Florchuk strikes as Royals edge Rockets

VICTORIA 5 KELOWNA 4

Former first-round bantam draft pick Eric Florchuk, a 17-year-old looking to make more of an imprint on the Victoria Royals in his sophomore season, began doing just that by scoring the winner in overtime as the Royals defeated the Rockets 5-4 in Kelowna in WHL pre-season action on Saturday.

“Last year, Eric was just learning the league. He is making the case this season for an increased role,” said Royals head coach Dan Price.

Igor Martynov, the Royals’ pick in this year’s import draft, who led Belarus in scoring at the under-18 world championships and then helped lead the U-20 team to qualification for the 2018 world juniors in Buffalo, scored on a short-handed penalty shot to tie the game 4-4 late in the third period. For Price, it was what happened before Martynov put the puck in the net, when he “showed his anticipation with the turnover and then his breakaway speed.”

Jared Legien, a 2013 top-10 bantam draft pick scooped up basically for nothing out of Junior A in Saskatchewan, celebrated his 19th birthday with a goal and an assist to go with the two goals he scored in Victoria’s pre-season opening 5-3 loss in Kamloops on Friday. Royals GM Cam Hope believes in second chances and Legien might be the top veteran acquisition of the off-season in the WHL.

“[Hope] has always done a great job of finding players who are undervalued elsewhere,” Price said.

The other Victoria goals came from Jared Dmytriw and Spencer Gerth.

For the second night, only defenceman Scott Walford (Canadiens) played of Victoria’s four NHL-drafted players, and recorded two assists. Forwards Matthew Phillips (Flames) and Tyler Soy (Ducks) sat out while blueliner Chaz Reddekopp is already in Los Angeles for a Kings rookie pre-camp.

The Royals conclude the pre-season when they meet the Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars next weekend at the Langley Events Centre.

Victoria hosts Vancouver on Sept. 22 to open the 2017-18 WHL regular season.