The Victoria Royals hope they have a great Dane in their hockey kennel.
The Royals selected centre Phillip Schultz, who represented Denmark at the 2018 world junior championship in Buffalo, with the 38th pick Thursday in the Canadian Hockey League import draft.
Schultz had a goal in six appearances at the world juniors but the Royals believe it says a lot more that he was a 17-year-old in the U-20 world tournament.
鈥淗e played a level above, which is something you look for,鈥� said Victoria GM Cam Hope.
The Royals have a comfort level with the choice because Victoria assistant coach J.F. Best is a consultant to both the Danish U-20 and U-18 teams. The six-foot, 195-pound Schultz was the captain and leading scorer for the latter at the 2018 U-18 world championship with four goals and six points in five games.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a big guy with a physical element to his game and that will translate well to the smaller ice surface,鈥� said Hope.
Schultz also has experience playing against men in the Metal Ligaen, the top Danish pro league, with five goals, 12 points and 53 penalty minutes in 40 games last season as a rookie with his hometown Rodovre Mighty Bulls. Schultz, who turns 18 next month, was ranked by Central Scouting as 106th overall among European skaters for the 2018 NHL draft but was not selected.
As a likely pick for the Danish team to the 2019 world junior tournament in Victoria and Vancouver, Schultz won鈥檛 have to go far. He might have even been able to stay on Blanshard Street, but alas, the draw has Denmark playing in Group A at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Group B will be based at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
鈥淸Schultz] has represented his country on the world stage, and also comes to us from playing pro hockey against men twice his age,鈥� said Hope.
Each of the 60 CHL teams in the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League are allowed two imports.
Forward Igor Martynov, who represented Belarus in the 2018 world juniors in Buffalo, is returning to the Royals. But forward Andrei Grishakov, also eligible to return, has signed a pro contract in his native Russia. That creates room next season for Schultz.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e drafting after the top 30, you鈥檙e never quite sure what you鈥檙e going to get,鈥� said Hope.
鈥淏ut there were a lot of good players in this import draft. Combined with the facts that several teams passed on making selections, and that goalies were again eligible for selection [for the first time since 2013], had the effect of spreading things out.鈥�
Among the two WHL teams that made no selections were the Calgary Hitmen, who passed at No. 8 overall, where impact players would have been available. The Hitmen are satisfied with returning blue-liners Vladislav Yeryomenko from Belarus and Egor Zamula from Russia.
Also passing with their 35th overall pick were the Royals鈥� cross-strait rival Vancouver Giants, who have Czech forward and Calgary Flames draft-pick Milos Roman returning and forward Yannik Valenti of Germany committed for next season.
The draft order was in three-team pods, starting with the last-place finishers in each of the three major-junior leagues picking one through three. That rotation continued, based on the inverse order of placings in the 2017-18 standings.
The first overall pick was Slovakian forward Maxim Cajkovic to the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. The first WHL team to select was the Edmonton Oil Kings, who chose Belarusian U-18 national team winger Vladimir Alistrov with the second overall pick.
