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pontcanna
09-01-2011, 12:46 AM
Royals' roster starts to take shape

By Cleve Dheensaw, timescolonist.com August 31, 2011 11:02 PM

The Victoria Royals home team dressing room hasn’t been used during training camp at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

The big sign hanging in the room, with the sentiment that playing for the Royals is “a privilege not a right,” is the answer as to why.

A seat in that room must be earned, which is what 36 skaters and six goaltenders were attempting to do in Wednesday night’s intra-squad game won 5-3 by Team White over Team Black before 1,756 fans at the Memorial Centre.

Only one of the 18 returning Royals veterans from when the Western Hockey League team operated in Chilliwack last season as the Bruins — defenceman Jesse Pauls — was dressed for the game. This contest was about filling those few remaining roster vacancies and refining the team’s 50-player protected long list.

“They [players] kind of separate themselves,” said Royals GM and head coach Marc Habscheid, about the scramble during the game among this group to win a coveted roster spot.

“You can see who can’t keep up with the pace and also who is taking over on the ice. It sorts itself out.”

Not that it’s final for those who will be cut.

“The greatest teacher is experience,” said Habscheid.

“And hopefully these players will take the information they picked up at this camp and use it to help their development when they go back to where they will play this season.”

Among those who clearly separated themselves from the pack was six-foot-four defenceman Kade Pilton of Parksville, who made the move of the game by using his reach for a wonderful dangle goal to make it 2-1 for Team White in the second period.

“I’ve always been a foot taller than everybody and that helps my game,” said the Islander, who played Junior B last season for the Fernie Ghost Riders.

“It would be awesome . . . a dream come true . . . if I could be lucky enough to play major-junior on my home Island,” added the 17-year-old, who performed yesterday in front of his parents, grandmother and sister.

Another Islander, six-foot forward Corey Renwick of Nanoose Bay, opened scoring on the power play at 18:30 of the first period for Team White. Taylor Crunk, a six-foot-forward from San Jacinto, Calif., who showed well, sneaked one in to tie it 1-1 for Team Black at 10 seconds of the second period.

After Pilton’s circus goal, another possible future Royal made it 3-1 for Team White when five-foot-11 forward Michael Bell from Kitimat counted later in the second period by banging in a rebound off a shot by forward Matt Bissett from Pitt Meadows.

Ross Heidt of Red Deer from Team White and Zachary Riauka of Edmonton from Team Black traded third-period goals with an Alberta two-step to make it 4-2.

The five-foot-10 Bissett, another who will give Royals coaches something to think about, made it 5-2 on an assist from Bell. Then Team Black’s Crunk scored a dexterous goal late in the third period to rival Pilton’s on the night.

“I’m a two-way forward who likes to take responsibility defensively and chip in a few goals when I can,” said the 16-year-old Crunk, who was spotted at a prospects camp in Anaheim.

If he doesn’t make the Royals, Crunk will play this season for the L.A. Selects midget triple-A team. But he stated his case to stay in Victoria by being named game second star behind first-star Pilton and ahead of third-star Bell.

Each team last night consisted of 12 forwards, six defencemen and three goaltenders. Seventeen of the players dressed were born in 1995, 13 in 1996, nine in 1994, two in 1993 and one in 1992.

The Royals will take 30 to 35 players to open the exhibition season Friday in Kamloops and Saturday in Kelowna.

WHL teams can carry a roster of up to 25 players in the regular season with 20 allowed to dress for games.