WHL: Blades’ Josh Nicholls looking to earn contract with Leafs

The NHL entry draft for a player involves a handshake with the general manager, a free jersey and hat, an invite to at least two training camps, and of course, proud family and friends, but it doesn't include an entry-level contract. That is earned when the player proves he's worth the big bucks in the big leagues.

Saskatoon Blades star Josh Nicholls is still trying to prove to the Toronto Maple Leafs that he's worth their money. He's yet to sign a contract with the Leafs and the deadline to do so of June 1 is fastapproaching.

"I know I have to earn that contract, but I try not to think about it," says Nicholls. "I just have to play my game and hope they notice."

The 6-foot-2, 192-pound winger 's quest to show he's worth a pro contract was recently delayed. Nicholls was out for more than a month with a strained MCL in his right knee. He returned to the lineup in late January.

"I admit I was a bit rusty when I got back from the injury," says Nicholls. "It's always hard to adjust to the speed after not playing for a while. It definitely sucked to get hurt. No one ever wants to miss games. There was nothing that I could do though, so I just tried to stay in shape while I was out."

For a seventh-round pick, Nicholls has exceeded the majority of junior hockey rink rats' expectations point wise. He broke out last year into one of the Dub's top scorers, notching 34 goals and 87 points in 71 games. This year he has maintained his scoring rate with 23 goals and 48 points in 41 games.

The stats do not show that Nicholls has had to work harder to get on the score sheet this year. Last year he played alongside some of the league's elite talents, such as San Jose Sharks prospect Marek Viedensky, Edmonton Oilers prospect Curtis Hamilton, and Philadelphia Flyers centre Brayden Schenn. While this year, since his old linemates departed to the pros, he's been playing alongside some of the Blades' younger players that played sparingly last season.

"Obviously it was great to play with guys like Schenn and Viedensky, they made things pretty easy for me," says Nicholls. "Playing with our younger guys like (Ryan) Olsen and (Matej) Stransky has been fun too though. They've been working hard along the boards and making things happen out there."

The Blades, who are building toward hosting next season's MasterCard Memorial Cup, are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 69 points. A strong playoff performance down the stretch could be exactly what the Tsawwassen, B.C., native needs to do to prove to Leafs management they can't let him slip between the cracks.

"Obviously you always want to do well in the playoffs," says the 19-year-old. "Last year we struggled [losing four straight to Kootenay in Round 2], but this is a new year. We have a great group of guys and I think we can surprise some people."

While Nicholls is trying to earn his contract on the ice, his agent Gerry Johannson is taking care of the business side of things.

"We've had initial talks about Josh, but we haven't talked about the contract yet," says Johannson. "I expect the talks to progress over the next while. With someone as talented as Josh, he will get a contract somewhere. I expect it to be with the Leafs, but if not, I guarantee you he will sign somewhere."

If Nicholls does indeed sign a contract with the Leafs it seems very unlikely he'd crack their opening day roster next season. So he would either join one of their affiliates in the AHL or ECHL, or return to Saskatoon as an overager. Obviously any player would love to move on to a professional league from junior, it involves a paycheck bigger than a couple hundred bucks, plus it's a step up in skill level. However, since the Blades are hosting the Memorial Cup, returning to Saskatoon would also have some upside for Nicholls.

"My first goal is to be in the NHL or AHL next year," says Nicholls. "Since the Blades are headed to the Memorial Cup it wouldn't be bad to come back here. It would be a great experience. That's out of my hands though. Either way next year should be an exciting year."

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen and contact him at Friesenkelly@live.ca (image credit Flickr).