DRAFT DIARIES: HOBSON VIEWED DRAFT AS FIRST STEP

Note: The Rockford IceHogs will be doing profiles of several current and former players' experiences in the NHL Entry Draft this week. Over 58 percent of the IceHogs players in the last three seasons were drafted to start their professional career.

Rockford, Ill.- Not every prospective pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft will travel to the Staples Center in Los Angeles on draft day. Instead, later round picks will anxiously await the news from home. Adam Hobson knows that from experience.

In 2005, the left winger spent draft day sitting in front of the computer pushing the refresh button and hoping for his name to appear.

“Both my mom and my dad were right there with me, both watching the screen,” Hobson said. “It was kind of an interesting way to find out, you know, by sitting on the computer watching, but that’s the only way to really do it.”

Eventually, Hobson’s name did appear on the screen, as he was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in Round 7 with the 203rd overall pick.

“I saw that I was drafted on the computer, I was really excited, and I got a phone call about five minutes after that by one of the Chicago scouts, you know, touching base, letting me know they drafted me,” Hobson said. “I already knew and we just kind of talked. It was a very exciting day.”

When the day began, Hobson was not even sure he would be drafted. The Mission, British Columbia, native had been told he would likely be drafted in one of the later rounds, but the 2005 draft was shortened to just seven rounds due to the lockout. As the 203rd pick, Hobson was one of the last players chosen.

“The whole day was a lot of build up and, you know, watching the rounds go by and seeing some of my friends get drafted in the earlier rounds.” Hobson said. “And I’m just sitting there waiting and waiting, and when my name finally comes up, it’s very exciting.

“I thought I was good enough to be drafted and obviously the Blackhawks agreed,” Hobson added. “I was expecting to be drafted, but you never knew.”

The fact he had been drafted by the Blackhawks made the news even better for Hobson.

“I was very happy to be drafted by an Original Six team. It was actually one of my dad’s favorite teams when he was younger,” Hobson said. “To get drafted by a team like that, to be carrying around the Blackhawk on your chest, you got to do it with a lot of pride.”

But Hobson, who signed a three-year entry-level contract with Chicago in 2007, knew his work was not over just because he had been drafted.

“When I did get drafted I realized that now the job had gotten started,” Hobson said. “Being drafted is just a foot in the door. You still have to go and work hard. You still have to try and make the team. There are no guarantees of anything.

“You still have to get signed, you still have to make the team, you still have to do all those things,” Hobson added. “But being drafted, it’s a nice way to know that you’re a solid player, your work is getting appreciated, and then from there you still have a lot of work to go.”

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