CHICAGO — The scouting report on Calgary’s Cale Makar is that he’s smooth, poised, cool under pressure.
That, of course, is on skates.
On Friday, though, the 18-year-old defenceman will be decked out in dress shoes.
“I just hope I don’t fall down the steps when I get picked,” he quipped.
Makar won’t be squirming in his seat for long before being called for that knee-knocking stroll to the stage during Friday’s opening round of the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago.
The marquee attraction this past season for the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits, the offensive-minded rearguard is widely projected as a top-10 selection.
There have been rumblings that the Colorado Avalanche could target the five-foot-11, 187-pounder with the fourth-overall holler.
One scout told TSN’s Bob McKenzie that Makar would be his choice at No. 1.