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NHL DRAFT

June 25, 2010

Jaden Schwartz

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Q. Obviously a big moment?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: It's a very special moment for me and my family. Waiting up there, hopefully getting picked in the first round. I didn't know where I was going to go, and my heart was racing.
It's my birthday, so it's a very special gift for me. I couldn't be happier to be going to an organization like St. Louis.

Q. How does your sister, Mandi, feel?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: She's back in Regina, she's got leukemia. She's battling cancer right now. She's going to go to Seattle for a bone marrow transplant soon. She couldn't make it. She's doing chemotherapy right now. I want to say hello to her because I know she's watching. We'll see her soon, and she means a lot to every single one of us in the draft, and this is for her.

Q. Hockey has taken her under their arms a lot?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, the support has been crazy. I know. I can't even believe it. I know Mandi can't believe it either, how many reporters and different people in the hockey world kind of gets the hockey word about Mandi. It's over ESPN and some of the biggest things like that.
So it's very exciting. We're getting closer to finding a match. I know we will with all the support we're getting.

Q. There were a lot of guys in the college game who were supposed to go ahead of you and be the number one guy. Can you just give us your thoughts on that?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, there were all these predictions and what people think. But coming in here, I was excited to be here and hoping for a first round birthday gift. I'm happy that it happened. And my heart was racing.
My best friend was waiting there a little bit. I was pretty happy he got selected, and I got picked after him. So it was very exciting for me and all my family right now.

Q. Were you ready?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: I wouldn't say I was 100% ready. I was just waiting and waiting it out. I was very happy.

Q. Have you guys been buddies for a while?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, he came to Notre Dame to play bantam at Notre Dame, and then he played midgets. I've been to his house every summer since I met him, and he came out to my graduation this year. So we've been pals for a long time.

Q. Central scouting had you ranked. Your thoughts?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: It's very exciting for me. I didn't expect it coming in. I know the rankings at the end of the day are just predictions. You can't let it bother you. You never know what's going to happen. I think there are a few surprises already in the draft. If I'm one of them, then, so be it.
It's a number at the end of the day and I'm looking forward to the hard work and the fun work I have to put in to make it to the NHL.

Q. Is it tough to sit there after you're being predicted? Every time it's a pick you think, maybe it's me?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I think it's like that for any guy in the draft. You sit there and hope it's you. As they're announcing it, they slowly announce it. So you get more and more excited as the words go on. I was ranked late first round, so I didn't know what to expect. So I think that's what made it more exciting for me.
Hearing my name called at 14, which was pretty early, was a very special moment for me.

Q. Did you know the Blues had interest in you?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, a little bit. I thought at the combine they felt pretty interested. And a couple days before the draft I met with them and did some testing and talked with them again. So I felt interest for sure from St. Louis, and everything went well. Just like me, they didn't know what to expect, and right here off the bat I knew it was me. There are not too many people here from Wilcox. So they were more excited than I was.

Q. (No microphone).
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I think we took a family visit down to Colorado there. My dad wanted me to see the Western Hockey League and college hockey. I felt like I fit in there at Colorado College. I liked everything about it. I think I need a young guy like me and small guy, my vision is to work on my strength which is the biggest thing.
I think it's going to give me a few extra years to do that. And my 16-year-old year in the USHL was a good one. I was up for a new opportunity and new challenge with the USHL. They had a couple first round picks the previous year. I was hoping to be one of them, and it paid off. The USHL was a great spot for me, and I was fortunate to be with a good organization like tri city.

Q. Were you happy?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I was very happy. I didn't see a college game before I went to Colorado College. I didn't have any clue about a lot of Canadians. Growing up you don't get to see the college side of the game. I was very happy I got to do that and see both sides. I felt like it was the best choice for me.

Q. Have you thought much in terms of how long you'll need to be in the college level now that you've been drafted early first round?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I think that's up to the GM's and coaches. All I can do is work hard and build up my strength and continue to get better. I want to be there as soon as I can.
So I can't give you an exact date or year that I'll be there, but I'm hoping it's soon. I want to be an impact player. So I want to make sure I'm ready before I go.

