North Andover Native Colin Blackwell Selected in NHL Entry Draft

North Andover native Colin Blackwell was drafted by the NHL’s San Jose Sharks in the seventh round of the NHL Entry Draft on Saturday. Blackwell was drafted 194^th overall.

The St. John’s Prep star had an incredible year marked by leading his team to its first ever appearance in the During the playoffs, Blackwell led all scorers with 16 points.

Blackwell had a goal and an assist in the state title game as the Prep owned a 3-1 lead at one point. Malden Catholic roared back and won in overtime to earn the title.

Blackwell was also named the Catholic Conference’s Most Valuable Player. He scored 33 goals during the regular season and added 33 assists in 25 regular season games.

The honors do not stop there. , given out to the top male high school player in Massachusetts by ESPNBoston.com.

Blackwell will be going to Harvard University this fall. Former Boston Bruins centerman Ted Donato will be his coach.

The 18-year old Blackwell is listed at 5-feet and 8.5-inches tall with a weight of 164 pounds. He was ranked 173^rd among North American Skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau.

The San Jose Sharks finished the regular season ranked second in the NHL’s Western Conference behind the Vancouver Canucks.

The Sharks fell in the Western Conference Finals to Vancouver in five games.

Blackwell is still quite a journey away from playing the NHL, but considering the results of Saturday’s draft, he is one huge step closer.