Carter Berger of the Victoria Grizzlies waited in vain last weekend, almost hoping against hope, to hear his name called in the latter rounds of the 2018 NHL draft. It didn鈥檛 happen.
鈥淭hen I woke up Sunday morning to a whole bunch of missed calls from strange [area codes] I didn鈥檛 know,鈥� said the six-foot-one defenceman, who鈥檒l return for his third season with the Grizzlies in the sa国际传媒 Hockey League.
Berger was invited by the Anaheim Ducks to their prospects camp beginning today in Southern California.
鈥淭his is a really good test for myself and a great opportunity to showcase myself,鈥� said the North Vancouver product, who turns 19 in September.
Berger is a puck-moving blue-liner with a probing style, as evidenced by his 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points last year in 56 regular-season games and eight points in 12 playoff games.
鈥淢y best attributes are my skating, hockey IQ and offensive sense of the game,鈥� he said.
These early-summer prospects camps are for recent draft picks, AHL/ECHL rookie or sophomore pros within the system and youthful free-agent invitees such as Berger.
It is at such a prospects camp in 2015 that fans first saw that year鈥檚 first-round Vancouver draft pick Brock Boeser skate in Canucks colours at Shawnigan Lake School.
The prospects range from blue-chip first-rounders such as that to eager hopefuls such as Berger.
鈥淚鈥檓 going in with no expectations and just trying to learn,鈥� said Berger.
He鈥檚 keeping the opportunity in perspective. Only the select few will get invited to NHL rookie camps in the fall, never mind main camps.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a prospects camp invite, not a contract, but it definitely feels rewarding that your hard work is being recognized.鈥�
While it鈥檚 not unusual for non-drafted free-agents invitees to come from major-junior circuits such as the Western Hockey League, it鈥檚 rarer for them to come from Junior A leagues such as the BCHL.
According to head coach and GM Craig Didmon, Tyler Matheson was the last Grizzlies player to receive an invite to an NHL prospects camp, in 2009 with the Canucks.
If anything, Berger learned a valuable lesson. At this level in hockey, somebody is always watching. Even more so next season when Grizzlies forward Alex Newhook, projected as top five for the 2019 NHL draft, will be heavily scouted.
鈥淲e鈥檙e lucky in that regard in that because of Alex, there is going to be scouting eyes on the Grizzlies 24/7 during this upcoming season,鈥� added Berger, who has had some fly-down visits to NCAA Div. 1 schools in the U.S., and hopes to lock down his choice for 2019-20 this fall.
(NCAA rules allow players to attend two days of prospects camps, fully funded by NHL teams, without losing their eligibility. Anything beyond two days, including the trip home, must be paid for by the player).
Meanwhile, all-time Victoria Royals franchise goals and points leader Tyler Soy has been released by the Ducks, the team which drafted him 205th overall in the seventh round of the 2016 NHL draft. The 21-year-old, however, has received an invitation to the Florida Panthers prospects camp beginning today.
Also in Sunrise will be Patrick Bajkov of Nanaimo, the undrafted forward out of the WHL鈥檚 Everett Silvertips, who was signed to an entry-level contract by the Panthers.
There鈥檚 something about those mid-Island players who seem undeterred if overlooked in the NHL draft. Another is Dylan Coghlan of Nanaimo, the mobile Tri-City Americans blue-liner signed to an NHL entry-level contract by the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
鈥淚 was disappointed not to hear my name called for the draft, but I put it behind me and just focused on getting better,鈥� said Coghlan, this spring during the Americans-Royals second-round WHL playoff series.
Joining Coghlan in the desert this week in Golden Knights camp is yet another player from the mid-Island 鈥� mercurial goaltender Dylan Ferguson of Lantzville 鈥� who has already seen NHL action as a folk-hero emergency call-up last season by the Golden Knights.
A couple of late-season Royals additions through trades, forwards Lane Zablocki and Tanner Kaspick, are skating today in the respective Detroit and St. Louis prospects camps. If playing for Team Howe doesn鈥檛 get Zablocki jazzed up, nothing will. Kaspick, meanwhile, amply showed during his time with the Royals that he is pro-ready for the Blues organization.
About half the NHL prospects camps open today, with the rest next week. That includes the Calgary camp, in which Royals captain and signed Flames forward Matthew Phillips will skate. The trajectory of the 2018-19 Royals seasons rests on the Flames鈥� eventual decision to either have the undersized but dynamic Phillips begin his pro career in the AHL or return him to Victoria for his over-age 20-year-old junior season.
Third-round Montreal Canadiens draft pick and Royals blue-liner Scott Walford will attend the Habs prospects camp starting Friday in Brossard, Que., but is injured and will not skate.
There could be other Royals also headed to camps.
鈥淲e could have some undrafted players also invited, but have had no confirmation yet,鈥� said Royals GM Cam Hope.
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