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Prospect Q&A – Nino Niederreiter

Written by: Jesse Michael on 4th June 2010

PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Vankoughnett

Niederreiter, even though his English isn't that strong, is one of the most interesting characters of this season's NHL draft picks | read this item

Niederreiter is a 6’2 Left Winger from Chur, Switzerland and played this past season with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. He was ranked 12th amongst North American skaters by Central Scouting Services.

OpenIceHockey’s Jesse Michael caught up with Nino at this year’s prospects game in Windsor, Ontario.

JM: Do you feel you improved your draft status with your play at the World Juniors?
NN: I think that people were able to see what type of player I was at the juniors. After the juniors, I thought I tried to play the same game as before. I tried to score every game as that was my job there.

JM: Where were you for the Swiss upset of Canada at the 2006 Olympics? What did it mean to your country?
NN: I was watching TV with my family. It was unbelievable. Seeing [Paul] DiPietro score those two goals was just awesome to watch. It was the biggest thing so far for ice hockey in Switzerland.

JM:What do you need to do this past season in Portland, on and off the ice, to make sure you get drafted in the position that you want to?
NN: I just tried to play the same game every time. When I came to North America I wanted to play against the best kids my age. I haven’t changed too much with my eating habits, I just try to work out as much as I can and get stronger.

JM:How do the girls in Portland compare to the girls in Switzerland?
NN: There’s a lot of nice girls in Poland, very open. In Switzerland, they have the most beautiful girls but are a bit more arrogant than in Portland.

JM:Who controls the music in the locker room? If Ipod, what do you listen to?
NN:We all have Ipod’s, but during the season I was the DJ and controlled everything. We listen to things like electro/trans and that sort of stuff. They seemed to like it a lot.

JM:What NHL pro do you model your game after?
NN:I want to be like [Vincent] Lecavalier. He tries to make every time he’s out there something special. He’s a hard worker.

JM: If there was a movie about your life, who would play you?
NN: You know the movie Hitch? Kind of him!

JM: Will Smith?
NN: *laughing* Ya, like him…kind of like a date doctor!

JM: Do you play NHL 2010? And if so, did you create yourself?
NN: I play all the time with one of my buddies back in Portland, but no I didn’t create myself. Didn’t want to jinx myself.

JM: Favorite Movie?
NN: Cool Runnings. One of the greatest movies ever.

JM: Favorite Meal?
NN: I like every kind of pasta

JM: Favorite NHL player now?
NN: Kovalchuk. He has magic hands and he’s so fast

JM: Favorite NHL team?
NN: Chicago Blackhawks

JM:Backyard rink or pond?
NN: Pond

JM: Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky?
NN:They’re all legends. I can’t pick one. They’re all different players.

Look for Niederreiter to be an early-to-mid first round pick in the upcoming 2010 NHL entry draft.

Topics: Chicago Blackhawks, CHL, NHL, NHL Draft 2010, Nino Niederreiter, Portland Winterhawks, WHL, World Juniors

World Wide News Flash says:

October 3, 2010 at 9:03 pm

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