My Draft Day: Anthony Beauvillier

Just play it cool.
That's what was going through Anthony Beauvillier's mind as he walked towards the stage at the BB&T Center when the Islanders drafted him 28th overall in 2015.
He didn't want a repeat of his QMJHL draft experience, when the overzealous teen wound up sprinting to the stage after getting his braces untangled from his mom's scarf.
"I told myself if I ever go in the first round I'd walk slowly and enjoy everything around and take a deep breath and kind of say 'wow, this is happening right now,'" Beauvillier said.

It's hard to act like you've been there before during one of the biggest moments for any teenage hockey player. The NHL Draft is a huge spectacle, with bright lights, a giant stage and the brain trust for every team together on the floor, but he thought back to his brother's draft in 2012 and had an idea of what to expect. At that point, he just wanted to take it all in.
"I had fun during the night, that was my plan," Beauvillier said. "I wasn't really nervous - you always are a bit on the inside - but I was just chatting, just kind of joking around, so my night was unbelievable."

It was also easy to be relaxed in the early goings, as he was projected to go somewhere late in the first round or early in the second round after posting a career year with the Shawinigan Cataractes.
"I didn't really expect to go first round that day," Beauvillier said. "That Friday night, I just kind of got there and was chilling with my family, watching the first round and having fun. I knew probably around 23 I had the chance to go."
Beauvillier initially thought Toronto may take him 24th overall. He'd had six or seven interviews with the Maple Leafs, but they traded down to 29th on draft night, which he also saw a possibility. This is where time began to slow down for Beauvillier, the minutes feeling like hours and restlessness starting to kick in. He was worried that between the nerves and humid Florida heat that he'd sweat through his beige suit, so he kept readjusting in his chair.
With every new team on the clock, Beauvillier's father would look at him to gauge his reactions. When the Islanders traded up for the 28th pick, Beauvillier didn't have a strong feeling he'd be drafted because he'd only had one or two interviews with the team and the Isles didn't even have a first round pick at the start of the night.

But there were some pretty telltale clues starting to align in front of Beauvillier. His coach from Shawinigan noticed the Islanders Quebec scout holding a jersey and a camera crew was starting to mobilize near their section.
"My coach said, 'oh he likes you a lot,'" Beauvillier said his coach told him of the Isles scout. "From then my heart kind of started bumping a bit and I blacked out. We were looking at the cameras and where they were and they were standing right in front of me. I have chills just talking about it."
It's hard for Beauvillier to describe the feeling of being drafted, achieving a childhood dream of gaining entry to the NHL, but he just remembers being elated, hugging his family and heading towards the stage.
"It was such a good feeling, especially when you don't expect to go first round and you're kind of surprised there," Beauvillier said. "Me and my family, my mom, my dad and everyone was crying. I had so many people there, we rented a house in Florida and had a great week."

The lead-up before the draft felt like an eternity while the gauntlet of interviews, NHL photos, social media obligations seemed to be gone in an instant. That's the part that feels like a blur to Beauvillier, who didn't even realized a close friend of his, Mathew Barzal, had been drafted 12 picks earlier. After that, he went back to the house his family rented in Florida for a night of pictures and celebrations.
With the draft approaching on June 22, this is a natural time to reminisce, but Beauvillier thinks about it more often than just mid-to-late June.
"Sometimes before bed I watch my selection again," Beauvillier said. "I'll remember it for the rest of my life."