You can practically smell the money during the NHL Entry Draft weekend. A premier event for the league second only to the Stanley Cup finals, there is no bigger reminder that this sport is nothing but big business, no matter how hockey purists — especially college hockey fans — like to wax poetic about how this sport, our sport, is different from the other Big Leagues.

Sure, there were 19 collegians, future collegians, and soon-to-be-ex-collegians chosen in the first and second rounds, and it was thrilling to see incoming freshmen picked Nos. 2 and 3.

So amidst all the jaded, cynical musings of journalists, agents, “friends of family,” and others in and about the game, Luca Cunti was a refreshing surprise.

The left winger from Zurich, Switzerland, picked No. 75 by Tampa Bay in the third round, told reporters, “I know I will come for sure to North America next year, but I am not sure yet where.”

When pressed, he said, “Perhaps college.”

Yes, this six-footer who had three goals and an assist for Team Switzerland in the World Junior Under-18 Championship this year, may be coming to a league near you.

“I need some education,” said Cunti. “I am talking to St. Cloud and Clarkson and a few others, but these two are now the most important. I just want to have some school, so I am thinking of school now.”

He said that we’ll know whether he goes pro or goes to school in “one or two weeks.” “It depends on what [Tampa Bay] will offer me, and then I will make a decision.”

Cunti said that college “was always” part of the plan. “Everything was open.”

Aside from the educational aspect of an NCAA commitment, Cunti said college hockey holds another appeal.

“In the Canadian league … it’s more games, but more games is also very difficult for me as a Swiss guy [who plays] only 30 or 40 games a year. It’s also harder because if you get injured, I won’t go to the NHL, and I don’t want to have [an] injury.”

When young hockey players are faced with the choice between college and major junior hockey, some are certain that the latter is the better place for them because of the perception that leagues like the Ontario Hockey League are the alleged fast track to the NHL, and some like the idea of simply playing more games per season than they can in the NCAA.

The first pick in the 2007 Entry Draft, American-born Patrick Kane, bucked Scotty Bowman’s advice and headed for the pros instead of college. But other first-rounders were always committed to the college path.

James vanRiemsdyk, chosen second overall by Philadelphia, is an incoming freshman for New Hampshire. “I pretty much had my mind set on going to college. I thought it would be the better route for me because it gives me time to get bigger and stronger.

“At a place like UNH, I was pretty confident in the coaching staff there to help me develop as a player. It was pretty much an easy decision in the end.”

Wisconsin-bound defenseman Ryan McDonagh, picked No. 12 overall by the Montreal Canadians, sees college as the means to two ends. “In the olden days you had to go to major junior if you wanted to get to the NHL. But now the college level is just as competitive if not more competitive, so as a player you can stay close to home and get an education as well.”

Draftee after draftee had similar feelings about the college route. “I had the option of going to the OHL, but I wanted to get an education for after hockey, something to fall back on,” said second-rounder Ted Ruth, a defenseman bound for Notre Dame.

“I’m an American kid and I’ve always liked the idea of college,” said Colby Cohen, who’s headed to Boston University after being selected in the second round by Colorado. “My mom went to Boston [University], so it’s just the perfect fit. I’m going to head there with the Avalanche first-round pick Kevin Shattenkirk. We’re rooming together, playing together.”

E.J. Maguire, head of the NHL’s Central Scouting, said that he sees college becoming even more of a feeder for the NHL than it is now. “The NCAA game benefits from that older, more mature player. The NHL teams, once they draft them, now have four years to watch a player play. They have those four years to not to have to extend a contract. If they pick a major junior player, the two-year clock starts ticking, and you have to tender a person a contract after two years.”

Peter McNab, assistant general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, has a slightly different take on the relationship between the NHL and the NCAA. McNab acknowledged that college can provide time for a young player to develop, but said that when it comes to top prospects, the NHL doesn’t always have the luxury of time.

“It’s just the way the system is now. When you have 27-year-olds [in] unrestricted free agency, if you let a kid stay in there until he’s 22 or 23, you may only own him for three or four years. It’s really hard. While NHL teams would like to keep the kids in college, the system now doesn’t allow them to keep them in college.”

McNab also said the idea that the NCAA has recently become more fertile ground for NHL organizations may be as much of a misconception that the OHL is the guaranteed faster track.

“I think it’s a situation where a lot of good players go to college hockey, so I don’t think the NHL is turning to college hockey as much as there are just a lot of good players in college hockey. The NHL goes to where the players are.

“I personally — maybe I’m against the norm — but I don’t think that all of a sudden they [NHL organizations] think the game is quicker or they think the game is any certain way.

“The [collegiate] coaching is better, the programs are better, the schools do a better job [of recruiting], and I think that they get a lot of good players.”

