Trudging through an icy, snow covered parking lot at 7AM in the middle of January isn’t most people’s idea of a “good time.” They don’t know why the cold, dark days of a Western New York winter will always be the best days of the year. They don’t know how refreshing it is hearing crunch of skates digging in to the ice or the hollow pop of a clean pass hitting a stick on the tape. Those people will never understand any of it. Those people are not hockey players.

When the 2016 NHL Draft commences this Friday night at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY, four local players, who all grew up playing in rinks you’ve likely been to, will be sitting by waiting to hear their name called. Waiting for a dream that began during those cold, dark, Western New York winters to become a reality. For Austin Osmanski, Stephen Dhillon, Matthew Ladd and Tyler Johnson, those dreams might come one step closer to being realized this weekend in the same city that they all grew up in.

One of the local players likely to hear their name called this weekend is Stephen Dhillon, a 6’4” 185 lb goaltender from Buffalo, NY. Dhillon, a product of the Buffalo Regals program has just completed his second season with the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League. After a successful 2013-2014 season with the Buffalo Regals U15, Dhillon was drafted in the 3rd Round, 52nd overall by the IceDogs and quickly signed with the Niagara for the following season.

Dhillon is already an incredibly accomplished goaltender with very impressive resume even at this early point in his career. In addition to appearances at the USA Select 15, Select 16 and Select 17 festivals, Dhillon was also invited to participate in the CCM All-American Prospects game, an event designed by USA Hockey to showcase the best draft eligible talent from the United States. Adding to his already impressive resume as an elite American goaltender, Dhillon was a member of Team USA U18 Team that traveled to the Czech Republic in August of 2015 for the Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

Dhillon is in a unique situation this year as his talent and future projection will make him an enticing pack on Day 2 of the draft, yet he was not the IceDogs starting goaltender for the second half of this season. The IceDogs, who were one of the best team in the OHL and made a run all the way to the OHL Finals, traded for veteran netminder Alex Nedeljkovic (A 2014 Second Round pick of the Carolina Hurriances) mid-way through the season.

For some players this might not sit well but from the OHL personnel I have talked to, Dhillon handled the move very well. The trade for Nedeljkovic should not be seen as a slight against Dhillon or an indictment of his play. As it stands, Dhillon will only make the cutoff for the 2016 NHL Draft by a few days and had he been born two weeks later, would not even be eligible for the NHL Draft until 2017. The IceDogs were simply looking for a veteran goaltender to help take their team as far in to the OHL playoffs as possible.

Dhillon, plays a very aggressive style for a goaltender, frequently coming out of the crease to attack and challenge shooters, a trait that is very rare in a young netminder. The enticing combination of size and quickness the young Dhillon possess are something more and more NHL teams covet and I would not be surprised if Dhillon was the first Western New York player to come off the board. He has an incredible amount of potential and will have two full season as the #1 option in Niagara to develop his game further following his selection. Look for Dhillon to hear his name called somewhere between the 2nd and 4th Round of this weekend’s draft.

Although Dhillon will almost certainly be the first local goaltender to hear his name called this weekend, he could have some real competition as the first Western New York Hockey Prospect to be selected as East Aurora native Austin Osmanski is also ranked in the same range. Standing 6’4″ and weighing in at a solid 205 lbs, the left shot Osmanski already possesses something nearly every scout and general manager covets; an NHL-ready build. Osmanski, who has just finished his first OHL season with Mississauga Steelheads, was ranked #153 among North American prospects when NHL Central Scouting released its mid term rankings. Likely to be selected somewhere between Rounds 3 and 7, there is a lot to like about Osmanski’s game. Above everything, it’s hard work that he takes the most pride in:

“In my opinion, my work ethic and dedication to the sport is what separates me from others. I have no problem spending 5 or 6 hours a day, everyday in this sport because I know that’s what it takes. I may be under the radar now but I’m confident that if I continue to do things the right way on and off the ice, I have a chance to make a living playing this game. I know defense wins games and I try to be the toughest player to play against in my own end each and every night.”

