Just a few short weeks ago, Kellan Tochkin was dealing with the disappointment of being bypassed in the NHL entry draft.

But in something of a Cinderella plot twist, the 18-year-old hockey prospect from Abbotsford has landed a contract from the Vancouver Canucks. Tochkin signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Canucks last week, and he called it a “surreal” moment.

“It’s almost a perfect story,” Tochkin marveled. “You’ve got a hometown boy who wasn’t even drafted, but a week and a half later, he signs a contract with his hometown team. It’s really, really amazing.”

Heading into the draft, Tochkin was coming off an extremely productive Western Hockey League season, where he led his Everett Silvertips squad and all WHL rookies in scoring (20 goals and 54 assists in 72 games). Questions about his size (five-foot-10) and skating ability caused him to be passed over in the draft, but the Canucks called to invite Tochkin to their prospect development camp earlier this month.

Tochkin would have been draft-eligible once again in 2010, but the Canucks wasted little time locking up his rights. The day after prospects camp ended, they called to offer a contract.

“I’m guessing they were happy with my performance at development camp, and felt they could take a chance on me,” said Tochkin, who grew up idolizing Trevor Linden. “I’m still just in shock. I have an NHL contract with my favourite team, and if I do what I need to do, I’m going to be in the NHL in four or five years.”

Tochkin is the second Abbotsford product to sign with the Canucks in recent days. Earlier this month, Vancouver inked 22-year-old blueliner Michael Funk to a one-year, two-way contract.

Tochkin will be back with the Silvertips next season, and he’s working hard this summer to prepare for his eventual NHL audition.

“Dave Gagner (Canucks director of player development) said to me, ‘To be honest, you were out of shape last year. If you’re able to score 74 points when you’re out of shape, what are you going to do when you’re in shape?’” Tochkin related. “I want to go into camp this fall in the best possible condition I can be in.”