Portage la Prairie hockey player Nick Henry will be watching the NHL Draft closely this weekend in Portage.

The Regina Pats forward and former Portage Terrier is in town to celebrate his high school graduation with family and friends, all the while keeping an ear on the NHL Entry Draft for the possibility that he may be called.

"I just want to take it all in and enjoy the moment because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to, hopefully, have my name called," says Henry. "Friday and Saturday is my graduation, and I'll for sure be watching it on TV, but it's one of those things you can't really worry about too much. It's probably going to be one of the biggest moments in my life up until right now. So I'm just excited to be a part of it."

The 17-year-old recorded 81 points (35-46) in 72 games as a rookie with the Pats during the 2016-17 Western Hockey League (WHL) season took part in the NHL Combine in Buffalo earlier this month and felt it went quite well.

"The combine had a lot of hard tests," says Henry. "They try to really figure out your willpower, to see if you'll push your body to that next level. I did as much as I could, it was pretty hard to prepare for though because I had just finished the season in Regina and was home for a week. I interviewed with 17 teams (there), but I felt my meetings went really well. I think they figured out that I know myself as a player. If you're intelligent about yourself and what you have to work on, and you know it, they're probably willing to take the risk and help you."

Henry thinks his skating is the weakest part of his game but feels the teams he spoke with realize he understands the leaps he needs to make to become a pro.

"It was obviously a very quick transition from Midget to Junior A, then to Major Junior. It was kind of shocking at times, it's really flown by, but playing in Regina this year was awesome. I think it was the best experience I've had playing hockey, we were a couple games short of winning the league, and had a great team. This year will be even more exciting hosting the memorial cup."

Henry has an agent that represents him with the NHL clubs. It's his main goal to sell Henry as a player and to respond to any doubts or questions about Henry's game. The NHL Draft's first round will take place Friday, while rounds two through seven will be held on Saturday, June 24.