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A Noesen-able selection: Senators land Plano native in NHL Draft
BY Brian Reitz, Special to the Star Courier
On June 24, Plano native Stefan Noesen was not only drafted 21st overall by the Ottawa Senators, but was one of only five Americans taken in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft.
Ottawa's pick made Noesen the second Texas-born player to have been selected in the first round of the draft with Tyler Myers, born in Texas and raised in Canada, drafted by the Buffalo Sabres 12th overall in the 2008 edition of the draft.
Noesen's selection cemented a highly-successful season with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. He and Whalers teammate Robbie Czarnik led the team with 77 points each, with Noesen totaling 34 goals and 43 assists over the course of 68 games.
Despite coming into the draft ranked 35th among North American prospects, Noesen's early selection was far from surprising. Before the draft, he noted that the Calgary Flames (13th pick), Phoenix Coyotes (20th pick) and Senators had expressed interest. His knowledge flustered him a bit in the draft room.
"For the ones before [those teams], I wasn't really nervous," Noesen said. "Whenever the teams I talked to the most came up, my heart started racing and I was impatient. It was nerve-racking."
However, his anxiety quickly transformed into excitement when the Senators announced his name.
"It was a thrill more than anything," Noesen said. "It was a big sigh of relief. It was basically all of your dreams as a kid coming to reality, in a sense."
The first person on the scene after the selection was Noesen's best friend Chase, shortly followed by family members. Noesen also received congratulatory words from many members of the Senators organization. However, their communication stopped at that.
"You don't really have time to sit there and talk to them," Noesen said. "We just did pictures. They all said 'Congratulations' and 'Welcome to Ottawa.'"
Communication with the organization has increased since the draft, however. Noesen said he has been getting closer to the managers and coaches of the club. He also participated in Ottawa's annual developmental camp with his fellow draftees from June 28-July 4.
"We're learning the tips and tools of what you need to be successful," Noesen said. "It's good, but it's hard. It's the NHL, so of course it's going to be hard. We do off-ice sessions before learning certain techniques."
His main goal is to make Ottawa's seasonal roster in September. Rookie camp starts Sept. 17 and the main camp starts Sept. 21.
"The whole summer will be devoted to how I train," Noesen said. "Whether I make it or not will depend on if I train the right way."
Although he hopes to make the team, Noesen said he does have a backup plan. In the NHL, players can only be drafted once, and the team that drafts the players has two years to sign them. That means Noesen would be able to return to the Whalers for at least one more season.
"It would give me another year to get better," Noesen said. "I would try to make the Senators again the next year."
Regardless of what happens, though, Noesen seems to be content and in a good position.
"It's been a long process and I'm glad it's over," he said.
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