Cole Reschny has been put on Team Griffen Outhouse in the Victoria Royals training camp, a scrimmage squad named in honour of the former Royals goaltender. But as the face of the Royals’ offensive future, it would have been more apt to place Reschny on Team Matthew Phillips, named after the explosive former Royals forward and now Calgary Flames prospect.
“It’s a beautiful city and beautiful rink,” said Reschny, as the Royals main camp opened on Monday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
It’s good that he likes both because he could be here through 2028. The 15-year-old from Macklin, Sask., became the highest draft pick in Royals history, eclipsing Tyler Soy’s eighth overall selection in 2012, and is only the third Royals player selected in the top 10, including current blueliner Austin Zemlak ninth overall in 2020. The No. 3 slot in this year’s Western Hockey League draft came courtesy of the Royals missing the playoffs in 2021-22.
The five-foot-nine, 155-pound centre Reschny was named the Canadian Sport School Hockey League Under-15 Prep most valuable player. He joins the heady list of recent winners of that MVP award — Matthew Savoie, who was taken ninth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2022 NHL draft, and Connor Bedard, ranked No. 1 for the 2023 NHL draft.
Reschny said he doesn’t think about all the expectations now placed on his slender shoulders in the B.C. capital.
“I’m here to be the best I can be and just to work hard,” he said.
“There’s lots of good guys here and it’s good competition,” added Reschny, who advanced, as expected, from last week’s Royals rookie camp to this week’s main camp.
As a 15-year-old, he is limited to five games up with the Royals this season, and will play with the U-18 Triple-A Saskatoon Blazers. But his 40 goals and 52 assists for 92 points with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U-15 Prep team last season, and 16 more points playing a year up in the playoffs for the Xtreme U-16 Prep team that won their championship, will have Royals fans salivating for the future.
“I strive to be a 200-foot-player who is good in both ends and can put up numbers on offence and make the right plays,” said Reschny.
When given an array of current NHLers who could have been his prime role model, Reschny instead said 19-year-old older brother Austin Reschny, of the Okotoks Oilers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, has been the greatest influence on his career.
“I love the way my brother plays, how hard he works, and his mentality,” said the younger Reschny.
The work ethic runs in the family. Cole and Austin Reschny were up at 6:30 a.m. on WHL draft day in May helping their dad and mom, Clinton and Allison, with the cattle on the family farm in Macklin before going inside a couple of hours later to the computer to experience Cole’s name being called third overall in the first round of the 2022 WHL prospects draft by the Royals.
“It was definitely a huge honour,” said Cole Reschny.
Now he is taking the first few strides of what could be a long and notable career on Blanshard Street.
“Now that I’m actually here, I’m excited to be a part of this,” said Reschny. “These are suddenly bigger, stronger guys and I know I have to play smarter.”
The Royals training camp continues today at the Memorial Centre with Team Matthew Phillips playing Team Joe Hicketts at 2 p.m., with the latter squad named in honour of the former Royals blueliner and Canada world junior champion. Team Matthew Phillips and Team Griffen Outhouse play at 3:45 p.m., and Team Joe Hicketts and Team Griffen Outhouse meet at 5:30 p.m.
The Royals intra-squad game is on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The Royals begin the WHL pre-season Saturday against the Prince George Cougars at Jon Baillie Arena in Port Coquitlam and continue Sunday against the Vancouver Giants at the Langley Events Centre, Sept. 13 against the Rockets at Prospera Place in Kelowna and conclude Sept. 14 at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops against the Blazers.
The WHL regular-season openers for Victoria are on Sept. 23-24 at the Memorial Centre against the Spokane Chiefs.
