There are a number of givens in Victoria Royals training camp. That鈥檚 what comes of having a veteran-laden roster returning from a team that is the defending Western Hockey League regular-season champion.
Among those givens is that 18-year-old Griffen Outhouse will be the starting goaltender this season after backing up the graduated Coleman Vollrath last season.
The real crease battle is between Dylan Myskiw and Dean McNabb to decide which of them will back up Outhouse. There are seven goaltenders still in Royals camp. However, with McNabb inked Monday, Outhouse, Myskiw and McNabb are the only three signed goaltenders on the Royals鈥� 50-player protected list.
The 17-year-old Myskiw is one year older than McNabb and has been through this sort of battle last year when he lost to Outhouse in the crease duel to decide who would back up Vollrath.
It鈥檚 hard to imagine a WHL crease role going to a 16-year-old such as McNabb, but you never know, and Myskiw is taking nothing for granted.
鈥淚鈥檓 here to fight for a spot like everyone else,鈥� said Myskiw, out of the Winnipeg Thrashers Midget triple-A team.
Asked to describe his style, the six-footer said: 鈥淚鈥檓 a calm, technique guy.鈥�
Both back-up aspirants are Royals bantam draft picks. Myskiw was selected in the sixth round, 112th overall, of the 2014 draft, and McNabb in the third round, 61st overall, in the 2015 draft.
McNabb will certainly give the Royals several crease options in the years ahead. The native of Davidson, Sask., is six-foot-two and seems to have it all.
鈥淚鈥檓 athletic and I use my size,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut I鈥檓 more of a technique and patience goaltender.鈥�
The latter, patience, is what he may need in this situation by being only 16.
鈥淎ll the goalies here in camp are good. It鈥檚 going to be a highly competitive group,鈥� he said.
The Royals鈥� camp crease contingent also includes Nate Reinhart, Matthew Davis, Ante Piplica and Brock Gould.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to be in this competitive atmosphere,鈥� said McNabb, the younger brother of Los Angeles Kings defenceman Brayden McNabb, who is nine years older.
Asked if his NHL brother has given him any advice, McNabb replied: 鈥淲ork hard.鈥�
McNabb said he became a goaltender because 鈥渙n TV, they looked like the coolest guys on the ice.鈥�
For Myskiw, it was when he first saw his dad Ed鈥檚 鈥渉uge, brown old goalie leg pads hanging in the house.鈥�
鈥淵ou couldn鈥檛 get them off me,鈥� said Myskiw.
That humble start has led to the Royals鈥� nets in training camp.
鈥淚 just have to play my game,鈥� said Myskiw, about the race to win the job as Outhouse鈥檚 back-up.
The Royals continue training camp today at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre with practice from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and scrimmages from 2 to 7 p.m. The annual Royals Blue/White intra-squad game is Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The exhibition season opens this week with the Royals playing the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday, the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday and the Tri-City Americans in Everett, Washington, on Sunday.
ICE CHIPS: Vollrath is now in the CIS with his hometown University of Calgary Dinos, along with graduated Royals forward and Red Deer-native Logan Fisher. . . . Last season鈥檚 other 20-year-old Royals player, forward Alex Forsberg, has been recruited to play for his home-province University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
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