Reid Schaefer had to wait a long time to hear his name called at the 2018 Western Hockey League bantam draft. 

"To be honest, I didn't even know if I was going to be drafted," said the native of Spruce Grove, Alta. "I was trying not to worry."

Schaefer watched as 12 of his teammates from Okanagan Hockey Academy Edmonton Prep got selected. 

"We had a pretty stacked team that year," Schaefer said. "We had guys going in the first round, second round, third round and all that, so I was waiting around and congratulating all my teammates."

Finally, in the eighth round, the Seattle Thunderbirds used the 164th overall pick to take Schaefer.  

"A sigh of relief," the 6-foot-3, 215-pound winger recalled. "I used that as motivation and wanted to prove people wrong after that. That's kind of my mindset: I like to prove people wrong."

Schaefer has certainly proven projections wrong during his NHL draft season. He opened the year with a 'C' rating from NHL Central Scouting, which is assigned to those considered candidates to be picked in the fourth round or later. He was No. 85 on the mid-season list of North American skaters, but after scoring 32 goals in 66 games he rocketed up to No. 31 in the final rankings. 

TSN director of scouting Craig Button has Schaefer at No. 20 on his final list of all prospects. 

"I'm a late bloomer," Schaefer readily admits. "Not a lot of people have believed in me. I think people are starting to finally notice me."

During a conversation with TSN, Schaefer outlined how he took his game to another level this season while helping the Thunderbirds reach the WHL final. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

TSN: What led to your success this season? 

Schaefer: "It's a testament to how hard I worked. Last season, I only had two points in 18 games. I really used the last off-season to better myself and hone my skills every day. I went into this season with a lot of confidence."

TSN: What did you work on last summer? 

Schaefer: "I worked on my shot. That was definitely a main focus. I worked on my release and the power aspect. I worked on my overall game. The main thing was my confidence. Last year, I didn't play with much confidence and having more confidence gave me more skill on the ice to do my thing." 

TSN: How did you get that confidence? 

Schaefer: "[Head coach] Matt O'Dette believed in me, and he gave me an opportunity. He was a guy who trusted me and with his trust came my confidence. He's a guy I could rely on, and he pushed me to be better. He was a key factor in me gaining confidence."