It was a great success story. Byron proved you don’ t have to be selected in the WHL draft and yet you can still be very successful if you keep working toward your goal.
NHL / AHL SCOUTING REPORT
It was a great success story. Byron proved you don’ t have to be selected in the WHL draft and yet you can still be very successful if you keep working toward your goal.
comparable story to another NHL late bloomer from Winkler, Dustin Penner. Byron ended up playing high school hockey in Winkler as a 15-year-old and pretty much fell off the radar for most people. However, I did my follow-up and I travelled out to see Byron play a handful of rural high school games that season. By the end of the year, things had changed dramatically. Byron still played a smart, solid, simple game, but now he also had size. He had grown up, was physically stronger, faster and had been playing well against older, stronger players all season. This warranted another camp invitation and this time, he made an impression. He led the entire Silvertips training camp in scoring and he competed hard. He was instantly put on our protected list and it was obvious that he’ d worked hard to achieve that goal. It got better from there. Byron returned home and made the Pembina Valley AAA Midget team. He had a solid season and from there he came back to Everett and made the squad as a 17-year-old. That year, he had 19 goals while he and his two linemates had an outstanding season. It was a great success story. Byron proved you don’ t have to be selected in the WHL draft and yet you can still be very successful if you keep working toward your goal. The summer after his first season in Everett, he was chosen to represent Canada at the IIHF’ s Ivan Hlinka Memorial U-18 Tournament, a major event for prospects. He returned for another solid season with the Silvertips in 2009-10 and was chosen in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft( 119th overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks. He had made huge strides in a very short period of time. The next season, I got the call from our Director of Player Personnel, Scott Scoville( current Winnipeg Jets Scout), who told me
that we were trading Byron to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for Landon Ferraro( son of Ray Ferraro). Of course, my heart sank. As much as I appreciated Landon as a player, Byron was one of my all-time personal favorite Silvertips and he still is to this very day. Not surprisingly, everything turned out pretty well for Byron that year as he got hooked up on a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and they made some magic together. Byron had 43 goals and 81 points in 70 games and it was a terrific season for both of them. However, when it came to playing at the NHL level, Byron was still a work in progress. He had a minor pro career in the Chicago organization, splitting time in the ECHL and AHL, and I guess it’ s safe to say that, eventually, the Toronto Maple Leafs gave Byron a second opportunity to realize his dream. Byron is still talked about today in the Everett Silvertip organization. His picture hangs on the wall along with the other 17 Silvertip players who have made it to the NHL. He is remembered for the kind of player he was: Hardworking, steady, solid, reliable, consistent and coachable. He was also a great teammate, quiet, humble, focused, committed and loyal. Byron is just an all-around great citizen and person. Of course, he has such an outstanding, positive family, too. For me, it’ s wonderful to see him achieve his dream. Byron Froese is not only a player, but a person I will always remember and respect. n
University of Manitoba graduate Doug Sinclair is a former European professional player who played on the 2003 Allan Cup champion Ile des Chenes North Stars. Today, he’ s a scout with the Western Hockey League’ s Everett Silvertips, a hockey clinician at NRG and a member of Hockey Manitoba’ s Program of Excellence Coaching Staff.
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