NHL draft tracker: Seth Griffith, London Knights

Seth Griffith seems like he can get a shot away in a phone booth, for those you old enough to remember payphones.

After going undrafted in 2011 largely due to concerns over his size and skating, the London Knights right wing spent much of the summer improving the latter, particularly his first step. That paid off with a 45-goal, 85-point season for Griffith, who's now more able to get separation from opposing checkers in the offensive lone. He's remained productive in the post-season with 19 points in 14 games, tying for the team lead. Essentially, Griffith now has greater quickness to complement with the moves he adapted from his days as an accomplished youth lacrosse player.

"Lacrosse, there's always a man on you, with a lacrosse stick in your face," says Griffith, who regularly competed for Canadian championships in the national summer sport while growing up in Wallaceburg, Ont. "It's a lot easier with having played lacrosse to know what to do in that tight situation in front of the net."

The NHL's Central Scouting Service did not include Griffith in its final ranking. One would think a player with 67 goals and 147 points across the past two seasons in the OHL's tough Western Conference would elicit some curiosity from the next level as either a later-rounder or free agent. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Griffith, who turned 19 in the first week of January, is on the compact side. The Knights believe he's got an uncommon amount of drive.

"He's got an elite brain and he's got hockey sense," says Misha Donskov, London's assistant coach and assistant general manager. Along with that added speed, it gives him a chance to pull away from defenders and checkers faster and get into space. You have to give him credit. When he gets those opportunities, he executes.

"He knows that he's got to rely on his skill if he wants to play on the pro level," Donskov adds. "He's the type of guy who's constantly looking at ways to make himself better. For example, [on Monday] we practised for only 50-60 minutes. We're getting ready to play for an OHL title and Griffy stays out for another 45 minutes working on his pivot, working on his saucer passes. And this is not with the coach breathing down his neck. He wants to work on those things."

Griffith has chosen well for his NHL role model. He says he watches Philadelphia Flyers star Claude Giroux closely. At age 16, Giroux, who hailed from the remote Franco-Ontarian community of Hearst, Ont., was bypassed in the OHL priority selection draft. The centre joined the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympics and became a first-round NHL pick in 2006 before going on greater fame.

"I've always gone under the radar a bit, but I've used that as motivation and it's finally starting to pay off," Griffith says of last season's NHL draft disappointment. "I just put all that in the back of my head. It's not how I get to the NHL so long as I get there."

1. What do you credit for your improved skating this season?

"I have a really good trainer in Wallaceburg, Rod Langstaff. We do cross-fit training. I also work at a synthetic ice place in Chatham with [former NHLer] Todd Warriner. He was one of the best skaters in the NHL so he definitely knows what he's talking about."

2. How does your lacrosse backgroundhelp you get your shot away in tight confines?

"When I played lacrosse, I always had my stick out with my buddies playing catch and stuff, so it was really good for my hand-eye coordination and obviously my stickhandling skills. It helped with conditioning. Rolling off checks was a big part of it. It's kind of like hockey, you have to make sure your head is up and you can make the play quickly."

3. Other than the obvious such as building strength and speed, what area of the game do you need to improve in before you may turn pro?

"Definitely the defensive side, but that goes for everyone trying to make the jump. Coaches don't like to see that defensive mistake. I also have to include skating because you can never be a good enough skater."

4. Whom in the NHL do you look at and say, "I can do what he's doing" or "I need to do what he's doing?"

"My favourite player is Claude Giroux. I think we play similar games and he also brings a physical side as you've seen in the [Stanley Cup] playoffs. I want to start hitting a lot more and bringing a more physical side to my game. That's what he's doing, all while putting up points."

5. What teammate has had the greatest influence on you?

"Definitely [Knights centre] Vladislav Namestnikov. We went to a Tampa Bay Lightning training camp together and we've played on the same line since Day 1 last year. We've had some good chemistry together and obviously he's a good player, drafted in the first round to Tampa. We've got good chemistry and hopefully it will take us to the Memorial Cup."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (photo: OHL Images).