Finally, Nick Larson has a chance to catch his breath.

The last two months have been a whirlwind for the Apple Valley native. He played in the United States Hockey League championship series, graduated from high school, selected a college, went to Toronto for the NHL scouting combine, traveled to Ottawa to hear his name called in the fourth round of the NHL draft, then started planning the next phase of his career.

He did most of that away from home. It's a lot of responsibility for someone who won't turn 19 until November.

For the first time in months, Larson has a chance to spend an extended period of time at home. Hockey never will be far from his mind, though.

"I'm off for most of July, even though I'll still be playing hockey four days a week," Larson said. "But it's going to be nice to hang out with my friends and relax at the lake."

Larson, who played last season with the USHL runner-up Waterloo (Iowa) Black Hawks, was selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round of the June 20-21 NHL Draft. He was the 108 overall selection.

One other Sun-Current area player was drafted - Eastview High School graduate Corey Fienhage, who was taken by Buffalo in the third round.

Larson accepted an invitation to come to Ottawa for the draft and watched with several friends from Minnesota, including Jake Gardiner of Minnetonka High School, who went to Anaheim with the 17th pick.

"I was projected to go higher, but you can never trust the rankings," said Larson, who was ranked 52nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. "I was happy to be drafted, and going to the draft was a great experience."

After three years of high school hockey - one year at Eastview and two at St. Thomas Academy - Larson spent last year in Waterloo, where the Black Hawks lost to Omaha in five games in the Clark Cup finals.

He had 19 goals and 19 assists in 57 regular-season games and three goals and two assists in nine playoff games.

Perhaps more importantly, he transformed himself physically. Larson showed up in Waterloo last fall at 6-foot-2, 177 pounds, but by the time he went to Ottawa for the draft he had bulked up to 210 pounds.

The weight gain put the "power" in power forward, the position Larson is projected to play.

"Last season was big for me," he said. "We were expected to work out four days a week in addition to playing on weekends. I ended up putting on 35 pounds of muscle.

"It took a while to adjust - at the beginning it may have slowed me down a little - but I've become bigger, faster and stronger around the net."

Waterloo picked Larson in the 2006 USHL Entry Draft. It would be another year before Larson joined the Black Hawks.

Waterloo coach P.K. O'Handley said young players typically need some time to adjust to the pace of the game and the junior hockey schedule.

"Nick caught on in early November," O'Handley said. "He started to mature physically and started to understand how to be a power forward."

Larson signed with Notre Dame shortly after the Black Hawks' season ended but is not scheduled to join the Fighting Irish until the fall of 2009. He will return to Waterloo for the 2008-09 season.

"That was a mutual decision between Notre Dame and the Larson family," O'Handley said. "It will give him an extra year of development.

"We'd like him to score more next year. We think he will because he's learning to go to the net."

Larson wants to see his point total go up, too. "I should expect that because it'll be my second year in the league. I've set some goals," he said.

He was part of a St. Thomas Academy team that won the 2006 Class A championship. That was his sophomore year and his first year at the school. He spent one more season at STA - the Cadets were third at state in his junior year - before leaving for Waterloo. Larson graduated from Waterloo West High School this spring.

"We all hear about how the state tournament is the biggest thing you can do in high school," Larson said. "Winning the state tournament is the best hockey memory I've had so far. It also helped me with my decision to leave. I felt I'd accomplished everything I needed to do in high school."

Larson doesn't know when he will turn professional, saying he will let his play over the next two or three years drive that decision.

"If I have a chance to [turn pro] early, great," he said. "If not, Notre Dame is a great situation for me."

The weight gain put the "power" in power forward, the position Larson is projected to play.

"Last season was big for me," he said. "We were expected to work out four days a week in addition to playing on weekends. I ended up putting on 35 pounds of muscle.

"It took a while to adjust - at the beginning it may have slowed me down a little - but I've become bigger, faster and stronger around the net."

Waterloo picked Larson in the 2006 USHL Entry Draft. It would be another year before Larson joined the Black Hawks.

Waterloo coach P.K. O'Handley said young players typically need some time to adjust to the pace of the game and the junior hockey schedule.

"Nick caught on in early November," O'Handley said. "He started to mature physically and started to understand how to be a power forward."

Larson signed with Notre Dame shortly after the Black Hawks' season ended but is not scheduled to join the Fighting Irish until the fall of 2009. He will return to Waterloo for the 2008-09 season.

"That was a mutual decision between Notre Dame and the Larson family," O'Handley said. "It will give him an extra year of development.

"We'd like him to score more next year. We think he will because he's learning to go to the net."

Larson wants to see his point total go up, too. "I should expect that because it'll be my second year in the league. I've set some goals," he said.

He was part of a St. Thomas Academy team that won the 2006 Class A championship. That was his sophomore year and his first year at the school. He spent one more season at STA - the Cadets were third at state in his junior year - before leaving for Waterloo. Larson graduated from Waterloo West High School this spring.

"We all hear about how the state tournament is the biggest thing you can do in high school," Larson said. "Winning the state tournament is the best hockey memory I've had so far. It also helped me with my decision to leave. I felt I'd accomplished everything I needed to do in high school."

Larson doesn't know when he will turn professional, saying he will let his play over the next two or three years drive that decision.

"If I have a chance to [turn pro] early, great," he said. "If not, Notre Dame is a great situation for me."