They say good things happen in threes but Sean Maguire might want to covet the number four.
Earlier this year the Powell River Kings’ goalie won a gold medal with team Canada West at the World Junior A Championship (WJAC) in Langley. He then sold a winning ticket to his aunt to win a car in the Kings’ giant raffle and committed to a scholarship with Boston University. On Saturday, June 23, he was chosen 113th overall in the fourth-round draft by Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).
“I haven’t really thought about the year,” but in an understatement Maguire said, “I guess, looking back, I’ve accomplished quite a bit.”
Maguire was on the couch watching the NHL network Saturday when his name was announced earlier than expected.
“It was just my mom and my little sister about 8 in the morning,” he said. “My mom was a little more pumped up than I was in the beginning.”
He had only had interest from schools at the WJAC but his success there and his strong play with the Kings gradually drew the attention of NHL scouts from Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh.
“I knew Pittsburgh was interested in me,” he said, “but I thought if I went it would be in the sixth or seventh round. That’s what my coaches had told me and so that’s what I was expecting to happen.”
Pittsburgh’s western scout, Ron Pyette, came out to watch Maguire in several games in the latter half of the season and eventually met with his family at his home.
The next time he heard from Pyette was after the draft and now Maguire has added an extra stop to his summer itinerary.
He leaves for university on June 28 and then he is off to Pittsburgh’s development camp on July 9 where he’ll meet with team representatives and possibly rub shoulders with some players.
When asked about the possibility of running into Sidney Crosby or other Penguins he chuckled saying, “That’s going to be even more unreal.”
The year’s already been unreal but Maguire is truly grateful for the help of his coaches, teammates and fans. “Obviously Kent [Lewis] has been a big part of it,” said Maguire, “and he has always put my name out there. The King’s organization is very professional and has greater expectations and the scouts and recruiters know that.”
He has also developed a strong relationship with goaltender coach Jeff Battah who he met in November of 2010. “He was my first real goalie coach and I don’t think I’ll ever change in my career. He’s probably the biggest factor in my improvement, especially in the mental side of the game. He helped me mature faster and opened my eyes to the big picture, like let in a bad goal—it’s not the end of the world.”
Lewis, Kings coach and general manager, said, “We had kids this year the NHL was looking at like—[Craig] Dalrymple (Ohio State) going to Dallas’s rookie camp and [Chris] Williams (Alaska University) is going to Philadelphia’s and now Sean in the draft.”
Kent said the teams look for players who are going to college “because they’ve got four years of development and they keep getting better.”
Of Maguire’s selection he said “Good players are good players, and going 113th overall with hockey getting bigger and bigger is really something to be proud of.”
Maguire’s name was in Pittsburgh’s newspapers, Vancouver’s The Province, Boston University Terrier blogs, Facebook and Twitter and his cellphone mailbox was full, but despite the excitement he prefers to lay low.
“It’s pretty cool,” he admitted. “You get congratulations all the time. I don’t really like all the attention but I guess I’ve got to get used to it.”
Kings Scroll:
BCHL players chosen in the draft:
Round two: number 63 Edmonton Oilers Jujhar Khaira of Prince George Spruce Kings, left wing.
Round four: number 113 Penguins Sean Maguire of Powell River Kings, goalkeeper.
Round five: number 141 Philadelphia Flyers Reece Willcox of Merritt Centennials, defence.
Round five: number 150 New Jersey Devils Alexander Kerfoot of Coquitlam Express, centre.
Round six: number 177 Vancouver Canucks Wesley Myron of Victoria Grizzlies, left wing.
Former King’s goaltender Jamie Phillips was also drafted in round seven, 190 overall to the Winnipeg Jets.