The battle with the pros is one that some colleges are losing with increasing frequency. Michigan head coach Red Berenson, in many ways a victim of his own success, has been a very vocal opponent of players leaving early to pursue professional careers.

Matt Rust, a defenseman heading to Michigan after being chosen by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round, sent his new coach a reassuring message. “I’m just excited to be playing for Michigan. I don’t have any future plans for leaving early.”

Maybe Luca Cunti can make George Roll or Bob Motzko as happy as Rust and incoming Michigan rookie draftees Louie Caporusso, Tristin Llewellyn, Max Pacioretty, Aaron Paushaj and Ben Winnett may eventually make Berenson … should they all remain in college.

To paraphrase Colby Cohen, going the NCAA route is as American as is making money.

And after all, Cunti — who plans on majoring in sports management or psychology — was born on the Fourth of July.

Friday, June 21 will likely go down as one of the longest and toughest days in the life of Tommy Cross.

It was ironic, then, that Saturday was the complete antithesis.

One day after waiting around hoping to hear his name called in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, Cross, a defenseman headed to Boston College in 2008, had to wait just 25 minutes on Saturday morning before the team he grew up following, the Boston Bruins, made him part of the organization.

Cross, ranked 12th among North American skaters by the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Bureau, saw his stock fall in the weeks leading up to the Draft after injuring his knee playing baseball.

The 6-foot-3 blueliner walked around on Saturday with a noticeable limp, but says his knee feels fine now, just a couple of weeks after having surgery.

“The knee is great. It’s fine,” said Cross, who admitted that the injury might have been a reason he slipped from the first round to the second. “I had surgery a couple of weeks ago and in a couple of weeks I should be ready to go.”

Cross said that sitting around all day Friday was difficult, but pointed out that some of his pain was eased by the success of both the American and collegiate players, who were chosen in record numbers.

“Yesterday, from one point of view was tough,” said Cross. “But from another point of view it was an unbelievable event. It was a long wait, but to see my buddies get picked and what happened to them, it was great.”

Eleven college players and 10 Americans were picked in Friday’s first round.

As stressful as Friday’s opening round was for Cross, Saturday was a bit of a silver lining.

Boston had the eighth pick of the round, the 38th overall. With their eyes set on local product Cross, the team feared that he might not be available when they picked and thus worked to trade up. The Chicago Blackhawks, who had the fifth pick of the round, agreed to swap picks with the Bruins, who had to surrender their third-round pick to the Blackhawks as well.

As all of this transpired on stage, Cross realized his dream of one day playing for the Bruins might actually come true.

“You hear [that Boston] traded up and you like to think they traded up to get you,” said Cross. “When I heard Westminster School and I definitely got excited.”

Excited might be an understatement for Cross, who says he loves the city of Boston and grew up watching and cheering for the Bruins from his home in Hartford, Conn.

“I was a big Bruins fan,” Cross said. “I grew up watching NESN (Boston’s regional sports network). Always watching NESN. That was the channel.

“That’s why I made my college choice. I wanted to be in Boston . It was between BC and [Boston University]. BC seemed like the better choice. My uncle is a season ticket holder [at BC] and I’ve always been a Boston Red Sox and a Boston Bruins fan, so it’s good.”

The fact that Cross’ stock fell may be a serendipitous ending to the weekend, as there’s little chance the Bruins would’ve taken him with the eighth pick overall — regardless of the health of his knee. Still, it only slightly took away the sting that was Friday night for future Eagle.

“I got back to the hotel and turned on SportsCenter and all they talked about was the Draft, so it was like I couldn’t get away from it,” said Cross. “[My family] always has positive words of encouragement. My uncle is from Boston — from Arlington — so he was saying that the Bruins have a pick in the second round. So that worked out kind of well. They were all positive [last night]. After a while they kind of stayed away from me, but they were definitely there.”

Cross calls himself a two-way defenseman, saying that he liked to jump into the rush but not at the expense of his defensive play. He feels that his game is a good fit for the new NHL that favors offensive play.

“A couple of years ago, I could’ve said I was going to be a defensive defenseman, but in today’s game, you need to skate and contribute to the offense because it’s an important part of the game,” Cross said.

Now knowing his NHL fate, the next question Cross will face is how long before he’ll have a chance to play in the league. Boston College has had a recent history of keeping even their top players for all four years and the Bruins blueline is one area for the team that is somewhat secure, suggesting that Cross may be as much as four years away from beginning his professional career.

Though that career may be a ways away from beginning, another career according to Cross is most certainly now over.

“When I walked to the Bruins table they said, ‘You’re retired from baseball,’ and I said, ‘That’s a deal.'”

