NEWARK, N.J. -- I woke at about 6:30 a.m. this morning. I really couldn't sleep last night. I was trying to, but I kept waking myself up.

We had a little breakfast for some of the prospects this morning, so I went there with my mom and dad to have a good breakfast before the big day. I had some eggs and a little bacon and some fruit.

We went back to the hotel and I was able to spend some time with my family who are here. We headed over to the arena, and we got here at about 12:30. We got here early, because I obviously didn't want to be late for this.

I had some more time to spend with my family and my friends beforehand.

I didn't have to wait very long, which was pretty awesome. Being drafted by Calgary was something I really wanted, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Sean Monahan, NHL Central Scouting's No. 5-rated skater among the top draft-eligible prospects in North America, is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2.25, 187-pound forward led his team with 31 goals, 47 assists, 15 power-play goals and 78 points in 58 games this season for the 67's. Monahan, who was voted among the top three players in four separate categories during the OHL Eastern Conference Coaches Poll in March, has maintained a blog for NHL.com this season leading up to the NHL Draft in Newark, N.J.

Hi everyone from the media lunch area near the Hudson River!

I just arrived in New York City [Friday] morning at about 9 a.m. ET and it's been great.

It's a crazy city and there are certainly a lot of people. I guess I'm just looking forward to getting around the city once I get the opportunity. My mother [Cathy] and father [John] and sister [Jacqueline] are here, as is my sister's boyfriend, some aunts, uncles, cousins and my grandparents. I have about 35 people here with me so I guess you can say we went all out!

I basically have been in the gym since the conclusion of the NHL Scouting Combine [earlier this month]. I haven't had a day off since two weeks after the season ended in Ottawa. I took some time off then, but I've been in the gym every day and have been skating two or three times a week. I continue to work on my game and do whatever I can for next year in order to become an impact player in the NHL.

I really enjoyed the Stanley Cup Final. Watching my favorite player, Jonathan Toews was great. He's a leader and even when he's not putting up points, he's contributing in other ways. It could be playing that strong two-way game or winning face-offs or just making sure the whole team is ready to go. So that was really fun to watch. It was certainly a great series.

It's great to be in the company with such great draft eligible players. All the players here are so good. Thing is, you never know where you will go [in the draft] but you're always competing against each other on the ice. Now, I guess, it's time to just sit back and relax and let the cards fall where they're supposed to. It's an exciting time and just being able to share it with the other prospects is awesome.

I'll check back again after the draft. Thanks for reading.

Follow Sean Monahan on Twitter at: @Monahan20

Sean Monahan, NHL Central Scouting's No. 5-rated skater among the top draft-eligible prospects in North America, is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2.25, 187-pound forward led his team with 31 goals, 47 assists, 15 power-play goals and 78 points in 58 games this season for the 67's. Monahan, who was voted among the top three players in four separate categories during the OHL Eastern Conference Coaches Poll in March, has offered to maintain a blog during his stay in Toronto for the NHL Scouting Combine this week.

Hello from the Toronto International Centre!

Well, it's over, the fitness testing is done.

I was really looking forward to this and have been working out for a while now so, obviously I was a little nervous and I had to get something light in my system. So everyone recommended a light breakfast so I had a little fruit smoothie and some oatmeal. I think that was a good choice too.

After that I came in and did the medical testing and it was a process and that was pretty long. I guess I was just getting pretty anxious for the fitness. Once I got there, there were so many people watching and I did get a little more nervous with all the lights on me. But I think I did well and now I know my weaknesses and that's something I'll work on in the summer.

I think the Wingate bike test was the harder of the two tests. It's quick and just 30 seconds and there's a lot of resistance and you have to keep the pace up there but I did the best I could. I'm proud of myself and ready to work on what I need to work on over the summer.

After the tests, I had plenty of interviews to do. I realize this is a process to get to the next level and I want to be a pro and I want to play in the NHL so I think going through this is good experience for me and I'm enjoying all of it.

