Victoria Royal Draft Overview
–The final team to go through in this draft overview series is the Victoria Royals. Going into the draft the Royals did not have a pick in the first round and made their first selection at pick number 32. Going into the draft, I was quite interested in who that first selection will be by the Royals. They were limited with their picks and I was also interested in what philosophy there were going to take into the draft. With the twelve picks, only three were born in American and no goalies were taken by the Royals.
First Round Selection
–Dallon Melin (32nd Overall) – Melin was a guy coming into the season who made an impact early and caught the eye of many scouts. Dallon is a raw playmaker who has good size and vision with the puck. He has good puck skills and the ability to create from the perimeter but also use his frame to create offense and spacing for himself. He could be a very effective WHL player once his body fills out.
Notable Selections
–Kaden Reinders (52nd Overall) – Reinders, in my opinion, could have one of the biggest upsides for any defender in the draft. He is an athletic defender who has good mobility and the ability to activate himself on the rush and be effective. He contains opposition well with his gap control and is an efficient D-to-D puck mover.
-Ty Thorpe (54th Overall) – Ty’s a two-way forward with the ability to shut down high scoring forwards. His versatility and playmaking abilities make him a threat on both sides of the puck. He has the potential to be a real solid middle-six forward at the WHL level if he decides to go that route.
-Ty Yoder (93rd Overall) – One of the wild cards going into the draft. Recent events made him become a player who could go from the second round to anywhere in the seventh round. Yoder is a guy who has all the offensive tools and one of the deadliest shots in the draft. He is strong on the puck and possesses quick feet. There are minor things in his game he could address that would make him a very good WHL player. He impressed me a lot at the AB Cup top-80 despite not making shortlist.
-Michael Benning (142nd Overall) –Michael is the brother of NHL defender Matthew Benning, The younger Benning also possesses the same kind of upside. He is a mobile two-way defender with good offensive abilities. He has the ability to create offense and the big shot that gets through traffic. Benning’s deceptive with the puck and is able to put up great numbers as a defender. One has to wonder if he will come to the WHL but if he does come he could make a real impact for the Royals.
Conclusion
–Overall I feel like they added some solid depth pieces but not really anyone currently who jumps off the list for me. Instead they added guys who have the “who knows?” factor. That is, they drafted a lot of guys with raw potential who could really come up and shine at the WHL level. I’m also interested to see how many guys they can recruit in from the class. All in all, their 2017 draft class is one that will be better evaluated down the road.
