RALEIGH -- If Kyle Chipchura handles the NHL with the grace and determination that he's dealt with setbacks and disappointments during the 2003-04 season, he's going to be one heck of player. That's why the Montreal Canadiens made the 6-foot-2, 195-pound center from the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL the 18th selection in the 2004 Entry Draft.

Chipchura was rated the No. 1 North American skater at midseason, but suffered a painful groin injury and slipped to No. 4. As it turned out, he was the fourth North American-trained skater selected. He realizes the mid-season injury caused his draft-day stock to fall, but he thinks he has plenty of time to show where he ranks among the Class of 2004.

"I know from playing against them that guys like Cam Barker and Andrew Ladd had strong second halves," Chipchura said. "They deserve it. They're really good players and had strong seasons. It would have been nice not to have had the injury, but I can't use it as an excuse.

"I tore my groin. It was the first serious injury I've ever had where I missed more than a game," Chipchura said. "It was tough. It's better now, but it slowed down the middle of my season. There's nothing to do about it now but bear down and work hard."

Groin injuries are among the most frustrating. Often, they won't keep you out of the lineup, still you're not the same player. Chipchura was asked if he got the dreaded diagnosis: It needs rest and you won't get that until the season's over.

"Yes, exactly. They said I probably wouldn't be over it until shortly before the beginning of the next season," he said. " I've been getting work on it and it's healing all right. It healed better than they originally expected. We're working on the scar tissue and as far as my skating, I should have no problem at all."

While Chipchura would have loved to have had an MVP season, he saw the injury as a chance to turn a lemon into lemonade. He fought through the injury with the thought that the NHL would recognize he's not the kind of guy who begs out of the lineup.

"I think a lot of the really good professionals have that quality and I think it says a lot about the kind of guy he is and about his character. So, maybe that will bode well for me," Chipchura said. "I like to think of myself as a leader and a guy who doesn't give up on his team. I don't know about the NHL, but I hope the guys on my team saw that."

Chipchura is proof good hockey players can come from anywhere. His hometown, Vimy, Alberta, is a blip on the map, one of those Canadian prairie cities with the peculiar numbering pattern.

"It's four streets, maybe five, about an hour north of Edmonton," Chipchura said. It's true. A look at the town map shows it runs from 45th Ave. to 49th Ave. and it's three streets wide. The world will be a very populated place when Vimy builds out to First Ave. His parents work in Edmonton and he was brought up an Oilers fan.

"He's a character player with leadership skills and he's very competitive." -- Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey

"I've always been a big Edmonton Oilers fan and my parents took me to a lot of games. Now, I like to catch a game whenever I can, but I didn't get a chance last season because of my schedule," he said.

Chipchura has been ahead of the curve for a long time. He was the first selection of the 2001 WHL Bantam Draft. He made his Bantam AAA team as an under-age player in 1999-00 and scored 26 goals and had 60 points. He had 27 goals and 59 assists in 39 games last season.

He was quick to admit he'd rather be the 18th pick in the NHL Entry Draft than first in the WHL draft.

"Oh no, it's totally different. A little bit bigger stage and a little more attention to this one," he said.

With his selection, Chipchura realized his days of rooting for the Oilers are over.

"Gee, that Canadiens sweater looks good on you," he was told.

"Yup, and it feels good, too," he said. "This is the most storied franchise in the history of the NHL. I can't explain how I feel right now. I kind of thought I might be selected right around where Montreal was drafting and when I heard my name, it was great. It gets pretty nerve-wracking (waiting to be selected) and I started sweating a little bit more. When your name is called, it's a great weight off your shoulders. This is something I've been waiting for my whole life.

"I went to a game in Montreal earlier this year and the fans were great. The city is great and I can't wait. I know I have a lot of work to do to get there but they're a younger team on the way up. I've heard a lot of good things about coach Claude Julien. He was a really good junior coach and he's well respected everywhere. I have full confidence that he'll be good to play for."

Chipchura met earlier in the week with the Canadiens, but didn't realize he'd made a strong impression until he read the newspapers.

"Yes, I spoke to them in a brief meeting, no more than any other team. I really didn't know what to expect," he said. "Then, I saw my named linked to Montreal in the newspapers and I thought it would be great to play in one of the best NHL cities, if not the best NHL city."

Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey said his scouting staff gave him a list of a dozen preferred players before the first round and when the Habs' turn came, Chipchura was the highest remaining player on that list.

"This is the most storied franchise in the history of the NHL. I can't explain how I feel right now. I kind of thought I might be selected right around where Montreal was drafting and when I heard my name, it was great." -- Kyle Chipchura

"He's a character player with leadership skills and he's very competitive," Gainey said, adding that while a final decision hasn't been made, it's likely Chipchura will return to Prince Albert this fall.

They don't speak a lot of French on the northern Canadian prairie and Chipchura said he has an obligation to brush up on his schooling, out of respect to the team's fan base. It shouldn't be too heard to learn. His mom was born in St. Boniface, the French section of Winnipeg that produced NHL great Ted Green, the former Oilers coach.

Chipchura was told former Canucks GM Brian Burke likened him to Trevor Linden.

"That would be great, but I don't know if I should be compared to him," he said. "There's a guy who has been considered to be one of the best players in the world. I don't really know what to say when I hear myself compared to him.

"I've been told I'm a Rod Brind'Amour kind of player, a two-way player who is responsible and chips in with some offense," Chipchura said. "I like to think I'm pretty good on faceoffs. I've been taking a lot of our important faceoffs. I think a lot of my game is outworking the guys I'm playing against. When I'm out there against another team's top line, my goal is to outwork them."

Chipchura expects he'll return to Prince Albert for at least another season.

"I don't think I'm ready yet but with a lot of hard work, in a couple of years, I think I'll be ready," he said.