Patrick King

No. 1 ranked Tyler Seguin still reflecting on final OHL season.

PLYMOUTH, Mi. -- Tyler Seguin came a long way in a short time, but he's not ready to look ahead to the National Hockey League draft just yet.

Seguin discovered he was ranked first by the NHL's Central Scouting the same day his second junior season came to an end on Wednesday. Although the draft lottery takes place on Tuesday, Seguin would rather reflect on a memorable season moments after his Plymouth Whalers were eliminated.

"Maybe in a few days," he said when asked if he was looking forward to finding out where each team would pick. "Right now I'm just with the boys, dwelling on the season. We had long chats in the room and that's kind of where my mindset is right now."

The bitterness of the defeat to the Windsor Spitfires was evident. Seguin failed to reach the scoresheet in the highly-publicized battle with Windsor's Taylor Hall, the other consensus top prospect for the draft.

It was the first time all season Seguin went four games without a point. He scored five goals and five assists in Plymouth's five-game series win over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the opening round.

Seguin said he followed the draft rankings more closely than he did the NHL standings as the season wore on. He's aware the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins are the front-runners to land the first-overall pick, but hasn't given much thought of playing in either market.

As a result of growing up in the Toronto suburb of Brampton, Seguin admits his favourite boyhood team was the Maple Leafs. Despite potentially finishing with the second-worst record in the NHL this season, Toronto won't have the opportunity draft Seguin as the Maple Leafs traded their first pick to Boston as part of compensation for Phil Kessel last September.

As far as Seguin is concerned, the destination pales in comparison to the opportunity.

"I don't really have any favourites," he said. "The main thing is I just want to go to a place and one day win a Stanley Cup. I want to go to a team that wants me most, whether that's first or fifth (overall). It's just the team that wants me most and where I can earn my spot."

The 18-year-old is focused on playing in the NHL next season. Recent history would indicate that goal is attainable. The three most recent first-overall picks all went on to play in the league the same year after being drafted.

The goal may be to play in the NHL, but should the NHL team that picks him determine he's in need of more junior seasoning, Seguin wouldn't be upset with returning to Plymouth.

"I have a great group of guys here, a great organization and a great group of fans to come back to," he said. "If that happens, it wouldn't be the end of the world. It's just another year to develop."

His head coach in Plymouth, Mike Vellucci, doesn't expect to see No. 9 in his lineup next season.

"Right from the first puck drop in the regular season he came ready to play," he said. "I'm proud of him and he deserves the opportunity."

Vellucci knew Seguin's time in Plymouth was nearing an end even before the season started. In an interview with sportsnet.ca prior to the season, Vellucci said he believed Seguin could knock Hall off the No. 1 perch, claiming, "His overall package is second to none."

The NHL's Central Scouting, it would seem, agrees with his coach.

One of the most remarkable aspects of junior hockey is the rapid growth a player can make. It took Seguin until his 16th game of his rookie season before he notched his first Ontario Hockey League goal.

Seguin, the ninth-overall pick in the 2008 OHL priority selection, began his rookie season buried on the depth chart. Greg Stefan, then head coach of the Whalers, preferred playing his veterans and barely afforded his budding star more than fourth line minutes. Stefan eventually stepped down in November of 2008 and Vellucci, also the team's president and general manager, came back for his second tour of duty behind Plymouth's bench.

Seguin became the first player in franchise history to lead the OHL in scoring, as he shared that honour with Hall at 106 points. He credits Vellucci and associate coach Joe Stefan for his ascension to stardom.

"I can't give enough credit to our coaches," he said. "They taught me so much this year."

While Seguin's immediate future remains a mystery, he will look back on the season that was everything he could have ever hoped. He will take another step forward in realizing his goal of playing in the NHL on Tuesday when the draft dominoes fall in place.

Whichever team fortunate enough to pick Seguin will be getting a franchise player and as Vellucci indicates, the hype is completely warranted.

"I think he had a great year," Vellucci said, "and deserves all the attention he's getting."