Here’s the other half of the Steven Stamkos interview, courtesy of Don Fulton…

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Question: I know mentioned that you don’t want to think too much about the NHL draft, but if you could pick any NHL franchise to take you, who would it be?

Stamkos: I guess I have to play this one politically correct (laughing). It is just every kid’s dream to make it to the NHL and whatever team takes me, I’ll be there with a smile on my face and excited to get things going. I’m not in a position to really say which team I would prefer. For me, just getting selected on draft day is probably going to be one of the best days of my life to share with my friends and family. Whatever team drafts me, I’ll just be excited to join the organization and hopefully be able to make an impact.

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Question: Do you know much about the Los Angeles Kings organization?

Stamkos: I’m a pretty passionate hockey fan and I love watching hockey. For me it is kind of hard to see the Kings in the position they are with the amount of young talent that they have. They’ve got great young prospects and great young forwards, and a good talent there in Jack Johnson. It is kind of weird seeing them where they are in the standings. I thought they would do a lot better, but they are pretty young, but for me it is always exciting watching them play, just the style of game that they play. From what I hear it is a great place to play and a great atmosphere.

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Question: Have you talked with any of the Kings’ scouts this season?

Stamkos: After the first playoff game in Windsor I actually had the opportunity to speak with Mr. (Michael) Futa (Director of Amateur scouting) and I believe Mr. Lombardi was there with him – I think he was there with him, I can’t be 100% sure. I talked to both of them after the game and they just kind of asked how I thought I played and just told me to keep my play up. We’ll see come draft day and the lottery how things play out.

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Question: Have you ever been out to California? It was 85 degrees today.

Stamkos: No, I haven’t actually. It is definitely a place I’d like to visit one day, and if I happen to end up playing there it would be a nice bonus. It was minus 1 here in Sarnia.

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Question: When you find yourself thinking about your hockey future, have you thought about the possibility of playing in Hollywood?

Stamkos: That is definitely an awesome dream. I kind of catch myself sometimes looking at the NHL standings on TSN and to see who is going to be picking where. It is kind of hard not to pay attention to it with all of the media attention and what not. It is always kind of cool to look at the bottom five to see who is going to be battling it out for that lottery pick, and whether I go 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 you never know which team is going to be selecting there. Being in L.A. has definitely been on my mind considering they’ve been at the bottom most of the season.

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Question: Given the choice: Los Angeles or Tampa Bay?

Stamkos: (Laughs) Both of those places would be unbelievable places to play, especially considering those temperatures. L.A. would be great for me and Tampa would be great for me. It doesn’t really matter. L.A. has a lot of forward prospects; then again Tampa Bay has Vincent Lecavalier and (Martin) St. Louis. There are lots of really positive things to say about both teams. If I end up going to one of those teams it will definitely be a dream come true for me.

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Question: Is your game NHL-ready right now?

Stamkos: Personally, I think I am ready to make that step. Like I mentioned before, I’m definitely going to have to work hard in the summer to bulk up a bit and get a little more speed, but I think as far as my hockey-sense and hockey-smarts on the ice go I think I am perfectly capable of playing at the next level right away.

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Question: Anything you’d like to say to all the Kings’ fans who want you out in Los Angeles so bad they are rooting for the team to lose?

Stamkos: If I am selected by the Kings it would be an honor and I’d be very excited to get out there and check out the city and hopefully make the team as an 18 year-old.