LAS VEGAS – The volatility of draft day makes for captivating TV.
And high stress for everyone else.
Everyone, that is, but Jacob Battaglia – who already knew he was going to the Flames.
“It's going to sound crazy,” he laughed. "But at Christmas I saw a spiritual healer and she told me she really feels Calgary. No word of a lie – I'm not making this up. She feels Calgary. And when they came up, I was like, 'This has to be it, this has to be it!'
“And there it was.”
Crazy? Far from it. In fact, his reasoning offered a glimpse into the cerebral mind of this prolific point producer. It wasn’t a stock answer – it was genuine.
Raw.
Authentic.
“I've been doing it for a while,” he said of the visit. “I'm Catholic and my whole family is Catholic. … Maybe if I ever need other future predictions, I'll go to her.
“I actually wasn't (even looking for draft intel). It was so early, too – it was only Christmas. I was like, 'Dude, you can't tell me this now.' I guess it came true.”
Now, a new journey – spiritual or otherwise – begins in earnest.
"(Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting) Fred Parker said in his description, which is the most apt I've heard: He's a junkyard dog," said Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button. "He's thick, he's in the middle of the battle, he's got good enough hands to score in the trenches and he's always in the trenches in the middle of it."
Battaglia, a right-winger with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, is a powerful skater with excellent puck skills and a lethal release. He’s known for his vision, puck protection, and ability to navigate tight spaces, helping him generate offence out of thin air.
The Mississauga native put up a team-leading 31 goals last year, along with 34 apples for 65 points to finish second in team scoring as a 17-year-old.
And at 6-foot-1 and 196 lb., he drives the play, works corners and wins battles better than almost anyone else in his age group.
“I think I'm really good in the corners (and in) small areas in the offensive zone,” Battaglia said. “I think I have a really good scoring touch and I think the game at an elite level. The only thing... Skating. I need to work on it and it's getting better, progressively.
“I think the game at a really fast and elite level. Scoring touch, passing and vision - and I think I have a lot of good intangibles in my game that maybe sometimes you can't teach.
“Patrick Kane was my favourite player. Always, always. That's why I wear 88. His skill and, again, the vision, passing and how he out-thought everyone – even without the puck – that's where I get a lot of inspiration for my kind of play style.”
