NHL ENTRY DRAFT

June 21, 1997

Nikos Tselios

As long as I get picked, that is all that matters. No big deal.

(Question was: What did you expect regarding pick) I don't know, anywhere from the mid to late first round definitely.

Took me out to lunch and met with me again at the hotel here and showed a lot of interest in me. And, I knew if I got down to the end of the draft, they would pick me up.

I am the type of player that has got a lot of skill level. Help the team out a lot. Got good vision on the ice, things like that. Be able to make things happen with the team. And, I think I will do well.

Yeah, I talked to him before I left. He said be confident no matter what happens and stick in there and go to your meetings and just prepare yourself as good as you can.

He has a summer camp in the summer. I go out to it and help him out in it and get to skate with a lot of NHLers. Hearing everybody talk, I learn a lot about the game through them and also growing up watching them, I try to copy them a lot. And seeing them play was really the main thing.

I got original Greek spelling, the TS is like a pronounced CH in Greek. When they came over, they heard the pronunciation and they just decided to switch it over.

The biggest change was watching them grow up. I got to see him go through the Olympics and college ranks and everything else and seeing how hard it was for him growing up to do what he did. It was pretty impressive. And, seeing it all happen in front of me and, you know, getting to talk to him while he was growing up, that was pretty impressive.

He doesn't say much about life in the NHL. Of course it will be great, especially his life. He has had quite a great life, coming from where he did, where he is at now, I mean, he is something else.

It is in the genes, in the blood. I know it is there. I know it there. I got to keep working hard and hopefully I can make that step.

I think his smartness on the ice, the way he plays the game, like, all around. I mean, he makes plays happen, gets shots on net and all sorts of things to help the team out.

That is what I like doing. I like helping the team as much as I can more than myself. I am more giving than taking. I like helping the team out to the best of my ability.

We have talked about it to each other. He is like, first game against each other is going to be pretty wild. Hopefully he says he can stick around for the next couple of years when I step in and just play with him.

I think two more years. Got a lot of time to mature and fill out and become stronger and bigger. A lot more than some of these -- some of these other players do have and I think I should come along real well.