Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Victoria Royals’ goalie Vollrath thriving in leadership role

When a Western Hockey League team burns one of its three 20-year-old slots on a goaltender, you know that guy is going to play. And play a lot.
VKA-royalsgoal-474501.jpg
Veteran Coleman Vollrath has helped the Royals get off to a 4-0 start.

When a Western Hockey League team burns one of its three 20-year-old slots on a goaltender, you know that guy is going to play.

And play a lot.

Coleman Vollrath is doing just that for the Victoria Royals and has been named the WHL nominee as Canadian Hockey League goaltender of the week. Vollrath posted a 1.50 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in 4-2 and 5-1 weekend victories over the Kamloops Blazers.

He is expected to be in goal again tonight when the Royals (4-0) begin a two-game set against the Spokane Chiefs (2-1) at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

Vollrath has played in every minute this season for Victoria and is 4-0 with a 2.25 GAA and .917 save percentage.

“You have to step up and show why you’re a 20-year-old playing in this league,” said the native of Calgary, who is 56-35-8 with seven shutouts in 118 career games for the Royals.

“I want to earn my ice time, not be given my ice time.”

This is the second time in his career Vollrath has been nominated for the CHL weekly goaltending award. He won it last March.

Vollrath is currently tied with former Royals goaltender Patrik Polivka for the most wins (56) since the franchise moved to the Island. Vollrath is well on his way to breaking the record of 60, held by Lucas Gore, in the entire 10-year history of the franchise stretching back to when it was known as the Chilliwack Bruins.

Vollrath wants to move on in the game, so it might be instructive to see what became of Polivka and Gore. Polivka continues to bide his time in his homeland with Plzen HC of the Czech pro league and has played a grand total of four games in the two seasons since leaving Victoria. Gore, meanwhile, went from Chilliwack to play in the CIS for the University of Regina. He graduated last spring and made his pro debut with seven late-season games for the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL.

“My parents taught me from a young age to be professional in my approach, so I’ve always taken a professional attitude,” added Vollrath.

He got to see how the pros operated first hand when called up last spring for the Kelly Cup playoffs by Ontario Reign of the ECHL, following the Royals’ second-round loss to the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL playoffs, and was tossed into a Reign goalkeeping mix that included Winnipeg Jets-prospect Jussi Olkinuora and Vancouver Canucks draft-pick Joe Cannata.

Despite getting only one minute of mop-up crease time at the end of a game, the experience proved valuable.

“I got to see how they [Olkinuora and Cannata] prepare and carry themselves around the rink.”

Vollrath is undrafted and playing for a contract, which means his start this season won’t go unnoticed by pro scouts.

“Coleman is showing leadership and work ethic,” said Royals head coach Dave Lowry.

Vollrath deflects the praise.

“The whole team is playing well in front of me,” he said.

“We’re keeping it simple.”

Tonight’s matchup is against a Spokane team that, much like Victoria, is very young with nine rookies and expected to be battling for the bottom four playoff spots in the WHL’s Western Conference. At a combined 6-1, the Royals and Chiefs are early-season surprises, none more so than the undefeated Royals. They are off to the best start in franchise history at 4-0 and have eclipsed the previous best start of 3-0 in 2012-13.

“It’s been a team effort,” said Victoria sophomore forward Jared Dmytriw.

He is one of those unsung two-way players — along with the likes of Regan Nagy, Ryan Peckford and Keith Anderson — who don’t get much acclaim but who Lowry gets the most out of and utilizes well.

“Everyone is playing their roles and it’s paying off,” added Dmytriw.

“Dave [Lowry] is a hard coach to play for. He expects a lot out of his players. You must play his systems, or you’re not going to play.”

ICE CHIPS: Although their clubs are rivals tonight, Lowry and Chiefs GM Tim Speltz will be in common cause later this year. Speltz will be the support manager and Lowry the head coach for Canada at the 2016 world junior hockey championship, which begins Boxing Day in Helsinki, Finland.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com

Twitter.com/tc_vicsports