Roersma relieved draft day is here

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/07/2022 (1331 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Something Brandon Wheat Kings forward Rylen Roersma has been looking forward to for a long time has finally arrived.

Rounds 2-7 of the National Hockey League entry draft run today starting at 10 a.m. Roersma, who turns 18 on July 25, is ranked 87th among North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings.

“It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a two- or three-year-old little kid,” Roersma said. “I always loved hockey, I loved the drive of the game and it’s always been a huge dream of mine, just like any other hockey player growing up to get drafted and even play in the NHL.

“It’s an amazing feeling that we’re this close to a potential call of my name. I’m pretty excited for the whole thing.”

The first round of the draft was held on Thursday evening, with Strathclair product Conor Geekie of the Winnipeg Ice being selected with the 11th pick by the Arizona Coyotes. He was the only Westman player to go on Day 1 at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

The other Wheat King who could go today is Belarusian forward Zakhar Polshakov, who was ranked 217th among North American skaters.

After earning a goal and an assist in 17 games in the Regina hub as a 16-year-old rookie, Roersma had a breakout season in 2021-22, notching 19 goals and 10 assists after a red-hot start that saw him leading the team in scoring in mid-November. While he cooled down, Roersma was satisfied with his season.

“I thought I started off really hot and got my confidence up quick,” Roersma said. “Then it turned into a bit of a roller coaster for me. I thought I went into a slump halfway through the year and then coming into playoffs, a little closer to the end, I picked it up again and I thought I was at the top of my game again.

“I thought I had a pretty good year overall and was pretty happy with the success I had and the success we had as a team.”

Roersma, a product of the Alberta community of Raymond who stands five-foot-11 and weighs 181 pounds, added he was pleased with how he played away from the puck even when the goals weren’t going in, noting he also killed some penalties. Last season ended with Brandon’s triple-overtime loss to the Red Deer Rebels in Game 6 in the first round of the playoffs.

“That was a tough one for sure, especially the travel and the schedule,” Roersma said. “They were a big, heavy team, tough to play against, and well structured. It was a tough series but I thought we battled hard and it was pretty equal. It could have gone either way.”

He took a week off after the physical series ended to heal up, and is now in the gym five times a week and on the ice in Lethbridge two or three times a week with a group of junior and pro players. Once Wheat Kings training camp gets closer, he’ll ramp up his on-ice calendar to four or five times a week.

It’s certainly not Roersma’s first draft experience.

The Wheat Kings selected three forwards in the first round in 2019, taking Nate Danielson fifth, Tyson Zimmer sixth and Roersma 16th as they capitalized on the deals involving Tanner Kaspick and Kale Clague in 2018. Roersma is the only one of the three likely to go, because Danielson’s birthday falls after the NHL’s Sept. 15 deadline, so he isn’t eligible until the 2023 draft, and Zimmer failed to crack the Central Scouting rankings.

Roersma said he has spoken to “quite a few” teams since his hot start in October. Last season, he tried to put it out of his mind that scouts were watching every night.

“I think the biggest thing for me was trying to block all the distractions out,” Roersma said. “When I start thinking about that kind of stuff too much, I get up in my head and I try too hard and start to grip my stick. I try to block all that out and just let my natural skills and natural instincts come into play. That’s when I’m at my best.”

Interestingly, four former Wheat Kings made their NHL debuts last season, and only one took the “normal” route to the top league in the world. While Braden Schneider was a first-round pick, Ben McCartney and Cole Reinhardt weren’t selected in their first year of eligibility and goalie Logan Thompson was never chosen, instead signing as a free agent.

Roersma plans to spend today golfing with a close friend, Ty Young of the Prince George Cougars, who is the sixth-ranked North American goalie. The pair are hoping their plans help distract them a bit.

He admitted the draft has been on his mind more lately as it nears, but he’s trying not to worry too much.

“It would be amazing to hear my name called in the draft but it’s not the be-all, end-all, and I know I have a lot of work ahead of me,” Roersma said. “That’s all I’m trying to think about.”

ICINGS: In other Wheat Kings news, Chris Moulton has been promoted to director of hockey operations. The product of Fernie, B.C., who is entering his second season with the franchise, was originally hired a year ago as director of player personnel. The team is continuing its hunt for a new general manager after Doug Gasper resigned in May.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson