Making their case
Charlottetown Islanders rookie camp begins in Cornwall
Brett Budgell is blunt when asked if he’s nervous about playing his first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) rookie game versus the AcadieBathurst Titan on Friday.
“No, not at all,” Budgell said before his first skate with other Charlottetown Islanders hopefuls Wednesday in Cornwall. “Excited, I guess. Came down (Tuesday) night, got a good night’s rest and I’m ready to go. I’m fortunate to have a lot of options and if I do play in the Q I’ll be a physical player and hopefully help this team win games.”
The 16-year-old St. John’s, N.L., native is one of 28 newbies at the Islanders rookie camp this week at the APM Centre playing for a roster spot. Charlottetown drafted the London Knights midget AAA product sixth in the second round, 25th overall, of the QMJHL draft in June. The fivefoot-11, 185-pound Budgell is an offensive player, having netted 25 goals and tallied 56 points in 31 games last season in Ontario and added another 15 points in 11 playoffs games.
He and the rest of the Isles rookies play in the Q’s rookie challenge tournament in Moncton
versus freshmen from the other five teams in the Maritimes Division.
The Titan and the Isles kick it off Friday at 1 p.m. Charlottetown then plays Cape Breton on Saturday (4 p.m.). Sunday’s game times and matchups are to be determined.
Joining Budgell is Nikita Alexandrov, 16, who the Islanders nabbed 50th overall in the first round of the Canadian Hockey League import draft also on June 28.
The German-born Alexandrov, whose father Igor played with Russia in the world juniors and a season in the American
Hockey League, is ready to go, too.
“I’m very excited. Playing in Canada is a great chance,” said Alexandrov, who had 32 goals and 29 assists in 36 games with Iserlohner EC Under-19 in the German league last season. “I want to (make) the team and get things going.”
Rookie camp continues today with an on-ice session at 11:30 a.m. and a 3-on-3 tournament at 7 p.m., both are open to the public. The main camp, with the returning veterans, starts Monday in Cornwall, with fitness testing. The on-ice fun begins Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.