PLYMOUTH, Mich. — Come late June, Tyler Seguin should be at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, waiting to hear his name called in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
It shouldn't take long. Seguin, a forward for the OHL's Plymouth Whalers, could be one of the first four or five players selected in the draft. In the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings, he was rated the No. 2 North American skater behind forward Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires. Who knows, he could be taken by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Asked today about that possibility, Seguin smiled and said, ""To be drafted by any NHL team would be a true honor. Any organization I went to I'd be happy with.
"Coming into the season I wasn't as highly rated. It was a big sigh of relief, I guess, just coming into Christmas knowing I'm ranked pretty high. Right now, I'm just trying to focus on my team. We need to be better than we finished last year and that's the main thing for me."
Seguin and his Whalers teammates attended the Canes' practice today at Compuware Arena, their home rink, taking it in, seeing some of their favorites on the ice. One of the Whalers, defenseman Michal Jordan, was picked in the fourth round of the 2008 draft by the Hurricanes.
Jordan recently competed for the Czech Republic in the World Junior Championships in Saskatoon, Sask., and served as the team captain. Another of the Whalers, forward AJ Jenks, helped Team USA win the gold.
Seguin, meanwhile, was one of those cut when Team Canada was selected. Hall, rated No. 2 behind Seguin in Central Scouting's preliminary rankings in November, used a strong performance in the World Juniors to vault into the No. 1 spot.
Seguin, who turns 18 on Jan. 31, said not making the team was a downer. And, he added, a motivator.
"Absolutely extra motivation," he said. "Making that team was a big goal of mine. It was a little bit of surprise. After that (selection) camp, I know I didn't perform at my top. I think I thought too much about what they wanted instead of playing my own game and I think that's why I got cut.
"But that being said, I'm 17 and I know second chances do happen. If I get that opportunity again, I know what to expect."
Seguin, listed at 6-1 and 186 pounds, has 28 goals and 33 assists in 36 games for the Whalers, playing both at center and right wing. The Brampton, Ont., native was named the OHL's player of the month for December after producing 18 points in 10 games.
"Last year as a rookie, I was more of a playmaker," he said. "This year, I really wanted to show I could score, too, and right now I'm doing that. I'm trying to play an all-around complete game and try to become a complete player."
Seguin said he needed to be stronger, tougher, in the defensive zone.
"I need to be better in my own end and get my plus/minus higher," he said.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
