NHL ENTRY DRAFT

June 21, 1997

Michel Riessen

I'm really happy. I'm a little bit surprised that I was picked in the first round so early. I'm really happy. It's one of the happiest days of my life.

Yeah. That's right I have to finish my school in Switzerland after one year I finish that and then we're going to see.

That's my goal. I live for that.

I was a little bit surprised. I was a little bit surprised to be drafted so high, but I'm really happy and I like it. They are a big team.

I don't know we have to see it with the team. I like to play one year more in Switzerland because I have school, but we have to see with the team.

I am a technical player, but I have to work on my physical after coming stronger and then we're going to see what happens.

Swiss hockey is not a bad hockey. I hope in the next year more players come and get drafted in first round because Swiss hockey is good hockey.

That's my dream to play in the NHL. I work for that. They hope that I arrive long time.

When I was 10 years old or so I watched TV and I saw. NHL games and it's great games and I often dream about it and when I play junior, I thought that I'm not so far to be drafted, but now I know I have a lot of work to do to play a long time in the NHL.

I like the Europeans to play here because it's hard for European players to come over and play and be a super star, but you don't have only one or something like that.

There are big reactions in Switzerland. I think because I'm the first who is drafted in the first round. TV and newspaper, they are going to write about it. That's okay. The young Swiss guys see that we can arrive and be drafted in the first round.

Yes, of course, I think there are more players to follow.

Yeah, there is. I think Mark Richard is a good player. Dennis Bornchiston. They are good players.

I'm going to work a lot on my physical.

No, I have never been to here before.

I don't know a lot of the city, but I'm sure I'm going to learn something.

Yeah. The European league, they are also physical, but they are hard, but here in America, but I think the ice rink is smaller. There's more hits than in the European ice rinks. That's different I think.

There's a lot of good players in Switzerland. I'm sure they are going to follow me and get drafted in the next year.

I speak -- my first language is German then I speak a little bit French and a little bit English.

I played last season and Sean Heeve and Paul Gania and they learn me a lot of things and they show me how tough the NHL is and there is a lot of good players in Switzerland, Canada, and also European players who played the league in Switzerland is not bad.

My mother and my mother's boyfriend and with a friend of mine is here.

They work. My parents work. My mother is a waitress and the boyfriend of my mother works in an office in a bureau office. My father, he builds houses. My real father.