Victoria Royals defenceman Joe Hicketts and just-graduated Royals forward Brandon Magee have the final game of the upcoming NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, circled on their calendars.
The contest is between Hicketts’ Detroit Red Wings and Magee’s Dallas Stars rookie teams.
“It’s going into Joe’s corner,” quipped Magee, of where he will dump the puck when approaching the Red Wings rookie blue-line that night.
To which Red Wings-signed Hicketts responded about his friend Magee’s previous NHL rookie camp appearances: “I think Brandon has seven NHL jerseys. He’s collecting them.”
Beneath the good-natured banter is a dream of the pro game that flickers in the mind of every WHL player or recent grad.
Hicketts is among five current Royals in NHL rookie camps, which begin today, joining defenceman Chaz Reddekopp with the Los Angeles Kings, centre Tyler Soy with the Edmonton Oilers, winger Jack Walker with the Minnesota Wild of his home state and goaltender Evan Smith with the Nashville Predators.
Forward Greg Chase, who isn’t in Royals camp but eligible to return, is expected to play in the AHL or ECHL this season and is in Oilers rookie camp.
The Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL have two Island players in NHL camps — defenceman Dysin Mayo with the Arizona Coyotes and goaltender Alec Dillon in the L.A. Kings camp — while the Calgary Hitmen are contributing forward Chase Lang of Nanaimo to the Wild camp.
They are among 127 Western Hockey League-eligible players who have been invited to 2015 NHL rookie camps. Of that WHL number, 81 are drafted players. Reddekopp, Smith, Mayo, Dillon and Lang fall into that category. The rest are either signed players, such as Hicketts, or free agent invitees such as Soy and Walker.
Royals head coach Dave Lowry had some words for the free agents: “Remember what happened with Joe [Hicketts]. He went into Red Wings camp undrafted last year and came out with a pro contract. Go in with a purpose. Make them have to make a decision on you.”
That advice might be most apropos to Soy, overlooked after being ranked the 78th North American skater for the 2015 NHL draft.
“It was a tough [draft] day, but I got a camp invite,” said Soy.
Soy, however, realizes the challenge in an Oilers camp loaded with young forward talent.
“They have quite a few good forwards in that organization. I need to work on my size and strength,” said the five-foot-11, 175-pounder from Cloverdale.
Reddekopp reflected on the upcoming Kings camp: “L.A. has really good defencemen. I will learn as much as I can.”
Many of these players skated in first-stage NHL rookie camps held in early July.
“I did well down there in El Segundo and kept up with the pace against older college players,” said Reddekopp.
The number of NHL camp participants is an early harbinger of which will be the WHL power teams this season. The defending league-champion Kelowna Rockets flex their almost-scary roster depth with a WHL-leading 12 players in NHL rookie camps.
With five players away in NHL camps, the Royals have gone from 29 players to 24. This stage of the WHL pre-season represents a prime opportunity for remaining players to step up before the NHL campers return.
“We’re not going to keep [29] guys,” said Lowry. “It’s the responsibility of the players remaining to dig in to show they deserve to stay here when the five [NHL] camp players start filtering back.”
One thing is for sure: Ice time shouldn’t be a problem this weekend when the Royals (1-2) continue the WHL pre-season with a set against the Giants Saturday in Ladner and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
