Zach Franko knows what he wants to do one day: Play for the Kelowna Rockets.
Kelowna closes the doors on its rookie camp this afternoon after opening them on Thursday. The four-day affair at Prospera Place attracted more than 130 players, all in their 15-year-old seasons, including the Rockets‘ selections from the WHL‘s 2008 bantam draft.
“Kelowna‘s a long ways from Winnipeg . . . what, a 22-hour drive?” Franko said of his hometown. A 5-foot-9 centre who describes himself as a run-and-gun forward, the Manitoban was the Rockets‘ second selection, and 32nd overall, in the draft.
“Camp is pretty fun, and Kelowna, well, it‘s a really, really nice place,” continued Franko with a grin. “It‘s exciting being here and I definitely want to play here one day.
“I‘ve heard so many good things about Kelowna, and when I‘m 16, I hope to make this team.”
While Franko may like the Okanagan and its warm, beach-wear inducing weather, what do the Rockets think of Franko‘s long-term chances?
“He‘s a dynamic player,” said Rockets assistant general manager and chief scout Lorne Frey said of Franko, who will return to Winnipeg and play midget hockey this upcoming season. “He has excellent skill and competes, and he was certainly one of the better, quicker skaters in the draft.
“Really, we‘re pleased to have him, and we‘re looking forward to him being a Rocket down the road.”
Another draft pick who separated himself from the pack the past three days was Dillon Simpson, the son of former NHLer Craig Simpson. The Rockets selected the playmaking defenceman in the eighth round, 164th overall.
According to The Scouting News, the Rockets “may have very well gotten themselves one of the biggest steals of the draft when they selected Simpson,” who skates very well and packs size at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds.
So why didn‘t Simpson get picked earlier? It‘s because he‘s still deciding which path to skate on: major-junior or the college route.
“Getting drafted was a big thrill, and coming to camp and seeing everybody play is proving to be a lot of fun. It‘s a good experience,” said Simpson, who calls Edmonton home and plans on playing midget 3A this season.
“Right now, there are lots of options, so I‘m keeping them open and hope for best. Either I‘ll play here one day or go the school route. Going into the draft, the NCAA is the way I was probably going to go. So it really didn‘t matter to me where I was picked. I knew someone would take a chance, and thankfully Kelowna did, because it‘s a great city to come to.”
While time will tell which route young Simpson takes, it‘s quite obvious he already has talent.
“He‘s solid, very intelligent and strong,” said Frey. “He has good offensive abilities and his skating, and his speed, has improved. Overall, a very strong, intelligent player who makes good decisions with the puck.
“We‘re thankful he took the time to come to camp, visit Kelowna and the facilities and meet the people.”
Also playing well is Jessey Astles of Coquitlam, a 6-1 forward who, at least physically somewhat resembles Kelowna product Kyle Beach. Astles, picked in the sixth round, 120th overall, plans on playing in the B.C. Major Midget League this season with the Northeast Chiefs.
“He‘s a big, strong individual with great skill and good hands,”said Frey. “But we think he needs better coaching and he has to learn how to play away from the puck. But he‘s young, and with good coaching, he‘ll learn those skills.” Top of Page
