When Wesley Myron was a kid growing up in Victoria, he remembers wearing little Vancouver Canucks jerseys with names like “Bertuzzi” and “Naslund” variously printed on the back.
On Thursday night, he got to put on a real one as he suited up with the Canucks Young Stars for their late-finishing opening game against the San Jose Sharks Young Stars in Penticton as the NHL pre-season began for rookie teams.
Myron is among a couple of Island-grown Victoria Grizzlies junior grads, the other is Justin Courtnall, who jumped early from Boston University and the NCAA to minor-pro hockey in the ECHL last season.
Victoria’s Courtnall, the 24-year-old son of former NHLer Geoff Courtnall, is under contract to the AHL-affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs and is in the rookie camp this week of the Montreal Canadiens. The six-foot-three winger left Boston University after his junior year and scored four goals and five assists in 44 games last season with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL with a five-game call-up to the Providence Bruins of the AHL.
Myron, who displays a seamless skating stride, was selected 177th overall in the sixth round of the 2012 draft by the Canucks. The 21-year-old, six-foot-two forward played 21 games with Boston University before jumping to the pros with two goals and nine assists in 17 games with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL.
“This is a great opportunity with a lot of guys competing for jobs,” said Myron, from Penticton.
“I felt this was the right time for me to go pro. Travis Green is the new AHL coach for the Canucks [in Utica, N.Y.] and this is a good chance to make a first impression with him.”
Myron said he found the jump from midway in his freshman season at BU to the ‘E’ to be an eye-opener.
“Suddenly you are up against players with man-strength who are always in the right spots,” he said.
“It’s their job and they take it seriously.”
Now it’s Myron’s job, too.
“There is some nervousness,” admitted Myron, as he donned a Canucks jersey for the first time for real before skating onto the ice in Penticton against the Sharks Young Stars.
Meanwhile, Logan Nelson of the Victoria Royals was dressed on the third line and former Royals forward Kevin Sundher on the second line Thursday for the Buffalo Sabres Young Stars in their 3-2 opening victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Young Stars in Traverse City, Mich.
Nelson is among four current Royals WHL players skating in NHL rookie camps along with Austin Carroll (Anaheim Ducks), Ben Walker (Minnesota Wild) and Keegan Kanzig (Calgary Flames).
Royals forward Steven Hodges, third-round 2012 draft pick of the Panthers, was invited to Florida rookie camp but is remaining in Victoria after undergoing planned surgery to fix what the Royals have described as a minor problem.
