Royals Down to 3 Overagers

After starting the offseason with 5 overage players, the Victoria Royals have whittled the number down to the allowable 3, after F Tim Traber was claimed off waivers by the Vancouver Giants today.

Traber however, is currently looking to land a job in the Swiss Pro League.

According to Royals GM Cam Hope,

“His intention is to play in Switzerland, in fact he’s over there right now…we put him on waivers and then if a team wanted to have him on their list in case he returned, he’d have a spot to come back to – and Vancouver picked him up.”

The move leaves the Royals with 3 overagers; D Jordan Fransoo, F Ben Walker, and F Logan Nelson, after F Mitch Deacon cleared waivers early in the summer.

Nelson could potentially sign with the Sabres and play Pro this season, and by all indications had a great showing at Buffalo’s prospect camp.  5 Royals in total attended NHL development camps this summer.

Forwards Austin Carroll (F/A CGY), Steven Hodges (3rd rd FLA ’12), Logan Nelson (5th rd BUFF ’12) and Ben Walker (F/A Minn) as well as defenceman Keegan Kanzig (3rd rd CGY ’13) were all attendees.

“Ben (Walker) had a good experience with the Minnesota Wild camp and his hoping to back there for their rookie camp.” According to Hope, who also mentioned both brothers (Ben & Jack) are currently in Victoria.

The Royals logo and lines are down in the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, and the ice is expected to be ready in about 10 days so returning players who are trickling back can skate on their own. 

Draft camp for newly selected players will start on the 19th of August, rookie camp begins on the 21st for the ’97 and ’98 age group, while main camp for returning vets starts on the 25th.
 
-Marlon

 'The Province' link to the Traber story is below:

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/08/01/vancouver-giants-add-to-their-20-year-old-possibilities-by-grabbing-tim-traber-off-waivers/

The Vancouver Giants’ already muddled overage situation became a even more complex Wednesday when the team claimed Tim Traber off waivers. The rugged winger played the previous two years in the WHL with the Victoria Royals, and, before that, spent two seasons with their predecessor, the Chilliwack Bruins.

The Quesnel native is listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. In 215 career regular season games, he has 11 goals, 32 points and 433 minutes in penalties.

The one lock for one of the three overage spots with Vancouver would seem to be left winger Cain Franson. Also in the running are left winger Marek Tvrdon, who is a Detroit Red Wings draft pick with a signed pro contract, and defenceman Dalton Thrower, a trade pick-up this off-season for Vancouver who is an unsigned Montreal Canadiens prospect.

Twenty-year-old players are eligible to play minor pro.

Traber may not be available, either. Giants general manager Scott Bonner says that he’s currently trying to land a job in a Swiss pro league.

A big, physical winger willing to step up for his teammates is right in Bonner’s wheelhouse, so if all four players wind up in Vancouver, it’s not an automatic that Traber will be the odd man out.