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NHL DRAFTJune 26, 2015Noah HanifinSUNRISE, FLORIDA Q. Thoughts about going to the Hurricanes? NOAH HANIFIN: It's an honor. It's been such a long ride just getting to this moment. You've done so much talking to teams, you just want to find out what team you're going to be playing for some day. Now that that's Carolina, I'm thrilled. I can't really describe it right now. It's an unbelievable feeling. Q. Talk about putting that jersey on for the first time. What emotions went through your mind as you were going through that experience? NOAH HANIFIN: I mean, it's unbelievable. From the beginning I wanted to go to a team that wanted me. Obviously Carolina saw something in me and I'm going to work as hard as I can for this organization. Q. What are you hearing from Jeremy (inaudible) about being NHL ready for next year? Is that something that's in your reach? NOAH HANIFIN: Yeah, making that step, obviously it will be a huge adjustment. There are definitely pros and cons to both, but as far as my abilities, you know, I'm very confident in myself and I feel that if I needed to go and play, I could absolutely do it. But as of right now, I'm undecided. I'm going to go back, enjoy this with my family and probably meet with Coach York and the B.C. staff and my family, my advisors in Carolina, and we'll make the right decision. Q. There was a lot of talk about them potentially moving up to get you. Is that something you paid much attention to? NOAH HANIFIN: I didn't really pay much attention to it. Obviously you hear rumors and stuff like that, stuff going on on draft day, but that's the fun of it. For me, coming into this draft, I had a mindset that anything could happen. I wasn't going to prepare for anything, and like I said, I just wanted to go to a team that wanted me. Q. What are the Carolina fans getting in you? NOAH HANIFIN: I mean, as a player, I think they're going to get a two‑way guy who can contribute offensively, can play a lot of minutes, play against the top lines on other teams, and who's going to work as hard as he possibly can to help them win the Stanley Cup. As a person, same thing, I'm just going to be a hard‑working guy. I come from Boston, it's a blue‑collar town. My parents are extremely hard‑working people. They made a lot of sacrifices to help me get here, and I'm going to take those characteristics to Carolina. Q. What player would you say you model yourself after? NOAH HANIFIN: I think there's a few defensemen. I don't think there's one specific guy. My favorite defenseman is probably Duncan Keith. I love the way he plays. He can play against the top line, play 30 minutes a night, and that's someone I see myself being down the road. I don't see why I can't be like that five, six down the road. If I keep working hard and learning, I feel that could be me some day. Q. You've played with and against Jack Eichel. What were those two experiences like for you? NOAH HANIFIN: Yeah, me and Jack have been both really good friends on the same team and we've been rivals. But Buffalo is getting an unbelievable player. What he can do on the ice, all of you know. He's so explosive, he's so dangerous with the puck, and he's going to be a player in that league for a really long time. He's a great kid. He's an awesome kid to be around. He'll be a great teammate for the Buffalo Sabres. Q. How are you going to make life difficult for him? NOAH HANIFIN: How am I going to? Those are my secrets. I can't really give those up. Q. How meaningful is it to both be taken top ten in the draft? NOAH HANIFIN: It's unbelievable. It's been a few years since any kids from Massachusetts have gone in the first round, and just to be able to share that moment with Jack‑‑ when I was getting drafted, he came up to me and shook my hand and stuff. It's unbelievable, it shows what kind of kid Jack is. It speaks volumes about Massachusetts hockey, the development they have there, and so many good kids are coming up, younger kids, and I don't think me and Jack are the only kids from Massachusetts drafted in this year. Q. Did you have an idea that Carolina was going to draft you? Had you talked to them? NOAH HANIFIN: Yeah, definitely. I got a really good vibe with the staff there and Ron Francis. Obviously like I said, I wanted to go to a team that wanted me, and they saw something in me, and I'm extremely proud to be wearing this sweater right now. Q. (Inaudible). NOAH HANIFIN: Yeah, definitely. You talk to so many teams, you just want to find out which one you're going to be playing for some day, and now that I know, it's definitely a relief. But this is when the work starts. Q. Carolina is going to be building, obviously. They've got some new guys. Is it kind of exciting to know you're going to be a part of that? NOAH HANIFIN: Yeah, absolutely. They've got guys like Justin Faulk there who are unbelievable defensemen and obviously it's going to be tough to make a team like that, but maybe later down the line it would be awesome to play for an organization like that. Like you said, they're building right now, and they're going to be awesome in a few years, I think. Q. Do you know any guys there? NOAH HANIFIN: No, I don't. I met Jeff Skinner last year when I was in Toronto training, but he's the only one. Q. What do you feel your biggest transition is going to be into the NHL? NOAH HANIFIN: I mean, obviously it's definitely going to be a step up in every aspect. It's a lot faster, more physical, you're playing against men. But I think the biggest jump going into the NHL is not even the hockey aspect. I think it's the mental aspect, making that jump is a very tough thing to do. You're not playing in college with your buddies anymore. It's a business now and you have to perform every night. I think that's going to probably be the toughest thing. Q. What can you do personally to prepare for that? NOAH HANIFIN: For me I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing. I'm not going to get too crazy, just keep working as hard as I can, improving my skills, getting stronger in the gym, and we'll see what happens. Q. You said you had a conversation with Carolina. Did that make the wait a little bit easier? NOAH HANIFIN: I mean, yes and no. Obviously in the draft you don't really know what's going to happen. So many things can happen. I felt I had good interviews with all of my teams that I met with basically. But like I said, obviously Carolina saw something in me, and I'm very proud to be wearing this sweater right now. Q. Did you share any words with your guys as you were coming off the stage? NOAH HANIFIN: Yeah, I was just thanking all of them. I told them I'm going to work as hard as I can for them. Q. Have they talked to you about next year? NOAH HANIFIN: No, not yet. They were just saying congratulations and stuff like that. Q. Have you ever been to North Carolina? NOAH HANIFIN: I haven't. I hear great things about it, though. It's an unbelievable state. But I'm really excited, like I said, to be a part of this organization right now, and I'm looking forward to going to rookie camp soon. Q. (Inaudible). NOAH HANIFIN: Quite a few. I was with my immediate family there, and I have about 35 relatives. My trainer came, my headmaster from my high school came, my best friend from high school, so it's unbelievable to share this moment with them. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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