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Timmins, Villalta selected in NHL Draft

Conor Timmins was selected early in round two of the NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche while Matthew Villalta was selected in the third round by the Los Angeles Kings
20170405 Owen Sound Attack at Soo Greyhounds Game 1 KA 06
File photo. Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday

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The second day of the NHL Entry Draft got underway shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday morning and Soo Greyhounds defenceman Conor Timmins didn’t have to wait long to have his name called.

Timmins was the first player selected in the second round of the draft as the Colorado Avalanche took the 18-year-old.

Timmins scored seven goals and 61 points in 2016=17 with the Greyhounds and shot up the draft rankings to the point that there was talk he could be selected in round one on Friday night.

“It was definitely a whirlwind year,” the sophomore blueliner said ahead of the draft. “Especially for me, rising up in all of the draft rankings and having the season I had that not a lot of people expected me to have. It was a really exciting year.”

Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis credited the work Timmins put in during the off-season as a reason for his dramatic improvement.

“Conor worked extremely hard over the summer,” said Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis. “You could tell in terms of his preparation what he knew he needed to work on.

“What he really improved on was his first step,” Raftis added. “His skating and mobility really took a step forward and that added strength and additional confidence. He’s always been a guy who was a cerebral, high IQ puck-mover and once you get that strength, whether it’s closing on players or pulling away from players in stride, it really added another element to his game.”

For goaltender Matthew Villalta, he wasn’t sure what to expect going into the NHL Entry Draft but the Godfrey, Ont. product is the newest member of the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings selected Villalta in the third round of this weekend’s draft, using the 72nd overall pick on the young netminder.

In an interview ahead of the draft, Villalta spoke of how he wasn’t sure if he would be selected “but if I do get drafted, it will be a dream come true.”

The 18-year-old is coming off a rookie season with the Greyhounds that saw him post a 25-3-0-0 record and a 2.41 goals against average after making the team as a free agent invite last fall.

“When you see the raw tools that are there, it’s something that’s hard to teach,” said Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis. “When he ads some strength and power to his game, that could jump to another level.

“He’s someone who doesn’t get discouraged at all,” Raftis added. “He’s one of those guys that works extremely hard in practice. The players see that and play really hard in front of him.”

Timmins and Villalta join forward Morgan Frost, who was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night in the first round.


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Brad Coccimiglio

About the Author: Brad Coccimiglio

A graduate of Loyalist College’s Sports Journalism program, Brad Coccimiglio’s work has appeared in The Hockey News as well as online at FoxSports.com in addition to regular freelance work with SooToday before joining the team full time.
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