Chase Thompson remembers the day when North Bay Battalion forward Nick Paul - now a member of the Ottawa Senators - came out to skate with his Powassan Hawks hockey team in 2014.
He says it was a moment that inspired him.
"That was pretty cool because he was like this bigger idol for us kids so all of us wanted to make it to the OHL level and he was there," said Thompson.
"It was pretty cool being there and practicing with him and obviously, now he is playing in the NHL."
The 16-year-old is hoping that OHL dream will become closer to reality this weekend when the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection takes place online Friday night and Saturday.
The local product who grew up idolizing the North Bay Battalion, moved to Toronto for his U16 year to join the Toronto Young Nationals of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
"I went to play in Toronto this year and we played in a few leagues," explained Thompson who is enrolled for online classes at Holy Cross Academy in Woodbridge.
"There was not any body contact which was a little different but as body contact is part of the game, so it was not the same as it usually is."
Thompson hopes he was able to make the most of his opportunity this year. He hopes the scouts noticed.
"Chase is an energetic winger with a deceptive amount of skill. He has a high motor and plays with speed and pace to his game," one OHL scout told BayToday about Thompson.
"After playing up with North Bay he played a more complementary role with the Nats after moving to Toronto for the MM season.
"He always popped out during the Carnevale league and elite hockey showcase series which were two major events that did happen during this COVID-19 season," the scout continued about the Callander product.
Thompson does not say he has a favourite player, but he says he takes portions of players he likes and adds a part of their game into his.
One player, in particular, is Montreal's Brendan Gallagher.
"He is not scared of anybody, he is always going full rip, always digging, always going hard all the time so I take that and put it into my game," the articulate 16-year-old said.
"I am a smart player, I can read the play well, I have great puck possession and I am effective at both ends of the ice. I like to play physically. I have good playmaking abilities and a scoring touch. I think I am a leader who likes to lead by example."
Thompson credits coaches like Sheldon Masson for taking him in and trusting him when he made the jump from 'A' hockey in Powassan to 'AAA' Major Peewee with the Trappers.
"It was my first year playing AAA and he saw the player that I was and he got me into it right away. I was on a good line and everything. It was a big jump for me but I felt I fit in really well." recalls Thompson.
Thompson grew as a player from there and in fact, actually played a year up in his last year of hockey in North Bay in 2019-20 where he joined Scott Huycke's U16 AAA Trappers team that competed in the Great North Midget League netting 10 goals and 8 assists for 18 points in 30 games as a 14-year-old.
"It was a really good year, it really helped me. Playing up really helped me improve as a player as it is a bigger and faster game," said Thompson, who at 5'9', 145 pounds, has a comparable stature to the feisty Gallagher.
"The 05 [birth year players] had a lot of good players but the 04s were definitely a big jump for me because I am an 05 and there were a lot of bigger and older players playing in the Great North Midget League. It really helped me as a player to develop skills and playing with the bigger guys and the older teams were a lot more physical. I got a lot of exposure playing up which is good because it was like a draft year for me but obviously it was not in a way because I was too young to get drafted but it was a great experience."
Thompson says he has been contacted by a handful of OHL teams.
"It has been pretty exciting talking to teams," explained Thompson.
"I have got phone calls from five different teams and it is really good to know you have teams interested in you especially how the year went. It would be nice if we could speak in person but it is still good. It is exciting to talk to the teams and know you are on the radar for the draft."
According to some OHL scouts, Thompson is projected to go somewhere in the middle of the 15 round draft.
With the first three rounds taking place online Friday night, Thompson says some family will come over to share the special day with him on Saturday in anticipation of seeing his name pop up on the screen.
"We are just going to chill out, hang around with family and have the draft on the phone. You just have to see what happens, you can't really stress yourself over it because anything can happen in the draft," he said.
Follow BayToday's coverage of the Ontario Hockey League draft Friday night and throughout the day on Saturday
