Leafs pick Andrew Nielsen proving to be blue-chip prospect in Lethbridge

Even though the Toronto Maple Leafs chose him 65^th overall in the 2015 NHL entry draft, Lethbridge Hurricanes defenceman Andrew Nielsen came into the 2015-16 season with something to prove. He felt the pressure to show that he has what it takes to enhance his level of play from his previous season’s strong showing.

“I felt the pressure and I think if there’s a time you don’t feel any pressure, then just don’t care enough,” says Nielsen, who has a late 1996 birthdate. “I think there is pressure on me to show I’m a better player this year and to play a bigger role on the team. It comes with being drafted into the NHL and playing in the WHL.”

Roughly a quarter of the way into the season, Nielsen has ultimately started to establish himself as a genuine blue-chip prospect. In addition to playing a sound defensive game, he has thrived as his club’s go-to offensive blueliner. He is only four-points away from matching his previous 59-game season’s point total with seven goals and 13 assists in 17 contests.

“Being a year older and having the experience of last year, I feel more comfortable here and more confidence this year,” says Nielsen. “We also have a great group of guys here. They find me on the point on the power play and we all help each other out on the ice and come together in the room. We also have a great coach (new bench boss Brent Kisio) and he’s brought us together and gave us a fresh start this year.”

The 6-foot-3, 207-pounder’s sophomore season is impressive on its own, but even more so when considering his journey in minor hockey. He was not only passed over in the 2011 WHL bantam draft, but he also didn’t crack the major midget ‘AAA’ level until his last year of eligibility as a 17 year old in 2013-14.

“Before, you know being at that level (AA midget), it kind of woke me up and told me I needed to get going,” he says. “From then on, I started putting in the work on the ice and in the gym and have been gaining a lot of experience and a lot of that hard work has been paying off."

Nielsen’s strong play has undoubtedly played a huge role in Lethbridge’s unexpected hot start to the season. He has helped lead the Hurricanes to a 12-5-0-0 record following their 20-44-5-3 finish to last year.

“He’s been outstanding for us,” says Kisio, whose leadership has rejuvenated the Hurricanes in his first season with the club. “He’s been our best D offensively and is a big part of our power player. But he has also been a very important player in our defensive zone and has been playing against other team’s top lines. He’s been a big part of our success this year.”

The Red Deer, Alta., native gives partial success for his hot start to the valuable experience he gained at Toronto’s training camp. It helped his confidence to know that he has what it takes to compete with high-end prospects.

“It was a confidence boost just being there and getting to experience an NHL camp,” says Nielsen. “To be around players of that calibre, and to beat them in some things and they beat me in some things, I knew I belonged there and it was good for my confidence to know that. And it was cool just to be around players like (Morgan) Rielly and (Dion) Phaneuf and to get to skate on the same ice as them."

Nielsen was reunited with a familiar face in Dion Phaneuf in Toronto. He goes back with the Leafs captain from when he was the Red Deer Rebels’ water boy while Phaneuf played in the WHL.

“It was cool to see him and talk with him there,” he says. “He’s been a big role model of mine since a young age and I’ve looked up him a long time. He remembered me and we talked about hockey and other stuff for like 25 minutes. He’s a really nice guy and it was great to talk to him there.”

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen