Hawel, Peterson, and Davis didn't attend draft, but happy to land with Stars

FRISCO, Texas — Liam Hawel didn’t attend the NHL Entry Draft in Chicago.

He had thought about it, but the big center was worried he wouldn’t be drafted and didn’t want to put his family through that.

So instead of waiting it out in Chicago, Hawel and his family watched back home Ottawa. Hawel was too nervous to watch with his parents and watched the draft on television upstairs. When the Dallas Stars picked early in the fourth round, pick 101 to be exact, Hawel finally went back downstairs and had a chance to celebrate.

“Once I saw my name I heard my mom scream,” Hawel said. “So I went downstairs gave my mom a hug and my dad a hug, and we just enjoyed the moment.”

The Stars other late-round picks had similar moments on draft day. Jacob Peterson was watching on television back in Sweden when the Stars picked him in the fifth round (132nd overall) when his family got to celebrate. There was a similar celebration in Manitoba when Brett Davis was picked in the sixth round (163rd overall).

“Mom got a bit emotional, it was awesome,” Davis said. “They’ve been there for me throughout my whole career, and they’ve done so much for me.”

The Stars also had a seventh-round pick in goalie Dylan Ferguson, but he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights two days after getting drafted as part of the Marc Methot trade.

While the Stars first three picks in the draft (Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, and Jason Robertson) got their share of the spotlight at the draft and have been understandably well covered, the Stars five-day development camp was the first chance to meet and evaluate the likes of Hawel, Peterson, and Davis.

Like most picks after the third round (and to be fair you could say this about all draft picks) all three players are long-term projects that have raw skill, but need to add to the overall portion of their game.

That was the consensus when all three centers gave a quick self-scouting report this week.

“I’m a tall forward (6-foot-5) that I try to make plays and use my speed, but obviously my goal is to get a bit bigger and stronger,” Hawel said. “Once I make that happen I can make my game not just about skill and size, but I can use my body to. I have a power forward type of frame and I like to use my skill, but once that strength comes I can use my all-around game.”

“I’m a two-way center, like to have the puck,” Peterson said. “Like to make my teammates better, like to deliver the puck, and maybe score some goals. So I like to have the puck much.”

“I’m an offensive forward that can play in all situations and doing whatever it takes to win, and will always be a good teammate,” Davis said.

All three players said they took valuable lessons out of development camp, and all three particularly mentioned the power skating drills.

“It was a good way to work on your edges and get quicker,” Peterson said. “It’s something I think I can take home with me and get better for this season.”

Peterson is expected to start this season playing for Frolunda’s under-20 team, but said he’s hopeful that he can make an impression on the coaching staff and play for the top-level team before the end of the season.

Hawel will be starting his first full season with the Guelph Storm. He was traded by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the middle of this past season, and said he’s looking forward to playing a full season with the Storm and step into a larger overall role.

Davis was also traded in the middle of the past season from the Lethbridge Hurricanes to the Kootenay Ice in the WHL. He had 22 points in 30 games on a team that missed the playoffs, and should have an opportunity to be one of the go-to options offensively this season.