Golden Bears finally get chance to play top prospect
Ex-junior star Soy leaves ECHL to join Golden Bears for second half of season
The University of Alberta Golden Bears landed the biggest recruit out of the Western Hockey League this summer, but had to wait until Friday to insert him into the lineup.
Former Victoria Royals standout Tyler Soy joined the Bears during the Christmas break after a stint with the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL, and was in the lineup for an exhibition game against the NAIT Ooks on Friday at the NAIT Arena.
Soy, 21, had committed to the Bears last summer, but then signed a professional contract with the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League.
“Those are guys that we’re looking for, guys that want to play in the National Hockey League and in the American Hockey League,” said Bears head coach Ian Herbers.
“He had an opportunity to sign an American League contract with San Diego, he didn’t get his National Hockey League contract that he was hoping for, so he was covering his bases and he enrolled in school in the summer. That left an option for him, and as a player that’s what you want to create for yourself. You want to have options and put yourself in the best situation possible.”
A seventh-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Soy had 36 goals and 92 points in 66 games with Victoria last season in his final year of WHL eligibility.
After committing to Alberta, Soy signed a professional contract with San Diego — coached by former Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins — and attended their training camp last fall. Soy, however, sustained an injury in camp and was sent down to play in Tulsa once recovered. In 19 games in Tulsa, Soy had five goals and 14 points.
“After I got hurt in San Diego, it was tough to get back in their lineup,” Soy said.
“Then when I got back in the swing of things after the injury, I was sent down to Tulsa (in the ECHL), and I ended up staying there for quite a while and it didn’t really seem like I was getting a whole lot of opportunity to move back up. So I was talking with my agent and my family, and after a lot of thinking, we came to the decision to come to the
U of A. I just think it’ll be the best thing for me moving forward.”
The Bears went into the Christmas break second in Canada West standings behind the University of Saskatchewan. Alberta has a 12-4-1 record through its first 16 games, while Saskatchewan went into the break at 14-2-0.
Along with the game against NAIT, Soy is expected to be in the lineup again Saturday when the Bears host the University of Calgary Dinos in an exhibition game (7 p.m.) at Clare Drake Arena.
The second half of the Canada West schedule gets underway on Jan. 4, with the Bears hosting the University of Manitoba.
“It’s such a good program here and it’s a winning program and it’s a great school,” Soy said. “But when I was able to get that opportunity to sign an AHL contract, I had to take it. That was my main goal going into the summer.
“Coming here now, they have their titles and accolades, and it just makes me want to come in here and work that much harder to do it all again and be a part of (a national championship) this time. I’m very excited to be here and looking forward to seeing how the season goes.”
The Bears are defending national champions and are looking for their fourth title in the past six years.
A Cloverdale, B.C. product, Soy spent five full seasons with the Royals after being selected eighth overall in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
The six-foot-one, 170-pound centre, had 46 goals and 85 points as an 18-year-old, which prompted the Ducks to select him in 2016. Prior to that, Soy was invited to attend the Edmonton Oilers rookie camp and played at the Young Stars tournament in Penticton in 2015.
“We’re excited to have him,” Herbers said.
“He’s a very good player, a very good 200-foot player, and is a guy whose predominate position is centre, but he can play on the wings. He’s a power-play guy, he’s a penalty-kill guy, he’s a guy you can put on the ice when you’re down a goal, and he’s a guy you put on the ice when you’re up a goal.”
Soy is thankful he’ll have a pair of exhibition games with his new team prior to commencement of the school year in January. He wants to build on an outstanding final year of junior.
“I just want to keep working hard every day, it’s not going to get any easier,” Soy said. “I’m moving up in levels and am playing against men and bigger guys, so you have to fight for every inch of ice and put the work in practice and in the game to try to produce.”