That pushed the number of Tigers who played in the NHL to a program-high 14 in 2011-12. Stuart now is an assistant captain for the Winnipeg Jets.
 
Three NHL draftees already are on the 2012-13 Tigers roster – sophomore defensemen Aaron Harstad (2011, seventh round) and Peter Stoykewych (2010, seventh round), both by Winnipeg, along with senior wing Scott Winkler (2008, third round) by Dallas.