There’s offence in Royals’ future
The Victoria Royals are hoping a couple of cool-hand Lukes will play a part in their future.
Saskatchewan’s Luke Reid, the Royals’ top pick in the 2016 Western Hockey League bantam draft, got his first glimpse of the B.C. capital this week. But fourthround bantam selection Luke Mylymok knows the area well from frequent visits to his grandparents on the Saanich Peninsula.
“I’ve been coming here since I was born,” said Mylymok.
The Royals opened training camp Wednesday with their bantam draft selections from the Class of 2016 skating at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Because the defending WHL regular-season champions were slotted to draft 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 Reid from Warman, Sask., taken as the 27th selection overall in the second round.
Tumbling out of the first round didn’t bother Reid in the least. Nobody remembers where players went in the bantam draft, only where their careers end up.
“I really didn’t care about the round, I just wanted to go to the best club possible,” said Reid.
Heading to the defending regular-season champs sure enough fits that bill.
Reid describes himself as an offensive rearguard: “I make good first passes,” he said.
The inevitable question was popped of which blue-liners he emulates in the NHL.
“Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson,” was the answer.
Reid is five-foot-11 and 180 pounds but believes he will top out at six-foot-one. He had six goals and nine assists in 43 games for the North Battleford Stars Midget triple-A team last season.
The forward Mylymok, meanwhile, grew up around hockey rinks. His dad is Jeremy Mylymok, whose jersey is retired by the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. The elder Mylymok played 11 seasons of pro hockey. His tenure with the Steelheads was from 2000 to 2006 and included captaining the Kelly Cup championship Idaho squad in 2004 and playing against the Victoria Salmon Kings for the first two seasons of that club’s ECHL existence and the final two seasons of his own career. He also won two Turner Cup championships with the Chicago Wolves of the old International Hockey League.
The younger Mylymok plays for the Notre Dame hockey academy in Wilcox, Sask., where his dad played before playing NCAA for the University of AlaskaAnchorage.
“I feel I play with skill and can shoot and hit and make plays,” said Luke Mylymok.
Bantam draft picks are limited to five WHL regular-season games.
Victoria’s 2015 first-round bantam selection, forward Eric Florchuk from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., becomes eligible for fulltime WHL playing duty this season. The fluid-moving 13th overall pick from 2015 skated during the summer in the Canadian U-17 development camp and is a candidate for either Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red or Team Canada White for the 2016 World U-17 Hockey Challenge from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
“[Florchuk] played extremely well this summer [at national U-17 camp]. I expect him to push for a spot on our team,” said Royals head coach Dave Lowry.
Florchuk begins that quest when the Royals’ rookie camp opens Friday and continues through Sunday. Practice sessions run Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with scrimmages running from 2:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. The schedule for Saturday includes scrimmages from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, scrimmages run from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
The veterans return for main camp beginning Monday.