With all the fuss over recent draft picks Zach Boychuk and Zac Dalpe and soon-to-be Hurricanes fourth-line center Brandon Sutter, Jamie McBain has kind of slipped through the cracks this week. (Look for a story on Sutter on Saturday or Sunday instead of Friday, as I promised.)
But the Wisconsin junior-to-be is Carolina's top defensive prospect, so I caught up with him after practice Thursday for a few questions.
Q. You're paying your own way to be here. Why did you choose to come this year?
A. I actually thought about it last year, it just turned out last year didn't really work. At that time I was getting ready to go back to Wisconsin and still getting acclimated. This year, it was getting kind of close to the time I might be putting on the (Carolina) uniform so I figured it would be a good experience to get to know the coaching staff and the town in general, get a feel for it. Hopefully later I'll be back here playing.
Q. How seriously did you consider turning pro this year?
A. I pretty much just put it off. I always planned to go back to college and that's the way Carolina saw it, too. They were fine with me going back to continue my career. It really wasn't too much of a decision there. It was pretty easy.
Q. Goals for this season?
A. I want to work on my strength more than anything else. And just to be productive and be a positive factor. I want to see my point totals go up and get the experience and have an all-around better year.
Q. You get plenty of power-play time, so that shouldn't be a problem, right?
A. Yeah, just be more productive. Get my scoring touch going.
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at 829-8947 or 
Comments
Morneau was out 7th round
Thu, 07/10/2008 - 23:47 — Anonymous (not verified)Morneau was out 7th round pick, we didn't draft in the 5th round thanks to the Anson Carter deal.
7th? Wow
Fri, 07/11/2008 - 17:52 — wxray1I think I read the roster wrong. Thanks for the tip. Even more amazig for a 7th rounder.
Back to the subject of Mcbain. Somewhere, I can't help but hope this guy makes it. If you are a "Simpsons" fan, you'll know why. :-)
McBain is the name of a fictional character inside a fictional cartoon who sounds amazingly like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I really hope he makes it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Wolfcastle
Thanks Luke
Thu, 07/10/2008 - 22:30 — wxray1I was at the RecZone ice time today, but admittedly I focused on the forwards. Thanks for bringing up McBain. Maybe I can get a chance to spy him out tomorrow or Saturday.
The one on one and and two on two drills were a lot of fun to watch. Sutter did make a mark, but Dalpe was also impressive. I can see why he is gettting pressure from the organization to go into the system. Also surprising was our 5th round pick Sam Morneau. Maybe he just had a good ice time day.