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Top Prospect Fonstad excited for big opportunity

Dec 13, 2017 | 5:37 PM

Prince Albert Raiders forward Cole Fonstad is officially a Top Prospect.

The CHL announced on Wednesday that Fonstad will participate in the 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Jan. 25, 2018 at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ont.

“It’s pretty exciting to get recognized for what you’ve accomplished and to see your hard work pay off,” Fonstad said. “It’s going to be a good experience for me to go there and see what the top talent’s like, and how good you have to be to really be the best. It will be an eye-opener for sure, I’m really excited.”

Despite being a fifth overall pick by the Raiders in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft, the prestige hasn’t followed around Fonstad. He went to Hockey Canada’s Under-17 camp for the 2016 Worlds, but didn’t make the team and wasn’t invited back to the Under-18 camp.

“I was pretty bummed about that,” Fonstad said. “I just wanted to come in this year and show everyone that I am a good player and I’m good enough to be at those things. I just want to prove myself again that I haven’t in the past. It’s nice to see it all pay off.

Fonstad scored the Raiders’ lone goal on Tuesday in a 2-1 defeat to the Swift Current Broncos. That goal extended his point scoring streak to a career high seven games (three goals, nine points in that time). It also gave him his 11th goal in 32 games this year, matching his goal total from his entire rookie season (11 goals in 69 games).

Fonstad also has 28 assists, more than his rookie total in points (26) and is ranked 24th in league scoring.

For this year’s NHL Entry Draft, Fonstad was initially left off of the preliminary rankings, but was recognized in the November listings as a ‘C’ ranked prospect.

“It’s really cool to see where I was two years ago, playing bantam hockey, now I’m in my NHL draft year being able to get drafted” Fonstad said. “If that happened, it would be a dream come true. Anytime you see your name and ‘NHL’ in the same sentence, it’s pretty cool. It’s really exciting, I’m just trying to take it all in.”

The Raiders have had one player represent them at the Top Prospects game since 2013.

2018—Cole Fonstad

2017—Ian Scott

2016—Simon Stransky

2015—Nick McBride

2014—Leon Draisaitl

2013—Josh Morrissey

 

With files from Trevor Redden.

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW