Marcus Sorensen was vacationing in Turkey when he learned the Senators had made him their fourth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft (Ottawa Senators Hockey Club).

The Ottawa Senators turned more than a few heads when they called Marcus Sorensen's name at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Maybe nobody more so than the 18-year-old Swedish right winger himself.

"Shocked," Sorensen said when asked about his reaction when his agent delivered the news that the Senators had made him their fourth-round pick (106th overall) at the draft in Los Angeles. "And happy, of course. I had no idea they were interested in me."

The 5-11, 161-pound forward was so obscure in NHL Central Scouting's eyes that he didn't make their final list of draft-eligible European skaters. But Anders Forsberg, the Senators' Sweden-based scout -- who's delivered many a solid prospect into the team's camp in recent years -- liked what he saw from a player he admitted is "a long-term project."

"An interesting player," said Forsberg, who gave up his Senators scouting duties after the draft to take the head coaching position with Skelleftea of the Swedish Elitserien. "He's a long (time) away. He's a character guy who sticks his nose in everywhere he goes. He battles, he hits the (opponents). He just needs to put muscles on his body ... he's a raw, raw kid.

"We believe if we work with him well, we might get a home run. He has the potential to be a very good player. He has good hands and is a good skater."

The latter comment also comes to the forefront when Sorensen is asked to describe himself as a player.

"I'm good at skating, real fast and I have some good hands," said Sorensen, who spent last season with the Sodertalje juniors in Sweden. "Something like a playmaker, I think."

Ask him what he needs to improve upon most to make strides toward the National Hockey League, and Sorensen says "many things. I have to be stronger, bigger and I have to be better at many things."

Sorensen was vacationing in Turkey when he got the news that he'd been drafted by the Senators. With help from his parents, he was able to arrange the necessary flights to get him to Ottawa this week for the team's annual development camp. He's happy he made the trip.

"It's a little different than what I'm used to, but it's nice," said Sorensen, who will skate for Djurgarden, another Stockholm team, this coming season. "I'm glad to be here."

Two years ago, Sorensen spent some time in Sodertalje playing alongside current Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson, who was on loan from Frolunda at the time. He's met up with another Swedish prospect, Jakob Silfverberg, during development camp this week. And, like everyone in his homeland, he knows all about Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson.

Beyond that, however, a lot about the team remains, well, foreign to him. But he wears a smile every day when he thinks about the National Hockey League team that unexpectedly called his name at the draft.

"Forsberg has told me it's a good team," he said.