Royals’ assistant GM Armstrong named Wheat Kings’ new boss

Grant Armstrong’s shrewd eye for non-obvious talent others might have missed helped the Victoria Royals win the Western Hockey League regular-season championship last season in a major surprise.

The Royals assistant GM for player personnel had earlier helped build the Portland Winterhawks into a power using the same penchant for undersized but quick and crafty players other teams overlooked.

All that didn’t go unnoticed as Armstrong was named Tuesday the new GM of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Armstrong has been with Victoria for four seasons. He goes from one winning organization to another. While the Royals won the WHL regular-season title, the Wheat Kings captured the WHL playoff championship last spring.

Armstrong replaces Kelly McCrimmon, who left the Wheat Kings’ GM post to become the assistant GM of the NHL expansion franchise in Las Vegas. But since McCrimmon also owns the Wheat Kings, Armstrong will still be working closely with him.

It is telling that both finalists for 2015-16 WHL rookie of the year, Matthew Phillips of the Royals and Noah Gregor of the Moose Jaw Warriors, were 2013 Victoria bantam draft picks under Armstrong and that neither were firstrounders with Phillips selected in the second round and Gregor in the third round. (Gregor was part of the trade for now-graduated Royals defenceman Travis Brown).

“Grant Armstrong has helped make our organization what it is,” said Royals GM Cam Hope.

“He has earned this opportunity in Brandon. It is more than just his eye. It is the integrity and organizational skills he brings to his profession.”

Hope said the Royals will not make any moves to immediately fill Armstrong’s position of GM for player personnel.

The Royals utilize a broad input approach to roster building and he said that won’t change.

“Our scouting group is by committee and we will continue that. This is a great opportunity for someone to emerge from Grant’s shadow and take on larger roles,” said Hope.

That latest crop of players from that committee scouting approach, helmed by Armstrong the last four years, will be on display today at 11 a.m. when the Royals open their training camp at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre with their most recent bantam draft picks from the Class of 2016 skating.

Because they drafted 22nd and last this year, the Royals traded out of the first round entirely and for the first time in franchise history do not feature a first-round bantam draft pick. Victoria’s first selection in the 2016 bantam draft is defenceman Luke Reid from Warman, Sask., taken as the 27th selection overall in the second round.

But Reid is an Armstrong pick, so he could be a player to watch.

The Royals’ rookie camp runs Friday and Saturday. The veterans return for main camp beginning Monday, all at the Memorial Centre.