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“A guy who can move the puck, rush it and quarterback the power play — and if it all projects to the NHL level — you’d be crazy not to consider that. You have to. But it’s all about the projection and I wouldn’t be shocked if they (Canucks) took him at No. 5.”

That’s understandable.

The Canucks not only interviewed Makar during the NHL Draft Combine, Benning and Trevor Linden, the president of hockey operations, were among a four-person entourage that took the highly-touted defenceman to dinner later that night to demonstrate their heightened level of interest.

The polite and soft-spoken Makar, a team-first guy, checks a lot of competitive and character boxes.

“My parents raised me right and kept me humble as I was growing up,” said Makar. “I had to work for everything I got and I’m not a guy who likes to talk about himself. I have to give credit to my teammates and all the coaches I’ve had for sure.”

Makar has been compared to a National Basketball Association point guard because of what he does in transition, how he finds teammates and how he finishes. In his last two full seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, he amassed 35 goals and 100 assists in 111 games. That alone commanded attention, but there was much more.

At the 2017 World Junior A Championship in December, he had five goals and four assists in eight games and that’s when the light bulb went on. As much as Makar set a goal to be the top-ranked defenceman for this draft, his performance at the worlds and the added attention only heighten his resolve.