Stotts eager to seize his next opportunity

It didn't take long for the Winnipeg Jets to have an impact on Riley Stotts.
Stotts was only 11-years-old when his hometown Jets selected Mark Scheifele seventh overall in 2011.
Now 18, Stotts has watched every step of Scheifele's development, and to this day, continues to look up to the Jets' centre.
"He sees the ice well. He can skate, he can shoot, he can really do anything," Stotts said of Scheifele. "When he was younger in the league, maybe his body and style kind of wasn't ready for the NHL. But what everyone says around the league - and what everyone says anywhere - is that his strong work ethic is next to none.
"That's really why he's one of the best players in the league right now. That's why I look up to him. He's a player with a strong work ethic, and he's worked for everything."

Stotts appreciates that work ethic, because with work comes opportunity, and he seized one of his more recent opportunities in 2017-18.
He began the WHL season with the Swift Current Broncos, and had three points in 22 games to start his second season, before he was involved in a trade that sent him to the Calgary Hitmen on November 25.

That's when Stotts found his scoring touch.
He was nearly a point-per-game player in the remaining 47 games, scoring 17 times and finishing with 41 points with the Hitmen.
NHL Central Scouting took notice. Stotts was ranked 88th on their list of North American Skaters at the midway point of the season. By the end of the campaign, Stotts had jumped up 30 spots to number 51.
"I took on more of an offensive role and played in a bit more situations on the ice. I tried to make the most of it all when I got on the ice," said Stotts. "My line mates were great. We clicked and learned more off each other each game, and that really helped develop our line toward the end of the year."
The Hitmen finished the season 24-37-9-2 and outside of the WHL playoffs, but that gave Stotts time to prepare for the NHL Combine, which was held in Buffalo, NY during the week of May 28 - June 2.
Just like in Calgary, Stotts seized the opportunity.
He finished in the Top-25 in six of the 12 fitness tests. His highest came in the Force Plate Squat Jump, where his leap of 19.71 inches put him in eighth place out of the over 100 prospects in attendance.
"It was pretty awesome seeing that," Stotts said of his results. "I just went in and tried to do my best in every single event that I did, and every single test. I just tried to do the best I can, and waited for the results to come out after. I was pretty excited when I saw them."
During the week, Stotts chatted with "a few teams" and enjoyed the relaxed conversations he had with those teams.
"It was a good experience," said Stotts. "They made the interviews fun and they weren't too nerve racking. They just made me laugh and got to know me as an individual. That's the best way to get to know me is if I'm not nervous or anything, and that's how they made me feel."
With the NHL Draft set for June 22 and 23 in Dallas, TX, Stotts has yet to decide if he'll attend in person. Wherever he is, he'll see his selection as an opportunity - similar to his trade to Calgary, and his invitation to the Combine.
He made the most of those, and he'll do everything he can to take advantage of the next one too.