BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Jack Quinn has always been a humble player. While his journey to the 2020 NHL Draft had its ups and downs, including being cut at the peewee level, he was always determined to be better.
"Growing up, I played all kind of sports," Quinn said. "I worked on my skating a lot and I think that's a big reason why my game improved."
Like every NHL Draft prospect, the last few months have been difficult. The 2019-2020 season and 2020 NHL Draft were both pushed back which meant a longer waiting game for Quinn and the others in this year's Draft class.
"It's been a lot," Quinn said about the wait. "Being patient for me was the main challenge. There was a lot of interviews, a lot of off-season training, and not knowing which team I was going to end up at."
But his answer came Tuesday night when the Sabres selected him in the first round as the no. 8 overall pick.
"It was a very exciting night for me and my family," Quinn said. "When I think of Buffalo I think of a great sports town, a great hockey town. I was excited because of that."
"We see the ability for him to keep getting better, his athleticism is high, [he] just meets a lot of the metrics that we look at when we're scouting, he met them and then some," Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said. "So this was just a player that the more work we did, the more excited we got. So, we feel fortunate to get him."
Quinn spent the last three seasons with the Ottawa 67's in the OHL and last season, he had 52 goals and 89 points in 62 games played. He knows how to score, in fact, TSN's Craig Buttons called him "the best scorer available in his class".
"I'm an offensive player. I'm a goal scorer," he said. "I like to shoot the puck but I also like to drive the bus offensively and make plays. But my competitiveness as a player helps me kill penalties and be an all-around player, not just an offensive player."
Goal scorers and secondary scoring are what the Sabres desperately need. Quinn has shown he can succeed at the OHL level and wants to show he can do the same in the NHL. He's looking forward to joining the Sabres and play alongside one of his favorite players in Jack Eichel.
"I like what he does on the ice," Quinn said. "I love him as a player. It's obviously exciting to be future teammates with him down the road and short-term get on the ice with him."
"He has a what I would say is a really good self awareness of who he is as a player," Adams added. "He also has a determination that I see him getting better and better."
Day two of the NHL Draft begins Wednesday.
