Winnipeg Jets select centre Chaz Lucius with No. 18 pick in NHL entry draft
Chaz Lucius wasn't shy about mentioning his admiration of Jets star Mark Scheifele in his pre-draft interview with Winnipeg
The honesty obviously worked -- Winnipeg selected to select Lucius 18th overall in the NHL entry draft on Friday.
The six-foot-one, 185-pound centre is excited about the chance to work and train alongside a player he's long admired.
"I really look up to up to Mark Scheifele. He's a guy I try to model my game after," Lucius said. "It's pretty cool that now that I've been drafted by the Jets and to have him in as an idol of mine. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity there and I'll keep watching his games."
Lucius comes to Winnipeg from the U.S. National Team Development Program where he tallied 20 points (13 goals, 7 assists) in 13 games after recovering from a knee injury last season.
The adversity he faced probably helped the dynamic forward land with the Jets, said Winnipeg's general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
"We're real excited. I think it's a good value pick where we got it," he said. "A really skilled player, a really good character player."
Lucius was the No. 12-ranked North American skater and is set to play at the University of Minnesota next fall.
He's looking forward, though, to eventually joining the Jets' ranks.
"(Winnipeg's) a really fun team to watch, fast paced," he said. "There's a really bright future for the Winnipeg Jets and I'm just looking forward to being a part of it.
The draft is being held virtually for the second year in a row, so Cheveldayoff announced the selection via video from the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg finished the regular season third in the North Division with a 30-23-3 record and swept the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. The Jets struggled in round two, however, and were ousted by the Montreal Canadiens in a four-game series.
The Jets will have three more picks to make (No. 50, 82, 146) when the draft resumes with the second round on Saturday.
Winnipeg took centre Cole Perfetti 10th overall in the 2020 draft.
The 19-year-old from Whitby, Ont., spent last season with the Jets' American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, and registered 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 32 games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.