If it had worked out like originally planned, Stefan Noesen would have slipped on a Ducks jersey and hat and posed for the cameras, on stage under bright lights.
It was 2011, and Anaheim was set to take Noesen in the NHL draft. But the Ottawa Senators, positioned one spot ahead of the Ducks, nabbed Noesen with the 21st pick. Noesen still has the Senators jersey he posed with that day.
“It’s still at home,” Noesen said. “It’s in a closet. It’s tucked away.”
Five years later, no one knows better than Noesen how paths veer.