He’s been key in the clutch, dazzling on his skates and was voted the fan favorite at the end of the 2005-06 season.

He was ranked as high as the fifth round in some NHL draft prediction circles, too, and made the trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, just in case his name crackled from the speakers.

Lewiston Maineiacs forward Stefano Giliati never heard his name.

“I went to Vancouver knowing it was about 50-50,” Giliati said. “I knew it was going to be a day I wouldn’t forget for the rest of my life either way. I had a good experience, I had a great time, but I didn’t come out, which was very disappointing.”

Disappointing, but motivating.

The 19-year-old forward’s ability to put the summer behind him and focus on the future is something Maineiacs’ head coach and general manager Clem Jodoin not only likes, but expects.

“It comes to a point you have to turn the page,” Jodoin said. “There are certain things that you cannot control, and it’s not about not reacting to them, it’s how you react. He could act regretting, or he could go the other way.”

By all accounts, Giliati has, in fact, “gone the other way.”

“It’s not over at all,” Giliati said. “I have a positive attitude about it, I’m going to come out harder this year, and that’s it.”

The speedster, who came to the Maineiacs more than a year ago in a trade that sent Alex Bourret to Shawinigan, played on a line with Stefan Chaput, one of his better friends on and off the ice. In Vancouver, Chaput did get the call when the Carolina Hurricanes selected him in the fifth round (153rd overall).

“I’m extremely happy for him and I know he’s happy,” Giliati said. “He’s my best friend here, and I was hoping he’d go as high as possible. Of course, I was disappointed I didn’t go, but there’s no way that burned me at all.”

Chaput returned to the Maineiacs on Tuesday and, by Wednesday, was on the ice at practice. Giliati, meanwhile, hopes he again has the opportunity to play with his good friend.

“We had a pretty good line last year and it’s only going to get better with all three guys coming back,” Giliati said. “Hopefully they’ll put us together again this year. We’ll come out harder this year and hopefully do more damage.”

The coaching staff, meanwhile, knows how important veterans like Giliati will be to the success this year.

“Our leaders are there, in my mind,” Jodoin said. “They are in great shape, and Giliati is one of those leaders.”

“There are other guys who have to take the lead role now,” Giliati said. “There’s more pressure, and I have to take more of that role this year. We have a great captain, but the rest of the vets have to help out, too. We have a lot of leaders in the room, and I think it’s going to be great.”

And Giliati hasn’t yet ruled out an eventual draft-day turn-around, though he knows he’ll likely have to produce even more this season.

“I always want to put up more points, every player does,” Giliati said. “That’s definitely a goal. I want to improve the physical side of my game, finish more of my checks and come out with the puck more often from the corners. That will help me out, hopefully, for next year’s draft.”