Following the 2013-2014 season with the Buffalo Regals U15 of the SCTAMM, Osmanski was selected in both the OHL and USHL Draft. After deciding to stay at home for one more season, he moved to the Buffalo Jr. Sabres program and tallied 9 goals and 15 assists while splitting time between the Jr. Sabres U16 and U18 teams. After weighing his options following the 2015-2016 season, Austin and his family decided the jump to the OHL would be the best move for his career. Now that he’s looking at potentially being selected this weekend, it appears it was the right move. When I asked Austin what it would mean to hear his name called this weekend he told me:

“That’s something that I try not to think about right now but in all honesty it’s impossible not to think about it. Growing up as a kid it’s a dream you have every night but now that its finally here you find yourself feeling anxious, nervous, etc. but my family has done a great job of preparing me for what might happen whether it goes in our favor or not. When the time comes I’m sure it will be a special moment for not only me but my family, friends and supporters who have helped me get this far. “

In addition to Stephen Dhillon and Austin Osmanski there are two other Western New York players who could slide in to the later rounds on Saturday and both players happen to be goaltenders in Matt Ladd and Tyler Johnson. Ladd, an imposing presence in the net at 6’3″ and 200lbs spent the first three years of high school with both the Buffalo Saints and Buffalo Regals programs before moving on to play last season with New England Prep powerhouse Avon Old Farms. During his time with the Buffalo Regals, Ladd played under former Buffalo Sabres forward Matthew Barnaby, an opportunity that Ladd relished:

“Playing for Coach Barnaby was great and he is one of the best coaches I ever had. With him playing in the NHL and having so much experience it helped my development and our team succeed, as well. He is a great guy and coach. He expects a lot of you and pushes you to the best that you can be. Playing for him last year really improved my play.”

Ladd’s play certainly did improve during his time with the Regals and it showed at Avon Old Farms as Ladd was one of the best goaltenders in New England and is now the highest rated Prep goaltender heading in to the 2016 NHL Draft. Currently uncommitted to an NCAA Division I program, Matt has caught the of some NHL scouts and will likely play in the USHL next season for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, the team that took him in the 4th Round of USHL Entry Draft.

Matt told me he tries to model his game off of Carey Price and Braden Holtby because of their calm demeanor, a trait he says is very important for goaltenders and a sentiment echoed by Cedar Rapids scout Daniel Reidel who told me “I like that he’s calm in the net. He’s very imposing to shooters and very technical in his game. He’s very fluid and he battles for every puck.” When I asked Matt what the strongest part of his game was he told me

“The strongest part of my game would be my size and my crease movements and athleticism. As a big goalie, it is important to use your size to your advantage and to take away space for the shooter. It is important to be athletic and be able to move quickly as well. As a goalie you need to be the best skater on the team because hockey is a game of inches and you need to be able to get around the crease easily.”

Tyler Johnson is yet another imposing Buffalo netminder who could hear his name called in the later rounds on Saturday as well. Standing 6’3′ and 185 pounds, the Amherst native has found himself playing all over the country the past few seasons with stops in New Hampshire, Michigan, Kansas and Illinois. After spending last season with Compuware U18 of the HPHL, Johnson moved on to Junior Hockey and has posted a 2.27 goals against along with a .911 save percentage this season with the Topeka Roadrunners of NAHL. Currently ranked as the #18 North American goaltender headed in to the 2016 NHL Draft.

Much like Stephen Dhillon and Matt Ladd, Johnson excels at using a combination of size and athleticism to keep the puck out of the net. It is his size and athleticism that caught the eye of quite a few college programs and Tyler recently committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for the 2016-2017 season at the University of Maine. Before joining Maine Johnson will have one hurdle to clear however. During his time with Compuware last season Johnson was called up and played one period of hockey for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL, the team that selected him in the 7th Round of the OHL Priority Selection, putting his college eligibility in to question. The NCAA has since given Tyler a 1 year suspension, forcing him to sit a next season, a ruling that both John and the University of Maine will be appealing.

When I asked him what it would mean to be drafted, I think Tyler summed of the feelings of all these players pretty well.