Charlie Coyle just wanted to relax and watch the 2011 NHL draft.

Since he had already been selected by the San Jose Sharks the previous year, he felt no stress or anxiety.

The power forward from Massachusetts was mainly interested in seeing where his Boston University teammates would be selected. But just as Coyle was about to put his feet up, he heard rumblings of a trade involving himself.

His heart started pounding and soon after it became official. The Minnesota Wild dealt Brent Burns and a 2012 second-round pick to San Jose for Devin Setoguchi, Coyle and the 28th overall pick, which the Wild used to nab Saint John Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips.

Not long after the blockbuster deal, Coyle and Phillips met during the Wild’s summer development camp. The two were reunited when Coyle left BU and joined the Sea Dogs after representing the United States at the world junior championship.

“The key thing was I just wanted to focus 100 per cent on hockey and kind of leave the school phase behind,’’ Coyle said about his decision to play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. “Playing more games and having more of a pro schedule were major things that influenced me. Hopefully this path will get me to the NHL, but I want to enjoy my stay here and just develop. I’m very fortunate to have this opportunity. I guess everyone has their own path that they want to take and this is the one I chose.’’

It looks like Coyle made a good choice. He scored five goals in his first four games with Saint John and set a team record in the process, tallying two within nine seconds on Jan. 21 against Halifax.

“I like the style of play here,’’ Coyle said. “It’s pretty different from college. I’m not taking away from (the) college game or anything. Up here, there are younger players compared to college, but they’re all skilled and the speed of the game is pretty good, too… I’m going to be learning a lot in the next few weeks and I’m looking forward to that.’’

Part of that process involves Minnesota director of player development Brad Bombardir. The former NHL defenceman was in Saint John recently to work with Coyle and Phillips.

“I just want to make sure that they’re playing the game the right way,’’ Bombardir said. “We want guys who can handle the puck and make plays. These guys are totally different players, but they can both handle the puck pretty well and hopefully be good players in the future.

“The most important thing is to make sure they’re focused on their game and playing with a certain battle level and a sense of urgency. We try to get those traits in them early so when they do have the opportunity to play, either in minor pro or in the NHL, at least they’re further ahead instead of trying to figure it out five or six months from now.’’

Bombardir played 356 NHL games with New Jersey, Minnesota and Nashville after four years at the University of North Dakota. And while he’s a proud NCAA graduate, he supports Coyle’s decision to join the major-junior ranks.

“For Charlie personally, it was just an opportunity for him to play more hockey, which I think is really important for him,’’ Bombardir said. “For him to come up here and play more games and playoff games and hopefully in the Memorial Cup, it’s a lot more hockey, a lot more touches of the puck and some pretty big hockey if this team can go far again. I think all those things made sense to Charlie.

“It probably would have been his last year at BU anyway. He wasn’t going to be a four-year NCAA player. To come to an organization like this made it easier for him. They’re a classy organization; they treat their players exceptionally well.’’