Life’s travels have taken the Kambeitz and Oliver families to the U.S., but fate has brought them back to the Island for Victoria Royals rookie camp.
“I remember the vines growing all over the old barn [Memorial Arena], and Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor coming into our dressing room to talk to us when the L.A. Kings used to train here,” said Jim Kambeitz, a Denver chiropractor, who played for the Victoria Cougars of the WHL in the mid-1980s.
Now his son Dino Kambeitz is skating in the Royals’ WHL rookie camp at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre as a 2015 bantam draft selection. His other son, Dimitri Kambeitz, will join for a free-agent tryout when the Royals’ main camp opens on Monday. The Colorado siblings are also both standouts in field lacrosse.
Jason Oliver grew up playing hockey and lacrosse in Victoria before a business career took him south of the line. His son, Kaid Oliver, came up playing hockey and lacrosse in the U.S. and was also selected by the Royals in this year’s bantam draft out of the Phoenix Bobcats youth system.
These are the ties that bind in hockey’s small world. Kaid Oliver’s grandfather Barry Oliver lives in Arizona, too, but once owned a construction company in Victoria. Grandmother Doreen Marson still lives in Victoria and step-grandfather Terry Marson developed several of the subdivisions on Cordova Bay Ridge. “This is very exciting because I spent a lot of time visiting Victoria in the summers,” said Kaid Oliver, who has had to overcome dyslexia.
Kaid’s other grandfather, his mom Sheralynn’s dad, was two-time Boston Bruins Stanley Cup champion and former L.A. Kings scout Garnet (Ace) Bailey, who was on the second plane that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Kaid was one at the time. “It’s a legacy I carry with me. Everyone always tells me stories about my grandfather and someone always has a new one to tell,” he said.
The Kambeitz boys have WHL pedigree on their dad’s side, with Jim having played five seasons for Victoria, Medicine Hat Tigers, Moose Jaw Warriors and Kamloops Blazers.
“Knowing my dad played in Victoria made it easier to come here,” said Dino Kambeitz.
“And knowing you are being instructed here by the Canadian junior team coach [Royals bench boss Dave Lowry] is humbling, and you just want to soak this all in.” Asked about the best advice his father gave him, Dino replied: “Work hard.”
The Kambeitz siblings are also following a tradition of athletic achievement on their mom’s side. Cousin Alex Demopoulos, who led the University of Denver to its first-ever NCAA Final Four field-lacrosse appearance in 2011, is the all-time lacrosse assists leader and third in career points for the Pioneers. Another cousin, forward Stefan Demopoulos, took it even further for Providence in hockey’s Frozen Four, winning the NCAA championship this spring with the Friars. Another Demopoulos first cousin, Nick, was a place kicker in football for Pac-12 Cal-Berkeley.
“We all grew up with hockey and lacrosse sticks in our hands,” said Dino Kambeitz, a Team USA lacrosse pick for his age group, and considered a prime NCAA Div. 1 prospect if he takes the lacrosse route. “My cousins were always showing me new and great hockey and lacrosse moves.”
Royals rookie camp ends today, with scrimmages from 8:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Main camp, when veterans report, opens Monday.
