Victoria Royals defenceman Scott Walford is ready to make up for lost time. Sidelined with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss considerable time, Walford has shaken the rust of being on the shelf. After missing all of the Royals playoff run last season and this year’s training camp, Walford was cleared to return at the end of September. When asked if it took a bit to get back into full form Walford said, “The first four games I felt good but I wasn’t myself. I was in some places at the wrong time, made a couple passes that maybe weren’t there. I think the last three or four games I’ve been really getting back to myself. I’ve been really happy with my game, the last four especially.”
Victoria lost a pair of games to the rival Kelowna Rockets by a wide margin this past weekend, to which Walford offered a veteran reaction to the team’s challenges. “We’re still learning, every day at practice trying to get better. We’re learning new things about each other, still getting everything down pat. I think that we can definitely improve in a lot of ways. Some of our wins were a little bit too tight because we didn’t manage the game the way that we wanted to, but we’re a young team so we’re going learn as the season goes on.”
With a return to full health also comes the expectations of Walford being premiere defenceman. It is something that led to him being named last week to the WHL team that will face the Russian junior team in the annual CIBC Super Series. He joins a group of talented former Royals who have played in the series, including Matthew Phillips, Tyler Soy and Joe Hicketts who played twice. “It was a huge honour. You grow up and watch all the games, dreaming to be in those games,” said Walford. “When you sign in the WHL, that’s one of your goals to make that team. The goal after is to make the World Junior team. So for me it’s just a stepping stone. I want to go in there and show my game. Hopefully that’ll be good enough for me to earn an invite to the World Juniors.” For the native of Coquitlam, the games on Nov. 5 in Kamloops and Nov. 6 in Vancouver will be a chance to play in front of family and friends. When asked about how many there will be to see him play in the big game Walford replied, “Quite a few actually. In Kamloops, I have about six friends and family coming up. And then in Vancouver, I have 13. It’s really cool that it’s at home. It’s going to be a very special night show with all of them because they helped me get there.”
When I came in for my preseason as a 16-year-old, I thought I played hard. Then I remember my first regular season game, my eyes were wide open because of how fast it was. It was eye opening. -Scott Walford on breaking into the WHL
The Royals defensive corps features some youth and Walford has taken on that leadership role with his younger teammates. Asked what lessons he can pass on, he said “The thing that they always preached was the intensity of the game. When I came in for my preseason as a 16-year-old, I thought I played hard. Then I remember my first regular season game, my eyes were wide open because of how fast it was. It was eye opening. So the biggest thing that I try to explain to them is that every 10 games the intensity gets faster and the games get harder. Teams are more in tune, know what they’re doing, the players are more adjusted and comfortable where they’re at. So every 10 games intensity goes up. I’m trying to preach to them that the speed goes up all the time, so they have to make sure that in practice they are pushing themselves to be ready for the game.”
One young player that Walford already has a connection with is Nolan Bentham, the Royals 13th overall selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. “I actually coached Nolan for two seasons in the spring hockey league, right before his bantam draft so I’ve known Nolan for a while. He’s a great kid and they’re great family.” Walford described Bentham ”He’s a fast player. He’s strong with a good shot and a smart player. Like any 16 year old or 15 year old, it’s going to take some time to get adjusted to the league. But I think by the time he is 17 or 18 is really going to be a dominant presence in this league.”
When asked what his goals were for the season, as a player and for the team, Walford said “I set three goals for myself this year. One being team named to team WHL. The second one to use that to earn a camp invite for the World Juniors. The third is to sign a contract with Montreal. So for me, it’s just one step closer to those goals. As a team, our goal is to obviously win a championship. We’re a young team, so we are going to keep pushing each other every day to get better. We have learn from the ups and downs, get ready for the long haul.“
