Andrew MacNiel did his best not to get caught up in the hype surrounding the National Hockey League draft.
The 17-year-old former Fort Erie Meteors defenceman knew there was a chance he would be selected, but was also aware it was far from a sure thing he was going to hear his name called.
“I wasn’t too sure what was going to happen that day and I tried to stay super patient,” he said. “I was up at the cottage and tried to stay away from my phone for most of the day.”
But when MacNiel heard his phone buzzing he figured something was up.
“I kind of put it away with the ringer on and my agent called me and he gave me the news about a minute early. I watched my name go up and it was just so much emotion, just all the hard work,” he said. “It paid off and it was just the coolest feeling to get drafted to the National Hockey League.”
MacNiel, who was selected in the sixth round (189th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens, spent much of last week in Quebec at Montreal’s development camp.
“It was just an amazing week. I learned so much, I met so many great people,” he said. “I tried to just be a sponge the whole week and learn as much as I can in such a short amount of time. I already feel like I’ve grown so much as a player just in the past week learning from the professionals.”
MacNiel admitted he was awestruck by the level of talent and skill.
“Everyone’s there for a reason, everyone’s a good player. I think the skill is next level. Some of the moves the guys were pulling off in the shootout — it was just incredible to watch and be a part of,” he said. “It was incredible for me to kind of test myself and compete against some of the some of the best players in the world at our age. So it was honestly the coolest experience.”
MacNiel, who hails from Cobourg, spent the 2023/24 season with the Meteors before being drafted by the Kitchener Rangers where he appeared in 33 games last season.
“I missed a lot of games and so I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen with the draft being in and out of the lineup in Kitchener. I just always knew if I worked hard and kept my head down, good things would happen,” he said. “So I just tried to be myself, not change a thing, and just focus on what I could control and I knew that good results would come if I just put my best foot forward.”
MacNiel didn’t sulk when he was scratched; instead, he tried to find another way to help the team.
“I was always there for my teammates. I always had a positive attitude and I just kept my head down,” he said. “I knew eventually I’d get my chance. When I did get my chance, I just wanted to take full advantage and do whatever the team asked me to do and I kind of got a new role and figured out what I was good at at the next level. I think just being there for the team and having that team-first attitude really went a long way and just finding little things that could separate me from everyone else.”
Meteors general manager/coach Nik Passero was thrilled for MacNiel.
“He’s a kid that everyone that crosses paths with him is floored with how good of a human being he is. He’s a guy that has a smile on his face every day. He wants the best out of you, out of himself. He’s very infectious, his personality. You know, his billets raved about him forever. And just for him to push through a very tough year and get this done is awesome,” Passero said.
Passero said he knew early on MacNiel was something special.
“The first time we saw him, I was on the ice with him one-on-one and I told my brother this kid’s the real deal. He just does everything with a purpose. You get a lot of players at our level that are trying to find out who they are. This kid already knew who he was, who he wanted to be and where he was going.
“There are just certain players that have that different aura and Andrew’s one of them.”
MacNiel loved his time in Fort Erie.
“It was honestly the most fun year,” he said. “It was just a great group of guys, even better coaching staff. They were amazing to me and they really helped my development curve. They gave me everything I ever needed to succeed and obviously winning a championship for that community was super super special and I’ll always cherish that year forever.”
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