By Drew Wilson

Ruopp ready for the draft

Jun 23, 2011 | 5:34 PM

It's been a short three years since Harrison Ruopp sat in front of the computer in his Zehner Saskatchewan home awaiting his WHL fate.

The farm boy has come a long way as a hockey player since being selected by the Prince Albert Raiders in the second round of the 2008 Bantam Draft.

The 18 year old will play the waiting game at home again this Saturday, but on a much bigger stage as the punishing defenseman is a sure bet to be picked in the NHL Draft.

There will be a lot of nervous anticipation in front of the computer and television screens, said Ruopp.

“I'll be watching it on TV, I will probably be sitting there watching with my family and whatever happens happens and yeah, I'm very excited.”

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Ruopp shared the most improved player award on a Raider team that made the playoffs for the first time in four years and played a larger role as his minutes and responsibilities increased as the season progressed.

He saw limited action while appearing in only 33 games in his rookie year. His NHL draft was over a year away when the 2009-10 season came to an end and it certainly wasn't top of mind, said Ruopp.

“I never really thought about it too much back then, but now that it's happening it's really cool for me and it's been a great experience meeting the guys from the (NHL) teams, like scouts and what not. When I was 16 I never really thought about it too much.”

Harrison Ruopp's hockey stock rose dramatically last season. He wasn't even mentioned in the early rankings by NHL Central Scouting last fall and vaulted to a 102nd ranking among North American skaters in the final numbers.

There are suggestions Ruopp is a potential second round pick this weekend after a tremendous finish to the regular season and outstanding playoff series against the Saskatoon Blades when he played a top four role on the Raider back line and saw time on the penalty kill.

The turning point to his season came upon returning from a separated shoulder suffered on New Year's Day in Regina, said Ruopp.

“I started to get put into different situations and the coaches were giving me a lot more opportunity and ice time and that was great for me and I feel I took advantage of that and built up my confidence and just got more comfortable.”

Harrison Ruopp is still looking for his first WHL goal but there is no doubting his contribution from a physical standpoint as a solid stay at home defenseman. His improvement shows up in the plus/minus statistics. Ruopp was -8 through just 33 games seeing limited ice time as a rookie. However while seeing much more ice time against stronger opposition over 54 games last season, Ruopp was +8. Harrison's 98 penalty minutes as well as his willingness to drop the gloves against any opponent has also opened the eyes of many NHL scouts.

The six-foot-two, 200-pound rearguard got his first taste of the NHL at the pre-draft camp of the Buffalo Sabres where he was joined by teammate Mark McNeill. Working out and skating with other draft prospects was a rewarding experience, said Ruopp.

“It was really neat meeting some new guys. We did some different testing but that was really neat being in that rink (HSB Arena, home of the Buffalo Sabres) and just getting a feel of what it would be really like to be in the NHL.

Meanwhile there are even more indications McNeill is destined to be selected in the first round on Friday night. In addition to being ranked 19th overall by TSN Insider Bob McKenzie (his list is based on a survey of NHL GM's and scouts), McNeill was chosen 15th overall by the New York Rangers in TSN's mock draft conducted by former NHL GM Craig Button and former NHL coach Pierre McGuire.

When his named gets called, McNeill will be the first Raider taken in the first round since Kyle Chipchura in 2004 and the 14th overall since 1983.

NHL teams have also inquired about winger Todd Fiddler, goalie Eric Williams, as well as strapping winger Austin Connor and leading scorer Jonathan Parker.

The Raiders are hosting a draft party 5 p.m. Friday at the new Rogues Tavern on Second Avenue West.

dwilson@rawlco.com