Q. Pretty impressive stats. The youngest player. You've got to be proud of what you accomplished?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I can't say I expected that going into the season. Growing up in Canada you don't know a lot about the USHL, so I looked at Louis Leblanc, a Canadian like me. He had a point per game. I was shooting for around there. I got off to a good start. I was comfortable there.

Q. The reason why you chose college, was it a strength and skill thing?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, strength had something to do with it. A guy my height, I need to work on strength more than anything. I feel like in development, college hockey is very, very good. There are -- as a 15-year-old, you're not ready to commit to the NHL. I wanted to make sure I had time to develop, and I had family visits down there. I trusted the coaching staff. I liked the intensity of the way they play, and the training is going to help. And I like the speed of college hockey, as well.

Q. They're known for their academics?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, education is important to me. My parents are big on education, so that was a big reason why too. But hockey is going to end one day for everyone, so it's always good to have an education there too.

Q. What is the story about your sister? What's it been like?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I think the support really, really helps. With Mandi going through that it's always tough. My parents' moods kind of reflect on how Mandi's doing, and that kind of reflects on me and my brother's moods too. So it's tough. When you have that support there and everyone's helping out and doing fundraisers and all the swabs people are doing to sign up for the registry to find a match, that's helping. It's going to pay off. It means a lot to us what everyone's doing.

Q. (No microphone).
JADEN SCHWARTZ: She means the world to me. The best sister I could ask for. She's been close to me her whole life. It's not easy not having her here. But I know she's very proud, and she's watching right now.

Q. Are you going to talk to her?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I'll give her a call. She and her fiancee are watching right now, and my grandma. So I'll give them a call as soon as I can.

Q. But both of your parents are here?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, both my parents and my brothers and my uncle and auntie and some family friends all came down for the draft.

Q. What are you going to do to celebrate tonight?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: I'm not sure yet. I'm rooming with Gormley, and our families are close, so I'm sure we'll find some way to celebrate.

Q. Who was your favorite team growing up?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: I was a big Joe Sakic fan growing up. So I cheered for the Avalanche.

Q. Do you have any particular memories of you and your brother and sisters playing hockey as kids?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, we always played street hockey and mini sticks in the basement. My dad had an outdoor rink every year, so we'd be out there. Behind in our backyard, we'd be out in the pond every day. Whether it was 20 below or 30 below, we'd be out there dressed up.
So that is the biggest memories. Going down to the rinks in Saskatchewan were the big memories for us.

Q. (No microphone).
JADEN SCHWARTZ: No, I just felt like the way I answered the questions and the questions that they were asking, I thought we got along that way. He felt like maybe I was the guy they were looking for. Coming in here, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't expect them to take me. But I had in the back of my mind that maybe they'd take me.

Q. (No microphone).
JADEN SCHWARTZ: The biggest birthday gift would be for my sister and getting through this and living a long life ahead of her. This is definitely special for me.

Q. (No microphone).
JADEN SCHWARTZ: With all the people signing up on the registry, they're going to find one. There are lots of people signing up. Right now they have a cold smash, but ten out of ten match with the Ukranian, German, and Russian background we have, it's pretty tough. But with more and more people, there is a better chance.

Q. When she goes to chemo and radiation?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: She goes to chemo for five days, and then builds her strength back up because it knocks her down a little bit.

Q. (No microphone).
JADEN SCHWARTZ: It always depends on how she's doing. When she first got back she had pneumonia. So for a few months she was not in good shape at all. So she wasn't doing good. But lately she's been good. She actually came home for a week because the chemo knocked her down so much she didn't have any strength. So they sent her home to eat a lot and try to build it up.

Q. How did you find out about it?
JADEN SCHWARTZ: I just came home and started going back to school. It was very shocking for me. I didn't expect it. She goes back every month for blood tests. As far as I knew, everything was fine, but something like this pops up and it's very, very shocking. The only thing going through my mind was how she was handling this and what was going through her mind.

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