avalanche logoIt’s not a surprise that Joey Hishon will skate for Avalanche tonight in St. Paul.

A quick thumbnail sketch of the 5-foot-10, 170-pound forward paints a picture of a player who more than belongs on the Stanley Cup Playoffs stage, in Game 4 of the Avs’ Western Conference first-round matchup with the Wild (7:30 p.m. MT, Altitude, CNBC).

Hishon was the Avalanche’s first selection (17th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft—taken a year after the club hit draft gold in Matt Duchene (1st, third), Ryan O’Reilly (2nd, 33rd) and Tyson Barrie (3rd, 64th)— after Hishon was voted the OHL’s “Best Stickhandler” and “Best Playmaker” in the 2008-09 season.

He wore Canada’s iconic maple leaf sweater during the 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, too, and led the team in scoring with five goals and five assists in six games.

Some foot and knee injuries hampered his draft stock during the 2009 season, and some considered it a head scratcher when the Avalanche plucked him so early during the 2010 draft in Los Angeles.

Hishon made the pick look warranted, though, with 87 points in 50 games in the 2010-11 Ontario Hockey League regular season, helping his Owen Sound Attack into the 2011 Memorial Cup.

For some perspective, Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado’s current first-round pick, had 78 points last season in his final run through Canadian junior hockey, and everyone knows how that has played out.

It seemed in Hishon the Avs had added to their youthful future with back-to-back OHL home runs.

 

Source: Avs