Monahan excited for NHL Draft

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