Top picks Crouse and Konecny share long-term friendship
Wednesday July 8, 2015
By Josh Sweetland/CHL
From playing on a spring team as six year-olds, to being first round OHL draft picks in 2013 to recently each being selected in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft last month, Lawson Crouse and Travis Konecny have enjoyed something most friends don’t get to experience.
Crouse from Mt. Brydges, ON, and Konecny from 35 minutes southeast in Clachan, ON, first met at the young age of six while trying out for the Brantford Regional Selects Spring Team. After befriending one another, the two carpooled to games together while playing up through the ranks with the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs AAA program.
Amidst the sleepovers, video games and host of other boyhood activities, the two gradually bloomed into promising OHL Priority Selection prospects in 2013, with Konecny scoring 31 goals while adding 35 assists for 66 points in 27 regular season games before being taken first overall by the Ottawa 67’s. Crouse trailed close behind with 22 goals, 28 assists and 50 points in 27 contests to be selected fifth overall by general manager Doug Gilmour and the Kingston Frontenacs.
Though separated as rookies in the OHL, Crouse and Konecny did play alongside one another in both the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship in 2014. Both players continued their successful development this past season, with Crouse winning gold with Canada at the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championship and Konecny earning Player of the Game honours in the 2015 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in St. Catharines in January.
The two Southwestern Ontario boys saw their careers follow a similar trajectory once again a few weeks ago in the 2015 NHL Draft, with Crouse going 11th overall to the Florida Panthers before Konecny was selected 24th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.
“It’s not often two best friends get to go through this process together,” Crouse told Adam Kimelman of NHL.com. “It’s kind of fun. We lean on each other whenever we need each other.”
“It’s someone you can be open with, communicate with,” Konecny said of Crouse. “You can be open with a lot of people, but you don’t really feel comfortable to ask questions and how’d this go, what did you think, how did you do, things like that.”
Though the friendship remains constant off the ice, Konecny and Crouse, who play each other eight times during the OHL’s regular season as divisional opponents, see the competitive edge come out in the heat of the game.
“We’re two best friends but we’re also the most competitive guys out there,” Konecny, Ottawa’s captain this past season told Kimelman. “I remember a time this year we were up on them and the score was at the point where they weren’t going to be able to come back at that point in the game, and I remember Law took a run at me and I said, ‘Come on man, you really have to do that?’ He said, ‘I’m sorry, I was mad.’ It’s all good.”
With both players being selected by Eastern Conference NHL teams, frequent on-ice encounters down the road seem a likely possibility.
Whether they meet again in the OHL next season or not, Crouse and Konecny will always have a bank of great memories together.
“There’s so many funny stories,” said Konecny’s father Rob. “The kids had a blast here at the farm, just countless stories on the four-wheelers and gators, playing with pellet guns, swimming in the pond, playing football. The big thing with Lawson and Travis is they’re both happy kids and love to have fun. Whenever they’re around you’ve got to be on their toes.”
Crouse and Konecny were two of seven OHL players selected in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft, joining Connor McDavid (Edmonton), Dylan Strome (Arizona), Mitch Marner (Toronto), Pavel Zacha (New Jersey) and Zachary Senyshyn (Boston).
A total of 31 OHL players from 14 different teams were selected in the 2015 NHL Draft among the 95 players taken from across the Canadian Hockey League.
OHL Players Selected in the 2015 NHL Draft:
(Click on a player to watch post-draft interview)
First round (7 OHL players):
1. Connor McDavid (Erie Otters) – Edmonton Oilers
3. Dylan Strome (Erie Otters) – Arizona Coyotes
4. Mitch Marner (London Knights) – Toronto Maple Leafs
6. Pavel Zacha (Sarnia Sting) – New Jersey Devils
11. Lawson Crouse (Kingston Frontenacs) – Florida Panthers
15. Zachary Senyshyn (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – Boston Bruins
24. Travis Konecny (Ottawa 67’s) – Philadelphia Flyers
Second Round (7 OHL players):
33. Mitchell Stephens (Saginaw Spirit) – Tampa Bay Lightning
34. Travis Dermott (Erie Otters) – Toronto Maple Leafs
42. Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts) – New Jersey Devils
44. Matthew Spencer (Peterborough Petes) – Tampa Bay Lightning
53. Rasmus Andersson (Barrie Colts) – Calgary Flames
54. Graham Knott (Niagara IceDogs) – Chicago Blackhawks
56. Vince Dunn (Niagara IceDogs) – St. Louis Blues
Third Round (5 OHL players):
63. Kyle Capobianco (Sudbury Wolves) – Arizona Coyotes
67. Blake Speers (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – New Jersey Devils
72. Anthony Cirelli (Oshawa Generals) – Tampa Bay Lightning
82. Mitchell Vande Sompel (Oshawa Generals) – New York Islanders
88. Thomas Schemitsch (Owen Sound Attack) – Florida Panthers
Fourth Round (2 OHL players):
97. Colton White (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – New Jersey Devils
103. Chris Martenet (London Knights) – Dallas Stars
Fifth Round (1 OHL player):
134. Matt Schmalz (Sudbury Wolves) – Los Angeles Kings
Sixth Round (4 OHL players):
155. Stephen Desrocher (Oshawa Generals) – Toronto Maple Leafs
164. Roy Radke (Barrie Colts) – Chicago Blackhawks
166. Andrew Mangiapane (Barrie Colts) – Calgary Flames
176. Liam Dunda (Owen Sound Attack) – St. Louis Blues
Seventh Round (5 OHL players):
185. Nikita Korostelev (Sarnia Sting) – Toronto Maple Leafs
186. Steven Lorentz (Peterborough Petes) – Carolina Hurricanes
196. Riley Bruce (North Bay Battalion) – Calgary Flames
201. Gustav Bouramman (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – Minnesota Wild
207. Jeremiah Addison (Ottawa 67’s) – Montreal Canadiens
Written with files from Adam Kimelman at NHL.com.