VANCOUVER-- Despite only spending his first five years there, Harrison Blaisdell has never seen his name come up as being from Sheffield in the United Kingdom.
 
"It's super cool, I've actually never seen it up there like that before," said Blaisdell after being selected in the fifth round by the Winnipeg Jets. "It's pretty interesting. I've just been know as a kid from Regina my whole life. My dad moved over there to play and then coach after he was done in North America, so it was pretty cool."
 
Blaisdell will come into North Dakota after a 33-goal season with the Chilliwack Chiefs in the British Columbia Hockey League. Blaisdell mentioned that his season put him in a good position to get picked in the Draft, but unsure of where he would go. However, he credits his time in Chilliwack in getting him ready for North Dakota.
 
"It's an older league, it was a good jump for me out of midget," mentioned Blaisdell. "There's a lot of skilled players and it moves fast. For me, it was all about getting ready for North Dakota. The draft was a thing on my mind, too, but it was about getting ready for North Dakota and playing faster hockey in the NCAA."
 
North Dakota was a place that Blaisdell holds in high regard and looks forward to getting into school and onto the ice as a student-athlete in the fall with a major in communications.
 
"For me, I went down there and saw the facilities and it's a really unbelievable place," said Blaisdell of the UND campus. "And it gives me an opportunity to have a few more years to develop and transition into the pro I want to be. For me, school has been important for me, too. NCAA hockey is such a high level of hockey and it gives me a really good chance to transition to pro. It's all kind of close-- a little triangle of Regina, Winnipeg and Grand Forks, but I've moved around a lot in my young life so moving around really doesn't affect me. It's good to be in a place like Grand Forks that kind of reminds me of home."
 
Blaisdell did mention that a player in the NHL he models is Brad Marchand of Boston, though he made it clear some of the things Marchand does doesn't necessarily jell with his play.
 
"He plays that gritty style with a little bit of flash to it," said Blaisdell. "Earlier in life I didn't know how to control playing on the edge as opposed to over the edge, but I've gotten better with it as the years go on. I've always been a really competitive kid and it's a big part of my game. I've got the skill set to make plays, but when the going gets tough, I'm there to compete."
 
Blaisdell does have a pedigree in hockey, with his father Mike playing in the Pittsburgh, Detroit, Toronto, and Rangers organizations before moving to England to play and later coach professional hockey. Harrison credits his father for being a great resource during his decision making throughout hockey.
 
"He's been through it and he's been super supportive and calm," Blaisdell said of his father. "He did both the NCAA and Major Junior route, so he was a big resource for me in my decision. He taught me how to deal with all this stuff. He's got an eye for players, so he's got connections and teaches me everything I know. It was really good when growing up."