Will Montreal Canadiens draft pick Michael McCarron end up at Western Michigan or London?

Michael McCarron was selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the 25^th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Grosse Point, Mich. native has a decision to make. Will the big power forward honor his commitment to head coach Andy Murray and Western Michigan University or will he opt to cross the border and play for the London Knights in the OHL?

"I'm still waiting to make a decision. I'm going to talk to the organization and see what they think and make a decision that is best for me," said McCarron when asked on his plans for the upcoming season.

"I'm going to make the decision with my family and we'll go over the pros and cons of both [WMU and London]," added McCarron.

McCarron's older brother will be a junior at Cornell University in the fall so education is obviously important for the family. "I still need to grow into my body and I'd get my education which is huge with my family," said McCarron, on the pros of going to WMU.

McCarron has already been on the Western Michigan campus in Kalamazoo this summer. He has spent time training with WMU's strength and conditioning coach Tim Herrmann.

"I've been in Kalamazoo the past two weeks working out with their strength and conditioning coach. The whole team has been there," said McCarron at the draft last Sunday.

According to a report by David Drew of MLive, Broncos coach Andy Murray is confident that McCarron will be suiting up for Western Michigan come October. Murray is an NHL coaching veteran, having been behind the bench for the Los Angeles Kings and the St. Louis Blues before taking over at WMU.

"I'll probably make the decision within the next week," said McCarron when asked about his timetable to decide between the NCAA route and the CHL route.

Trevor Timmins, Montreal's Director of Amateur Scouting, refused to comment on the situation other than to say it will be up to the player.

McCarron was slated to go somewhere early in the second round by most experts, but his stock had been rising. His skating ability has improved and he will grow into his body as he develops. At the draft, he said he was unsure what to expect.

"I was thinking second round, but hoping first round. I had talked with Montreal once during the year and then went to their mini-camp," said McCarron.

There are few franchises in professional sports that can be ranked ahead of the Montreal Canadiens in terms of prestige, history and tradition. That fact was not lost on McCarron following his selection.

"It's so special. Putting on an original six jersey gives me the chills," said McCarron, of getting picked by the Canadien, immediately following the draft.

Jeff Cox covers hockey for SBNation. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.