The Victoria Royals filled out their allotment of three over-agers by trading Monday for six-foot-two, 197-pound forward Carter Folk of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for a fourth round selection in the 2017 bantam draft.
Folk joins returnees, forward Jack Walker and defenceman Ryan Gagnon, as the trio of allowable 20-year-olds for Victoria this season.
鈥淚 was surprised,鈥� Folk said, by phone from Lethbridge.
He lost out in the four-player Lethbridge over-age sweepstakes to Tyler Wong, Ryley Lindgren and Kord Pankewicz.
鈥淵ou never hope to get traded. But it鈥檚 part of the business,鈥� added Folk.
鈥淚鈥檓 fortunate to get traded to an organization like Victoria [the defending WHL regular-season champions]. It makes the transition easier to be going to a stable and successful organization like that.鈥�
The native of Regina had 10 goals, 21 assists, 31 points and 77 penalty minutes in 66 games for the Hurricanes last season. He has 26 goals and 35 assists for 61 points and 289 penalty minutes in 178 career WHL regular-season games over three seasons. He was assistant captain of the Hurricanes each of the past two seasons, which could be telling.
鈥淚 will be a larger physical presence on the Victoria forward corps, which has a lot of gifted and skilled players, but players who are smaller,鈥� said Folk, an all-rounder who came up also playing football, baseball and basketball.
鈥淎nd my speed can be overlooked by some people.鈥�
But not by Victoria. The Royals wanted a player who could play at their pressure pace.
鈥淢ost of all, it鈥檚 the experience [Folk] brings as a 20-year-old,鈥� said Royals GM Cam Hope.
鈥淎nd he is naturally physical and can skate. Folk is what we look for in a player. He can play at a high pace and has a high hockey IQ. Plus, he鈥檚 six-foot-two. We have a number of smaller forwards, and he balances that out.鈥�
That is an especially crucial point after Royals expected returnee, 19-year-old Vladimir Bobylev, a six-foot-two forward, surprisingly signed a pro contract over the summer with Moscow Spartak of the KHL in his native Russia.
鈥淸Folk] helps fill that gap up front,鈥� said Hope.
The move also indicates the Royals strongly believe last season鈥檚 captain, eligible-returnee 20-year-old defenceman and two-time sa国际传媒 world junior championship player Joe Hicketts, will remain in the Detroit Red Wings pro system this season.
Folk was overlooked in the NHL draft and has never received a free-agent invite to a pro camp. His goal remains the pro game and he believes a strong final season of junior could open new avenues.
鈥淎 good year in Victoria means there is a good chance to be seen with new eyes,鈥� said Folk.
Meanwhile, the Royals moved to 4-1 in the WHL preseason by scoring three unanswered goals in the third period for a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants on Sunday in Ladner. Scoring for Victoria were 2015 first-round bantam draft pick Eric Florchuk with the winner on the power play and returnee Ethan Price into an empty net. The other Royals goals came from veterans Tyler Soy and Jared Dmytriw. Veteran Ty Ronning got the only Giants goal past rookie Victoria goaltender Dylan Myskiw, who made 28 saves.
The Royals and Giants close out the preseason Saturday in Langley.
The regular season opens Sept. 23 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre against the Prince George Cougars.
Now begins the period in which major-junior teams will be without their NHL drafted players. The drafted Royals leaving this week for pro camps are Walker (Toronto Maple Leafs), Soy (Anaheim Ducks), Matthew Phillips (Calgary Flames) and Chaz Reddekopp (L.A. Kings). Invited as a free agent to the camp of the New Jersey Devils is undrafted Royals defenceman Ralph Jarratt to make it five Royals away at NHL camps.
With top NHL players away on international commitments in the World Cup, pro camps are starting later, and the pro organizations may keep other players in their camps longer than usual. It is having a ripple effect.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we are keeping extra players in our camp,鈥� said Hope.
鈥淲e have 27 players [still on the roster] when by now we usually are down to about 24.鈥�
