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NHL DRAFT

June 26, 2009

Nick Leddy

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

Q. Did you start to pretty much get the impression that you were pretty high on the radar?
NICK LEDDY: Maybe a little bit, not too much, because you never know on draft day. You really never know what can happen. But I'm just happy that they picked me and I can be one of the hometown guys.

Q. Any pressure to be a hometown guy?
NICK LEDDY: I would say a little bit, but you know, you can -- I guess you can always rise to it. That's the kind of player I am, in high pressure games, and I always seem to play big.

Q. Inaudible.
NICK LEDDY: I was thinking about that a little bit because he's an unbelievable player, and I can't wait to play with him next year.
But I was figuring he was going to go, but I guess you never know, like I said.

Q. What's this year been like for you?
NICK LEDDY: It's unbelievable, especially going over and playing in Czech with all those guys, and a lot of Minnesota guys went. So it was good to hang out with those guys, and then the hockey season started and we were not supposed to win at all, or even get far in sections, but you know, we conquer that and then we won State. So it was a good season.

Q. What does it feel like, you live in Minnesota and you know how much the fans have been dying for this team to develop a Minnesotan, do you feel that type of pride?
NICK LEDDY: Oh, definitely, I know it's going to be a lot of pressure on me. But you know, like I said, got to rise up and play your game, and show them that you can play and you're a player like all of the other players.

Q. What part of you wanted to see this sort of thing unfold? You probably sit there thinking about the numbers, did you think that this could play out?
NICK LEDDY: Yeah, I guess, but I don't know, just like I said earlier, it can happen, and I'm glad, I'm really glad actually I went to the Wild. I go to a lot their games and I love the crowd. It's unbelievable, and I actually got to go down to the locker room. It's all first class stuff down there, it will be great.

Q. Have you talked to Jordan before?
NICK LEDDY: Me and him go way back. We used to play against each other in AAA stuff when we were 10,11, 12, 13 years old. He was on the Blades and I was on the Rockets, and that was probably life-and-death games for us back then. But we go all the way back, and this will be our first year actually playing together. So it will be good.

Q. Did you feel for him a little bit right now?
NICK LEDDY: Definitely, but he's an unbelievable player, and I mean, even if you go first round or seventh round, you've still got to make the team.
I know he's a great player and he'll do very well.

Q. What kind of player would you consider yourself? What do you think that you'll be in the NHL?
NICK LEDDY: Try to be like myself right now, try to be an offensive defenseman, good skater, nice shot, can get the puck up and down, make that first pass, break out pass.

Q. Do you feel like you've matured as a player in the past year?
NICK LEDDY: I would definitely say I have. I've been kind of the late bloomer. As a freshman, I was 5-3, 115 pounds, so I've definitely drawn a lot in the past couple of years, and I'd say going to Czech on those USA teams helped out, too.

Q. What do you want to work on?
NICK LEDDY: Just getting stronger and work on my defense more, and you can always improve on everything.

Q. Guys that go to college get five days of practice every week --
NICK LEDDY: I definitely want to go the college route ever since I was a little kid, you watch them on TV every Saturday night and it's just the culture there.

Q. What are your thoughts on time frame?
NICK LEDDY: Well, you know, I want to develop and I always want to get better, so I mean, for sure, I want to try to get there as fast as I can.

Q. Who is here with you tonight?
NICK LEDDY: My dad and my mom. My brother unfortunately couldn't make it. He has a baseball tournament at North Dakota, and I had a couple aunts and uncles and my dad is good, close friends from back at school.

Q. How many --
NICK LEDDY: Maybe ten.

Q. What are your parent names?
NICK LEDDY: Mike and Vicky.

Q. What was their reaction?
NICK LEDDY: They were super happy. I don't know if my mom start crying, she said she was if I were to get drafted. I don't know. I haven't seen her yet.

Q. Can you talk about your interactions with the Wild so far?
NICK LEDDY: I actually met them just recently, I know a lot of the Minnesota guys there and we got to go visit the locker room and stuff. It was good.

Q. How many interviews would you say you've had with them since the Combine?
NICK LEDDY: Since the Combine, I would say two, one or two.

Q. Did you have any -- inaudible.
NICK LEDDY: I would say a little bit, not -- I mean, they told me, you know, they are going to go with the best guy at the time, so I mean, they came and talked to me a couple of times and so yeah, I guess I would say they showed a little bit.

Q. Will you be able to sleep tonight?
NICK LEDDY: I don't know, this is going to be crazy.

Q. Are you nervous about starting college in the fall, classes, that kind of thing?
NICK LEDDY: No, I've already started classes, me and the four freshmen that are coming in. Usually they go in and get some classes out of the way so you have kind of a lesser load during the season.

Q. Do you know who your roommates are?
NICK LEDDY: Len Zeckwish (ph).

Q. Have you talked here all weekend?
NICK LEDDY: We haven't really seen each other because we are at different hotels but we are really close and we hang out a lot back home.

Q. Would you leave school early if you had the chance?
NICK LEDDY: I think that all depend on if I'm ready and if the Wild think I'm ready to come in and make an impact.

End of FastScripts

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