Canes pick has promise

Bowman a force in junior hockey

The first time Ron Francis saw Drayson Bowman play, he was pretty happy with what he saw -- not bad for a third-round pick. Now, the hockey world can hardly believe what it's seeing from Bowman.

The 2007 Carolina Hurricanes draft pick has scored five goals in three games at the Memorial Cup, Canada's junior hockey championship. That's just three short of the tournament record, with one game left. Bowman and the Spokane Chiefs will play for the title on Sunday (4:30 p.m., NHL Network).

"I saw him in December and liked his game then," said Francis, the Hurricanes' assistant general manager. "Obviously, he had a real good season and a real good playoffs, and he's following it up with a real good Memorial Cup. ... He's showing he's a legitimate prospect."

Carolina prospect Justin McCrae, another 2007 draft pick, is playing for Spokane, as well, but Bowman has been the big star of the playoffs.

While Bowman led the Chiefs during the regular season with 42 goals and 82 points and during the WHL playoffs with nine goals and 20 points, his defense has been just as notable as his offense. He was plus-32 during the regular season; his two linemates were both plus-33.

He was named Western Hockey League player of the month for November after posting 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 11 games while going plus-16.

"I think I've gotten a lot faster from last year to this year, but patience with the puck is the main thing -- looking for a better play and waiting it out to see if there's a better option than rushing," Bowman said Friday in a telephone interview from Kitchener, Ontario. "The other thing is just shooting the puck. I see that as my strength, and I have to use it."

That's what the Canes saw last fall during Bowman's first training camp with the team. Right from his first practice, Carolina's front office couldn't stop whispering about Bowman in the stands. Since then, he has only gotten better.

"Just in training camp alone, his skill level really stood out for a young guy -- especially the way he shoots the puck," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. "At that point, he really had a shot that was as good as some guys presently with the Hurricanes."

The Canes hope Bowman's postseason performance will finally catch the eye of USA Hockey, which snubbed him for last winter's World Junior team despite heavy lobbying from Francis. Bowman grew up in Colorado before moving to Canada as a 14-year-old to further his hockey career.

"I felt I was good enough to be there," Bowman said. "It was disappointing they left me off the team. I thought I proved to them I was good enough in the first half. But they didn't take me, and all I could do was go out and play as well as I could for the Chiefs."

Still, as impressive as Bowman has been this season, fans shouldn't expect to see him in a Hurricanes uniform soon. He has another year of junior eligibility, and the Canes would like him to spend a year or two in the AHL as well.

"I don't think it changes his timetable," Rutherford said. "If we were in a period of rebuilding our forwards, we'd be in a little different position as a team and we might view it a little different. But it doesn't hurt for these guys to finish their junior careers and even get a little time in the minors. He certainly gets a lot more attention now."