There is not likely to be a skater in the Victoria Royals’ rookie camp even remotely unaware of head coach Dave Lowry’s credentials as head coach of Canada’s team for the 2016 world junior hockey championship this winter in Helsinki, Finland.
“It’s cool and exciting to know he is the world juniors coach for Canada,” said defenceman Mitchell Prowse, the Royals’ second-round selection in this year’s WHL bantam draft.
“I was nervous going in and I’m glad to get it going on the ice. I hope to be a solid defensive defenceman and help out a bit on offence. ”
A native of Kelowna, Prowse got to see Lowry-brand hockey up close when the Royals played the hometown Kelowna Rockets, the 2015 Memorial Cup runners-up, in the second round of the WHL playoffs during the spring.
“The Royals battled hard and the games were close,” said Prowse, of his impressions.
He could not have known then that the bantam draft would send him Victoria-bound as a future rival of the Rockets.
“That’s quite a good rivalry to be part of,” said the six-foot-one blue-liner, taken 35th overall out of the Okanagan Hockey Academy.
Lowry is getting his first official camp glimpse of the 15-year-olds, including Prowse and forward and 2015 first-round bantam pick Eric Florchuk from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.
“There are smiles on our scouts’ faces,” said Lowry, acknowledging the job done by the group that has assembled the Royals’ future lineup.
The 2015 Royals training camp opened with just the 15-year-olds skating Wednesday followed by off-ice orientation for them on Thursday.
“We believe we have the best organization in the WHL and they will see what our organization is about,” said Lowry.
Since 15-year-olds are limited to five regular season games in the WHL, until their Midget clubs are eliminated, Florchuk and Prowse can only see limited time this season with the Royals, if at all.
The 16-year-olds, including defenceman and 2014 first-round bantam draft pick Scott Walford, join the mix in rookie camp starting today. Practices are from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and scrimmages from 2:15 to 7:15 p.m.
On Saturday, scrimmages run from 10 a.m. to 6:15 p.m., while Sunday scrimmages are from 8:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Main camp, when veterans report, opens Monday with practices from 9 to 11:45 a.m. and scrimmages from 2 to 7 p.m, and continues Tuesday with practice from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and scrimmages from 2 to 7 p.m. All training camp sessions are at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre and open to the public.
The annual Blue-White intrasquad game is Wednesday at 7 p.m. The first pre-season game is Sept. 4 in Everett against the Silvertips.
The regular season opens at home Sept. 25 against the Portland Winterhawks.
