It is said speed kills. The Victoria Royals are banking on it.
The Royals continue to get smaller but faster.
For the second time in three years, the Western Hockey League club went with an undersized but quick forward for its first pick in the bantam draft. The Royals took five-foot-10, 140-pound forward Eric Florchuk from the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, who had 24 goals and 46 points in 33 games for the Alberta bantam triple-A runner-up team.
“[Florchuk] is probably the fastest skater in the draft. He has great offensive instincts and will elevate the pace we play at. And he brings grit, too,” said Grant Armstrong, the Royals assistant GM and director of player personnel. “He is going to bring some people [fans] out of their seats. He can fly.”
And Florchuk studies the game, as befitting a Grade 9 honours student.
“I like to play at a high speed and try to make a lot of smart plays [in the process],” said Florchuk, son of orthodontist mom Jen and real-estate agent dad Steve.
He also played lacrosse and soccer but discovered his true sporting love before he was five years old. Florchuk family life revolves around the rink.
“Being on the ice is like a second home to me,” said Florchuk.
Victoria selected Dante Hannoun 11th overall in the first round of the 2013 WHL bantam draft, and followed that up with fellow five-foot-six forward Matthew Phillips in the second round that year.
“We look for skilled players with hockey sense. If you don’t have skill or hockey sense, you can’t compete in this game,” said Armstrong, of the direction in which the Royals roster and 50-player protected list is evolving.
Defenceman Ty Smith of Lloydminster, Alta., from the Delta Bantam Prep Academy, went first overall to the Spokane Chiefs, who got the pick from the Saskatoon Blades.
Victoria’s second-round pick Thursday was more in the manner of their first-round pick last year when they selected defenceman Scott Walford. The Royals took defenceman Mitchell Prowse from Kelowna with the 35th overall selection Thursday.
“He is a big defenceman, with pro potential, who moves the puck well,” said Armstrong.
“People say you don’t notice him out there on the ice. That’s because he never makes mistakes.”
Kaid Oliver, a centre from Scottsdale, Arizona, was Victoria’s third-round selection, taken 57th overall.
“[Oliver] has tremendous upside and family ties to the Victoria area,” said Armstrong.
“He has grease in his game and can compete.”
Later in the third round, the Royals addressed their future in the crease by taking Dean McNabb from Davidson, Sask., with the 61st overall selection.
“He is very athletic and with good size. He was the top goalie on our list,” said Armstrong.
The Royals next selected in the fifth round by nabbing forward Constandino Kambeitz from Parker, Colorado, who is the son of former Victoria Cougars WHL player Jim Kambeitz.
“Constandino plays a heavy game and has big offensive upside,” said Armstrong.
Victoria had another fifth-round pick and went for winger Grady Hobbs from Deloraine, Man., at 102nd overall.
“He is adaptive and can put up big points,” said Armstrong.
Round six netted blue-liner Luke Bast, a native of Red Deer, 112th overall. “[Bast] is a very offensive and skilled defenceman,” noted Armstrong.
The Royals closed out their nine picks in the first seven rounds by taking defenceman Matthew Smith out of Saskatoon 145th overall.
The Royals dipped into the Island pool by selecting Lach Hadley of Victoria, who plays for Delta Hockey Academy, in the ninth round at 189th.
“Hadley is a two-way player with good hockey IQ. He needs to grow, like many of these guys do,” said Royals GM Cam Hope.
The earlier Royals selection in the ninth round was centre Sean Gulka from Langley at 182nd. Victoria closed out by selecting defenceman Gabe Bast from Red Deer, brother of their sixth-round pick Luke Bast, 211th in the 10th round before passing on the 11th and 12th rounds.
“Gabe Bast is NCAA-commited and would have [otherwise] been much higher up the draft list, and Luke Bast [who plays for the BCHL-champion Penticton Vees] is on the fence [between the NCAA and WHL] but we thought it was worth the risk [of selecting the siblings],” said Hope.
“We think if Luke gives us a chance, Gabe might, too.”
ICE CHIPS: Five Island player were drafted, with the first being defenceman Kyle Pow from Nanaimo, who went 131st overall in the sixth round to the Kelowna Rockets. Winger Dawson Heathcote of Nanaimo went 150th overall in the seventh round to the Medicine Hat Tigers and forward Quinton Waitzner from the Victoria Racquet Club Kings 186th in the ninth round to the Swift Current Broncos, followed by Hadley to the Royals and defenceman Sean Strange from Saanich 202nd in the 10th round to the Kamloops Blazers.