Not a bad tradeoff at all.

Players Playing the Press

After the history-making simulcast of Friday night’s first round, Saturday’s pickings felt a little bit like the day after Christmas — anticlimactic, but with many good deals left.

Incoming Minnesota freshman forward Mike Hoeffel was ranked 22nd by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau, but became the property of the New Jersey Devils in the second round as the 57th pick overall.

Boston University-bound Colby Cohen, ranked 25th by CSB, also waited until Round 2 to be selected No. 45 overall by the Colorado Avalanche. Cohen took the wait in stride when a reporter noted that he was wearing the same suit as he had Friday evening. “I switched up the shirt,” he said.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Draft weekend is the way in which these very young players deal with enormous media pressure. Cohen, a Philadelphia native, didn’t disappoint, displaying an aptitude for handling tough questions from the press, displaying a sincerity and poise admirable for his young age.

He gushed about his immediate destination, but knew how to balance his answer. “I really like the [BU] coaching staff, the facilities were great, it’s four hours from home.

“Boston’s the best city in the world — well, it’s right there with Denver.”

Another youngster who knew how to make an impression on press that’s closer to home was defenseman Ted Ruth, picked No. 46 in the second round by the Washington Capitals. Ruth, a product of the National Development Program, was the second player in this year’s draft who will play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish next year.

In response to the obligatory comment about the excitement of the draft, Ruth concurred enthusiastically, “Yes, Ma’am, it is.”

Ma’am. With a cordial nod of the head. That’s one way to woo the press.

Ruth will join first-rounder Ian Cole on defense in South Bend, where he admitted that “the pressure’s on” for the Irish after last season, but added, “It’s a matter of showing what we can do and play it out this year.”

A Bull Durham moment, but he shows real promise.

Colorado College forward Bill Sweatt, who grew up in Elburn, Ill., said he was “excited” to be picked the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, and was completely unrehearsed about the hometown connection.

“Growing up, I watched them a little bit,” said Sweatt. “Obviously, it’s the hometown team, one of your favorite teams. It’s really fitting that I’m going to the hometown team.”

And he was quick with his opinion about another Chicago team. “I love the city, big-time Cubs fan. They’re doing a little bit better than they usually do, but not as good as they should be [since] they spent 300 million dollars in the offseason.”

He was less sure about whether he’ll be returning to CC for his sophomore season. “We haven’t talked too much or anything, but hopefully soon. I haven’t talked to the [Blackhawks] staff … so as of right now, I don’t know.”

Perhaps the kid who most sounded like a pro was the collegian who’s definitely going pro, Dartmouth forward T.J. Galiardi. Ranked No. 31 but selected No. 55 overall by the Avalanche, Galiardi said his decision to leave Dartmouth is “kind of personal,” but “mainly to pursue [pro] hockey.”

And, oh, to have his problems.

“I have to put on some weight. It wasn’t too much of an issue at the college level … but if I have a future in the NHL I’m going to have to weigh a little bit more than I do now. It comes with time. My brother’s a big guy, and my dad’s a pretty big guy, so I’ll just mature into it.”

He knows himself well, too. When asked about what he can bring to the Avalanche organization, his demeanor was all-pro. “I think that one of my major assets is my skating. It helped a lot in the college level and it’s going to help me in whatever level I play at.”

The most honest reaction to the entire event, though, may have come from incoming Wolverine freshman defender Matt Rust, picked No. 101 overall in the fourth round by the Florida Panthers.

“Just an exciting day, a lot of ups and downs. My heart’s been thumping for as long as I can remember, but I’m definitely honored, and I’m just excited to see where things go.”

Playing the Local Crowd

The Calgary PR department earned its keep in the seventh round when the Flames chose Ohio State incoming freshman forward C.J. Severyn, announced — to the delight of the few remaining locals — as “a future Buckeye.”

Further pandering to the crowd, the PA system played “Hang on Sloopy” after the pick, the song adopted by the Buckeye faithful as an unofficial fight song.

Local Guy Finishes Last, Nicely

With the final pick in the 2007 Entry Draft, the host team chose one of its own.

At No. 211 overall, the Columbus Blue Jackets chose Trent Vogelhuber — whose last name was misspelled on the big board, with a “v” in place of the “b” — a native of the Columbus suburb of Dublin, Ohio.

This is the second draft of the year for Vogelhuber, who was chosen by the Des Moines Buccaneers as the fifth pick overall in this year’s USHL draft.

Vogelhuber, a forward who was unranked by CSB this year, is committed to the Miami RedHawks for the 2008-09 season, played two years with the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets Under-18 Midget Major team while attending Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, and spent 2006-07 with the St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL, where he had 10 goals and 16 assists in 31 games.