Alistair McInnis,

Black Press

Ryan Howse, meet the Sutters.

On Saturday morning from his home in Prince George, the Chilliwack Bruins star sniper discovered he’d been drafted by the Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League draft.

The Flames, guided by the brother tandem of Darryl (general manager) and Brent (head coach), was picked in the third round, 74th overall.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work to play for those guys. They’re hard-working coaches and they like hard-working players,” he said. “They’re definitely all business, and no messing around with them. Obviously they know what they’re doing. I’m meeting a great coach there and it just seems like a great organization all around so I’m pretty excited.”

Howse, a Prince George minor hockey product who turned 18 on Monday, said he picked up the phone at approximately 7:45 a.m. Saturday morning. On the line was his agent Gerry Johansson, who informed him of the selection.

Many teenage boys sleep in on an average Saturday, but this wasn’t an ordinary day, and Howe isn’t your typical teenager.

His on-ice talent put him into a position to get drafted in the first place, something the majority of hockey players only dream of. Howse wasn’t planning to miss the biggest phone call of his life for a few extra hours of shut eye.

“I didn’t get very much sleep that night or anything, so I woke up pretty early and I was watching it on the computer for a bit,” said Howse, who led the Bruins with 31 goals last season.

Also at the Howse household for the draft were Ryan’s father Jason, mother Roxanne and six-year-old brother Dryden. Calgary is Jason’s hometown and several of Ryan’s relatives still reside there. The Howse family is full of Flames supporters, and on Saturday, they became bigger fans of the squad.

Howse, grew up cheering on the Detroit Red Wings, but Calgary is now at the top of his list.

Being drafted is just one step on the path towards becoming a National Hockey League player.

Getting past tryouts presents another challenge. But Ryan can take comfort in knowing that, barring a trade, he won’t be playing far from home and support will be in full supply.

An added bonus is that Calgary’s American Hockey League affiliate, which previously played out of the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois, has relocated to Abbotsford for the 2009-10 campaign.

“Me living in Chilliwack makes it even better because I know my way around there now, and I might be playing in Abbotsford in the years to come,” he noted.

A strong second half in Chilliwack this past season helped raise Ryan’s stock entering the draft.

In January he was ranked 51st among North American skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau. By the end of the regular season, he climbed to 37th on the list.

Howse plans to meet with the Flames’ staff on July 19 in Calgary. He expects to be back in Chilliwack in the fall, gathering more experience at the junior level.

“I’m not going to push anything,” he said. “I’ll probably play one or two more years of junior, hopefully, and then see what happens after that.”

Thirty-one Western Hockey Leaguers were selected in the NHL draft, led by Vancouver Giants sniper Evander Kane, who went fourth overall to the Atlanta Thrashers.

Brandon Wheat King Brayden Schenn was one pick behind him, going fifth to the Los Angeles Kings. Wheaties teammate Scott Glennie went eighth to the Dallas Stars and the Ottawa Senators took Spokane Chiefs blueliner Jared Cowen with the 10th overall pick.

Lethbridge Hurricane Carter Ashton snuck into the first round, selected 29th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Landon Ferraro was labelled as a possible day-one pick, but the Red Deer Rebel and son of ex-NHLer Ray Ferraro slipped to Detroit at 32nd overall.

The Colorado Avalanche re-stocked their prospect pipeline with blueliners Stefan Elliott (Saskatoon Blades, 49th ova) and Tyson Barrie (Kelowna Rockets, 64th ova).

Kamloops Blazer Jimmy Bubnick slipped all the way into the sixth round before being snapped up by the Thrashers with the 155th overall pick.

Howse is the third Chilliwack Bruin to be selected by an NHL team, joining Oscar Moller and Mark Santorelli, both selected in 2007.