Montour Hoping To Hear His Name At NHL Draft

When the NHL Draft gets underway this June 27-28 in Philadelphia, one local defenseman, Tilbury’s Brandon Montour will be hoping to hear his name called.

Montour, who played last season with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks, came into the season unranked by NHL Central Scouting after skating in the Junior B GOJHL last season. By the Midterm, NHL Central Scouting had Montour at 186 among North American skaters, and in their year end rankings, Montour had jumped to 92.

“He may have come into the USHL a little under the radar, but he made everyone take notice this season with his tremendous abilities and talent,” says Skip Prince, USHL President and Commissioner in a league news release after Montour was named the USHL’s Player of the Year and Defenseman of the Year.

For anyone wondering, the USHL isn’t a second tier league, it’s a development hotbed with dozens of NHL draft picks, and numerous first round picks being found every year from the league.

For Montour, a former Chatham-Kent Cyclone, being selected in this weekend’s draft would be a dream come true.

“It’s what you dream of growing up and yes it’s pretty surreal to see my name up on the list and it is a really good feeling to just have the opportunity to be showing my skills to NHL teams,” says Montour about his draft ranking and the opportunity to move toward his NHL dream. “A lot of attention and a way to get noticed is playing in the USHL, it is a very good league with high caliber teams, and it is a very good way to development your game.”

Montour had 14 goals and 48 assists for 62 points in 60 regular season games as a defenseman and continued that output in the playoffs, helping his Waterloo Black Hawks to a Clark Cup playoff final, where they fell to the Indiana Ice in five games. Montour topped all USHL scorers in the playoffs with 16 points in 12 games.

Montour will attend the University of Massachusetts next Fall.