Joey Payeur
Jared Bethune has gone in a matter of two months from being a dejected non-draftee by the NHL to feeling sky-high about his big-league hopes once again.
The Fort Frances native will get to showcase his talents in front of a horde of professional scouts when he takes part in the 2015 NHL Prospects Tournament from Sept. 11-15 in Traverse City, Mich., as a member of the Minnesota Wild’s group of 25 prospects.
Bethune is currently in Prince George, B.C., and was getting ready for his second WHL season while taking part in training camp with the Prince George Cougars when he got word about his grand opportunity.
“It was pretty exciting when I got the call from my agent,” said the 18-year-old centre, who moved to Warroad, Minn., with his family when he was 12 and played high school hockey two years ago with the Warrorad Warriors.
“I figured it was going be (a team) somewhere really close to home or really far away, so when he told me it was going to be Minnesota, I was really excited,” he continued.
“I’ve been spending lots of time in Minneapolis doing training, so it’s like my second home now.”
Bethune opted out of a commitment to the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs last October to join the Cougars after starting the year with the USHL’s Lincoln (Neb.) Stars.
After getting one assist in three games, Bethune got wind that the Stars were looking to trade him and made the decision to head north and join the Cougars.
With Prince George last year, he had six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 61 games, along with 39 penalty minutes and a plus-minus rating of -23.
“It was a big learning year coming out of high school,” confessed Bethune.
“It was especially a big jump with all the extra games you play compared to high school.”
He was confident of being picked in this past June’s NHL Entry Draft after midway last season being rated 101st among draft-eligible skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.
But Bethune slid down the rankings as the season progressed, ending up as a “B-list prospect” by year’s end.
That led to him getting passed over in the draft, making it clear to him that he had to focus on the weaker elements of his game.
“I discovered that I needed to work on my shot because they shoot a lot harder at the higher levels,” he noted.
“So I spent all this summer working with a specialist on my shot and I think it’s improved a lot, along with my work ethic and playmaking abilities.”
Bethune is trying to stay focused on having a good camp with the Cougars and not let his impending trip distract him.
“Prince George has a really good team coming up this season and I want to worry about making a splash with them and push the other stuff to the back of my mind,” he acknowledged about a Cougars squad he described as a “powerhouse” heading into this fall.
“But as the event gets closer, I’m sure I’ll be getting more excited about it.”
Much of that excitement stems from the fact that if Bethune performs well enough at the Prospects Tournament, he could wind up getting an invitation to the Wild’s main training camp, which begins just two days after the tourney is over.
“It’s going to be really difficult and one of the most talented tournaments I’ve ever been a part of,” predicted Bethune, whose Wild prospect teammates will include highly-coveted free-agent defenceman Mike Reilly (University of Minnesota); Moose Jaw Warriors forward Tanner Eberle, the younger brother of Edmonton Oilers star winger Jordan Eberle; and defenceman Alex Gudbranson, the younger brother of 2010 third overall NHL draft pick Erik Gudbranson.
“I’m interested to see where I sit in regards to the rest of their prospects,” he added.
“I’m going to take a lot away from this tournament. It’s going to be a great learning experience.
“The best case scenario is that I get signed by the Wild and show maybe I should have been drafted,” Bethune said determinedly.
“Getting invited to the main camp will always be my hope, but I don’t want to get too confident.”
