(above) Patrick Wiercioch will return to DU next season, but his NHL rights are held by the Ottawa SenatorsFrom: Canoe.ca
by Don Brennan
Patrick Wiercioch might be an excellent Senators prospect, but it would appear he's not much of a salesman.
As impressed as he was with the organization and city when he was drafted by Ottawa in Ottawa last June, Wiercioch was unable to convince University of Denver Pioneers teammate Tyler Bozak to sign here as a free agent.
But then, since when do 23-year-olds take the advice of 18-year-olds anyway, right?
"(Amateur scout) Lewis Mongelluzzo, (director of hockey operations) Brent (Flahr), (assistant GM) Tim (Murray) and myself all went to see him," Senators GM Bryan Murray said of Bozak, who opted instead to ink a deal with the Maple Leafs yesterday in another lost battle of Ontario. "Lewis talked to him often.
"It's disappointing when you put lots of effort into it and you don't get a guy."
Bozak, a 6-foot, 165-lb. centre from Regina, has eight goals and 15 assists through 19 Pioneer games this season. Murray says he's good enough to play in the NHL now.
"We certainly offered a pretty good opportunity for him," said Murray. "He would have fit in with our team pretty well, we thought, as an offensive type of guy."
Senators fans won't be able to stay mad at Wiercioch if Bozak turns out to be a good one. With 12 goals and 23 assists through 36 games, the big defenseman is third in team scoring, and he's still a freshman.
Still six months from his 19th birthday, Wiercioch appears to be the true prize of the Pioneers.
As impressed as he was with the organization and city when he was drafted by Ottawa in Ottawa last June, Wiercioch was unable to convince University of Denver Pioneers teammate Tyler Bozak to sign here as a free agent.
But then, since when do 23-year-olds take the advice of 18-year-olds anyway, right?
"(Amateur scout) Lewis Mongelluzzo, (director of hockey operations) Brent (Flahr), (assistant GM) Tim (Murray) and myself all went to see him," Senators GM Bryan Murray said of Bozak, who opted instead to ink a deal with the Maple Leafs yesterday in another lost battle of Ontario. "Lewis talked to him often.
"It's disappointing when you put lots of effort into it and you don't get a guy."
Bozak, a 6-foot, 165-lb. centre from Regina, has eight goals and 15 assists through 19 Pioneer games this season. Murray says he's good enough to play in the NHL now.
"We certainly offered a pretty good opportunity for him," said Murray. "He would have fit in with our team pretty well, we thought, as an offensive type of guy."
Senators fans won't be able to stay mad at Wiercioch if Bozak turns out to be a good one. With 12 goals and 23 assists through 36 games, the big defenseman is third in team scoring, and he's still a freshman.
Still six months from his 19th birthday, Wiercioch appears to be the true prize of the Pioneers.
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