Most of the hype surrounds top ranked Canadian junior hockey phenom Nathan MacKinnon for the 2013 Draft. A 17-year old power forward who can score, set up teammates and hit like a freight train. He was on display during the #SubwaySeries featuring the best the CHL has to offer against old nemesis Russia. They celebrated the 40-Year Anniversary of Paul Henderson scoring one of the biggest goals in Canadian history, clinching the famed Summit Series. MacKinnon’s junior teammate Jonathan Drouin is right behind him representing the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League). They star for the Halifax Mooseheads.

While the dynamic duo receive most of the accolades, American skater Seth Jones tops the WHL (Western Hockey League). The son of former NBA player Popeye Jones didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps. Instead, he took to hockey early and now is considered the best defenseman for next summer’s draft. The 18-year old will soon face MacKinnon at the World Junior Championships with the much anticipated USA/Canada meeting set for December 30. If you love hockey, it’s a must watch.

Jones plays for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. At 6-4, 206 pounds, he is a presence that can impact games. It won’t always be with scoring that brings fans out of the seats like MacKinnon and Drouin. But having a potential franchise defenseman to build around is huge in today’s game. A player who can play in every key situation and log big minutes is a must to help neutralize top scorers.

That’s not the underlying factor with Jones, who hopes to become the first black hockey player taken first overall. No small feat in a predominantly Caucasian league where only 2.7 percent are black including star Jarome Iginla. Winnipeg’s Evander Kane is the highest black player ever selected, going fourth in ’09. Former Ranger Manny Malhotra was taken sixth in ’98 and still plays with the Canucks.

“The impact would be so multidimensional that it’s hard to articulate what that would represent,” said former NHL goalie Kevin Weekes. “It would be unbelievable for him and his family, not to mention what it would mean for the game, for USA Hockey.

“You think about how long the NHL has been around. You think about the Original Six franchises and all the great players. You think about a global population of 7 billion . . . To be the first one in the world? That puts things in a completely different perspective.”

“I grew up with a white mom and a black dad, and I’ve never really been into the whole race thing,” Jones said in a recent interview. “But hearing that — that’s awesome. That’s a privilege and an honor. I know African-Americans don’t play hockey too much. Maybe this would get a couple more kids into it here and there.

“I grew up in a family where race didn’t matter, but that would be a great thing. That’d be awesome, for me to be that guy who little kids say, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’ That’s an honor, to be honest with you.”

For Jones, whose father Popeye sits on the Brooklyn Nets bench as an assistant coach, it would be a dream come true. Regardless of where he’s picked, the well versed Jones will be a winner. One worth rooting for.