An injured Scott Walford sat in the stands agonizingly watching his Royals teammates play in the 2018 Western Hockey League playoffs without him. The third-round Montreal Canadiens draft pick did the same at the Bell Centre, watching from above, as the Habs rookies and then veterans skated in exhibitions sans him.
鈥淚 just wanted to be out there with them,鈥� said Walford.
He gets his wish tonight when the 19-year-old blue-liner is expected to play as the Royals open a back-to-back two-game WHL set against the Kamloops Blazers at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
It will be Walford鈥檚 first time back since the second-to-last game of the regular season last spring in Everett, when a seemingly-innocuous hit behind the net led to shoulder surgery to repair the labrum, and kept Walford out of the playoffs and on the shelf most of the summer.
鈥淭here was a lot of rehabbing,鈥� said the native of Coquitlam.
But at least he could still use his lower body for training.
鈥淚 gained weight and got faster,鈥� he said.
Walford, however, was only cleared for contact this month in Habs camp.
鈥淎 bit rusty,鈥� is how he described his first week of training back with the Royals.
鈥淏ut I鈥檓 here, and to say I鈥檓 excited to go, is an understatement.鈥�
Especially after having skated with the pros in Montreal.
鈥淚t was great to experience the speed of the NHL game and see the tempo at which the pros play,鈥� Walford said.
There has been a lot of turnover since last spring when a veteran-laden Royals team was stymied in the playoffs because of injuries to top-tier players Walford, Tanner Kaspick and Tyler Soy.
鈥淚 had to introduce myself to half the guys on this [Royals] team,鈥� said Walford.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a young team now with a lot of learning to do this season.鈥�
The six-foot-two Walford, entering his fourth season with the Royals, is just the kind of player to do the mentoring as he adds experience to a mostly-youthful but promising Royals defence that held the Prince George Cougars to just two goals in the 2-1 shootout and 5-1 victories to open the 2018-19 regular season last weekend at the Memorial Centre.
鈥淚 remember the great older defencemen who were ahead of me in my first couple of seasons here in Victoria, and how they led and how much I learned from them,鈥� said Walford.
鈥淚 lead through words, but more through example and action.鈥�
Walford is a trusted caretaker of the Royals鈥� end of the ice, but has also displayed an expanding offensive range, by reaching the 30-point plateau in each of the past two seasons.
