Niverville's Brett Buors and his family had to wait a bit, but it was all worth it when he saw his name come up, selected by the Prince George Cougars in the recent WHL draft, sending the defender and his supporters into celebration.
"That day was very exciting," a still excited Buors explains with a smile. "We all gathered at 9:00 am, expecting a lot of people get drafted and hopefully see my name come up. We sat there for about six hours all anxiously excited. My dad came home from work and the first thing he asked is if I was drafted yet and we said no. We kept watching, we all had had our phones out and were ready to go. The seventh round came, we all got pretty excited, and we saw my name pop up for Prince George and we all jumped up with excitement. We all hugged, we were all loud, excited, laughing, happy, all that kind of stuff."
Being selected was a dream come true but getting to share it with family was what Buors appreciated the most. "It felt great to share that. They've always done so much for me, they've always been supportive, they've helped push me through adversity, they always gave me the confidence and it was great to be there with them during that moment."
Last season, Buors put up 20 points in 36 games from the backend, but he believes his game is ready to hit another level or two. "I'm hoping this year to find that next level, to develop and be better then I was this year. I want to work and develop so I can play in the WHL in a couple of years."
The team he wants to play with in the WHL is the team that drafted him, the Prince George Cougars, a team Buors is familiar with. "My parents and I have looking into (the organization) a little bit and we're all very excited. I'm hoping to sign and play with them in a few years. They also have a Pilot Mound alumni, Carson Carels, we're excited because we know someone there. The organization is great, we talked to their GM, I'm pretty sure, he made it sound like a great place and we're excited to go."
As someone who's always thrived when challenged, Buors knows it's not where you're selected, it's about what you do after being picked. "It doesn't matter when you go, it's all about having the opportunity," the confident 16-year-old says. "There are a lot of big NHL'ers that have been picked late, late in the draft, and they are still big names. It does not matter the number of the pick, it all comes down to taking advantage of the opportunity."
The hockey landscape has changed as being a WHL player means doors are still open for NCAA, something Buors is well aware of. "Ever since that opened up, it's been a big thing to look towards. My dad and I talked about it, we figured that coming into this year, we had to commit to either the NCAA or the WHL, but ever since it opened up, the plan is going to the WHL and maybe the education route. I'm leaning toward the college route, eventually."
As to why Buros is looking further into the future, a large part of it is because it gives him more time to develop, and since he's already listed at 6'3", 176 lbs, he knows it's not so much about size, it's about skills, which takes time when a defenseman. "It's all about being patient, we can focus on things more proper, we can talk to more guys, research more, learn everything that we can and be smarter for it all."
With his size already, Buros believes there's one key area he wants to work on this summer and into next year. "The main area is my first three steps and my acceleration, because me being a taller guy, my strides are longer and my force is not as good. If I can get those first three steps, I can be dominant in those foot races. My foot work is one big thing I want to work on."
Being on the blueline, Buros says one skill that comes with his size is his reach, something he's worked on and it's paying off. "Being able to have the good reach is amazing. Breaking up plays, putting out my stick and allowing me to cover a lot of ice, it's really big and helpful."
As he works throughout the summer, Buros is ready to embark on a new challenge. "This next year, I've committed to BioSteel Sports Academy, just to try a new experience and develop. They gave us a good offer about developing, offering ice times, one-on-ones, lots of stuff to help develop. Hopefully, next season, I develop enough and can head over to Prince George."
Getting to attend Cougars camp this upcoming year would be huge, according to Buros. "I think going would help me learn a lot. The speed of the game, how fast I need to think, all that sort of stuff."
The buzz and excitement is still high for the Buros family, but he knows the hard work starts now, and he can't wait.