There's no question that Filip Zadina has all the tools needed to be an elite winger in the NHL and thanks to a stint in the CHL with the Halifax Mooseheads, he's set himself in prime position heading into the 2018 NHL Draft.
"I knew playing in the Canadian Hockey League and the heavier workload on the smaller ice would be a benefit," Zadina told
NHL.com
. "I also saw other European players playing in Halifax and having so much success in their draft year."
Another player that Zadina saw from afar have success in the QMJHL is fellow countryman, friend and Senators prospect Filip Chlapik who made the same decision to pursue hockey in Eastern Canada. Now Zadina looks to continue that path to the National Hockey League.
"I feel it will take a lot of patience and hard work to play in the NHL, since every young player has that same goal," Zadina said. "I would love to play in the NHL next season but we'll see what happens after the draft. Maybe I'll be drafted to a team with a lot of young players, but I'll do anything to play. I play hockey for one reason, and that's because I love it."
Zadina was one of a handful of top prospects that visited Ottawa prior to the draft and with Ottawa set to pick 4th overall on Friday, he could be making another visit back to the Nation's capital very soon.
Heading into Dallas though, Zadina isn't concerned with where he's picked but rather who will pick him as the focus for his career remains the larger picture.
"Where I'm selected doesn't really matter. No one remembers what pick you were six years after being drafted," Zadina said. "But they will remember the team you're playing for."
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