Overall, the week was great. I got to spend time with good friends and see my competition. I was rooming with [Guelph Storm center] Jason Dickinson and that was fun and meeting all the general managers and scouts was pretty special. I just told them how I feel about my game and what I need to improve on and my goals.

Obviously I'm looking forward to the Draft but I know there's a lot of work to do before that day arrives. I'm just looking forward to getting back in the gym consistently and working hard. I really want to make that jump next year and I think through hard work, it will help me. I feel if I do that and I get drafted I'll be ready for the development camp and make an impression there.

Follow Sean Monahan on Twitter at: @Monahan20

Sean Monahan, NHL Central Scouting's No. 5-rated skater among the top draft-eligible prospects in North America, is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2.25, 187-pound forward led his team with 31 goals, 47 assists, 15 power-play goals and 78 points in 58 games this season for the 67's. Monahan, who was voted among the top three players in four separate categories during the OHL Eastern Conference Coaches Poll in March, has offered to maintain a blog during his stay in Toronto for the NHL Scouting Combine this week.

Hey everyone!

So, three days have passed at the Combine in Toronto and it's been great. Meeting the scouts and general managers has been very exciting. I think the advice that [former Ottawa defenseman Cody] Ceci and [former Oshawa forward Scott] Laughton gave me was a big help. With the interviews, I'm just trying to be myself. I'm enjoying the whole process of the meetings.

Sean Monahan, NHL Central Scouting's No. 5-rated skater among the top draft-eligible prospects in North America, is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2.25, 187-pound forward led his team with 31 goals, 47 assists, 15 power-play goals and 78 points in 58 games this season for the 67's. Monahan, who was voted among the top three players in four separate categories during the OHL Eastern Conference Coaches Poll in March, has offered to maintain a blog during his stay in Toronto for the NHL Scouting Combine this week.

Hi everyone!

As you all know, the NHL Combine is being held this week and I'll be arriving in Toronto at the hotel on Monday. Right now, I'm still not certain who my roommate will be, but looking forward to that.

I've been preparing for this event for a while with practice interviews and off-ice training. I know the testing is pretty hard and you need to really push yourself to prove yourself. My trainer has been helping me get physically ready, and it has been a big help.

Sean Monahan, NHL Central Scouting's No. 4-rated skater among the top draft-eligible prospects in North America, is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward led his team with 31 goals, 47 assists, 15 power-play goals and 78 points in 58 games this season for the 67's. Monahan, who was voted among the top three players in four separate categories during the OHL Eastern Conference Coaches Poll in March, has offered to maintain a monthly blog for NHL.com that will chronicle his season leading up to the 2013 NHL Draft.

Hi, everyone!

It was a challenging season this year and with that brings a lot of positives and negatives.

I guess the biggest negative was losing many games (16-46-6), but then there were positives. We still have our loyal fans in Ottawa cheering and always supporting our team. I believe that playing on a rebuilding team at some point in your career is part of being a professional. I learned how to control my emotions better during a game, and that allowed me to focus and play my game.

I was also able to build on my leadership skills and was able to react differently at different times during the season. The one downfall was not really having a home rink, although that's not an excuse to lose games. It just didn't feel like we really ever had a home game. Personally, I definitely had more positives than negatives this past season. I can't thank everyone enough who was a part of it, especially all my teammates.

Sean Monahan is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward was a second-team OHL all-star last season after scoring 33 goals in 62 games, and he added 15 points in 18 playoff games. In 50 games this season, Monahan leads his team in goals (26), assists (43), points (69) and power-play goals (12). Ranked No. 4 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm report, Monahan has offered to maintain a monthly blog for NHL.com that will chronicle his season leading up to the 2013 NHL Draft.

Hi, everyone!

It's obviously been a different kind of year for the team this season. The fact we're not winning [Ottawa is 15-41-4] is no fun at all, but I believe we have a strong leadership group which keeps a positive environment. I think I'm having the season I wanted to have with a few bumps in the road, but I just want to continue to be the best example I can be for my teammates the remainder of the season.

