Kamloops Blazers forward Connor Zary realizes his NHL Draft moment has likely been taken by COVID-19.

The projected first rounder was making plans to go to Montreal at the end of June, before the NHL postponed the event. Speaking to NL Sports, Zary knows this year’s draft will likely look a little different than years past.

“You’re just watching the draft and you see how emotional it is and how special it is to hear the team call where the player is from and then their name and then guy stands up and gets to hug his family and you see how much emotion is there on the family, ” said Zary. “And then you get to go up and go on stage and shake all those, usually mostly legendary guys hands.”

“It kind of sucks in that regard, but it could also be cool which ever way this draft happens.”

If the NHL Draft was up to TSN analyst Craig Button, Zary would be the first WHL prospect drafted and the 11th overall selection in the 2020 event. The Saskatoon native is ranked 11th in Button’s final rankings.

“Anytime you can get a positive in the negatives kind of being thrown around in the world right now, I think its nice to see,” Zary said.

“Just having your name out there. There’s a lot of uncertainty what going to happen with the draft. I know the combine is already postponed, the draft is already postponed so what really happens there is out of my control. It just sucks right now, I wish I could be playing hockey still.”

If Zary is chosen in the first round of the draft, he will become the first Blazer to be an NHL first rounder since Keaton Ellerby in 2007 when he went tenth overall to Florida.

Whoa! @ConnorZary ranked 11th by @CraigJButton 🔥 🔥 🔥 https://t.co/VWJbLaVOWJ pic.twitter.com/KtS0CiyXXh

— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) March 30, 2020