It's frustrating not to win and I sometimes lose sleep over games, but at the end of the day, you have to look past that and be excited that you're still playing the game. Come game time, there are no excuses. It's anyone's game any night, so there is always something to compete for.

Sean Monahan is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward was a second-team OHL all-star last season after scoring 33 goals in 62 games, and he added 15 points in 18 playoff games. A highly regarded prospect, Monahan has offered to maintain a monthly blog for NHL.com that will chronicle his season leading up to the 2013 NHL Draft.

So, the Top Prospects Game is over and I can say it was a fun game with a lot of great players. It was really exciting to see the draft class playing together and playing against each other.

Defensively, I think we wanted to win and that's what we showed in a 3-0 victory over Team Cherry.

We worked together well and got the job done. Personally, the pace was up there. I was pretty nervous at the start as I'm sure everyone was, but as the game went on I felt my line [with Curtis Lazar and Kerby Rychel] started to click more. We got quite a few chances there but, unfortunately, couldn't find the back of the net.

Both my linemates got into fights and that was pretty cool -- Lazar and Rychel. They were both good fights and they got the boys going with that.

I think I learned how good every player happens to be in this game. There are a lot of good players out there that I've never seen or never heard of before but you just have to keep working hard because the challenge gets tougher this time of the year when you're entering the draft.

The second half of the season [at Ottawa] is going to be clutch. I have to have a good second half and work with my teammates. Hopefully, we'll get some wins down the road.

I appreciate you all stopping by to read my blog, and check back next month.

Follow Sean Monahan on Twitter at: @Monahan20

Sean Monahan is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward was a second-team OHL all-star last season after scoring 33 goals in 62 games, and he added 15 points in 18 playoff games. A highly regarded prospect, Monahan has offered to maintain a monthly blog for NHL.com that will chronicle his season leading up to the 2013 NHL Draft.

Hello hockey fans. It's been a while so I thought I'd check in from Halifax prior to the big Top Prospects Game on Wednesday.

I got to see what the testing was all about on Monday when Jordan Subban showed me some of the drills in the airport. I guess I mentally just tried to prepare for it. I couldn't really practice anything because I didn't have ice time, but I came in mentally prepared. I arrived in Halifax on Monday a little late because my flight was delayed, so that was tough.

I came in and got to the hotel and found out I was rooming with goalie Spencer Martin from Mississauga. We had a little trouble Monday night with our television reception eventually figured it out and watched "America's Funniest Home Videos." After that, we shut it down.

As far as the testing went on Tuesday, everything was basic. Obviously, most of the stuff comes naturally. The backwards skating was probably a little different for the forwards and I think overall it was good and I felt it went well.

Sean Monahan is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward was a second-team OHL all-star last season after scoring 33 goals in 62 games, and he added 15 points in 18 playoff games. A highly regarded prospect, Monahan has offered to maintain a monthly blog for NHL.com that will chronicle his season leading up to the 2013 NHL Draft.

Hello everyone. The month of November was a pretty busy one for our team. It was a little bit of a change for us, as we normally play all weekend games. However, we had a lot of games during the week this month. During that time we had a tough stretch which included a seven-game losing streak. Of course, it's no fun losing, but as a leader on this team I have to stay positive and lead by example. We got a win Nov. 20 which ended the losing streak.

The only downside now is not being able to help my teammates keep their winning ways going. I was suspended for 10 games on Nov. 23 for a check to the head during a game Nov. 18. It was an unfortunate incident for me, the player from the Plymouth Whalers I hit and my team. However, I accept my punishment and will learn from it, and do my best to help the team while I'm out in any way I can.

The good part is I'll return in time to compete for a spot at the World Junior Championship. Earlier in the month I was lucky to take part in the Subway Super Series against the Russians in Guelph. It was an incredible experience playing with such talented and top players from the league. It was also a great experience to share with my teammates, Cody Ceci and Tyler Graovac, who were there with me. Myself and Graovac actually connected for a goal on the penalty kill, which was pretty special for us. Unfortunately we did not end up getting the result we wanted, but it was another great learning experience for myself and made the rivalry against Russia that much stronger.