Intense offseason training serving as foundation to Scott Walfords success
As the 2017-18 WHL season was coming to a close, defenseman Scott Walford and the Victoria Royals were getting set for a potentially long postseason run. Then, in the second-to-last regular season game, Walford took a hit against Everett.
That hit ended up putting him in a spot where he had to have season-ending shoulder surgery.
He was still recovering when the training camp for the team that drafted him in the third-round of the 2017 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens rolled around in September.
Walford did not let the injury get him down and instead threw everything he had at an intense offseason regiment that got him into incredible shape.
Now back on the ice and skating a load of minutes for the Royals in his 19-year-old WHL season, that conditioning is paying off big time.
“For me it’s going into the summers to work hard and put myself in the best training I can. I really dedicate my summers to it – it is my job. When the coaches rely on me that heavily. I want to make sure that I’m in the shape that I can play 30-plus minutes or whatever it is,” Walford stated.
Specifically last summer, Walford went to the older brother of an NHL star to get him into playing shape after the surgery.
“In the summer, I trained five days a week with Adam Nugent-Hopkins, who is Ryan’s older brother. It is a really unique training style that many people do.”
Nugent-Hopkins runs the Catlayst Kinetics Group and utilizes the Triphasic training philosophy.
“He is awesome and I do a lot of running with former Olympian Leah Pells. She went to the olympics three times so she puts me through some pretty hard conditioning and running workouts that really help me a lot.”
As the summer drew to a close, Walford got prepared for rookie camp, by going to the city of the team he is trying to get an NHL Entry Level Contract from.
“Over the last five weeks of the summer, I went to Montreal and spent some time training there every day so that I was prepared for the season.”
Photo: Victoriaroyals.com
Once at camp, Walford couldn’t get out there and play in the rookie showcase games, but he still got a lot out of his time and exposure to proven NHL players for the Canadiens.
“Because I was injured, I was skating with guys like Paul Byron and Andrew Shaw. It was really good for me to see those guys and see how professional they are. They treated me very well and never made it seem like they were NHLers and I was a WHLer. They brought me to their level and would hang out with me at the rink. They weren’t shy around me and really took me under their wings when I was there. On the ice, it was about the execution of play there. Every pass they make is hard, everything is fast and everything is strong. It’s just something to keep working for and if I do get a chance there some day, I’m a little more prepared for.”
Once camp was complete, Montreal did not want him to stress about earning a professional contract.
“I know they take more of an approach from afar. They don’t want you to overthink things during the season. They just want me to focus on playing a good honest game and playing hard at that. So every game I go out there, I want to make sure that I’m helping my team win and playing a good game to earn that contract.”
While he was at camp, he got a little more familiar with the three other WHL defensemen who Montreal drafted recently. Going in, none of the four had a contract and eventually former Regina Pats overage blue liner Cale Fleury got an AHL contract and 19-year-old, 2017 second-round pick Josh Brook earned an ELC before going back to the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Only Walford and Seattle’s Jarret Tyszka, who got injured at camp, walked away without a contract. Despite the obvious competition, the four Western Canadian defenders got along well.
“We are all pretty good friends. When you go into camps like that, everyone is in competition so there’s no point in being jerks to each other or brushing each other off. We are lucky that we all like each other and are there to push each other and support each other. We are thinking of it as more pushing each other and being good friends off the ice.”
Tyszka, Walford, Fleury and Brook got to know each other more while away from their WHL teams.
“There’s a good mix of personalities with us four, we always hang out there at camp in the summers.”
Photo: Chad Baker.
Healthy, strong and in shape from all his training, Walford has taken his game to the next level with the Royals this season. His head coach Dan Price has been impressed by his play while he has posted seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 44 games so far this season.
“He’s really evolved his game and he’s become a complete 200-foot defenseman. He’s extremely reliable and tenacious defensively and is very hard to play against. He’s developed his offensive game as well. He’s moving the puck with a lot of pace uo the ice and is a threat from the top at the blue line. Montreal has got a good one there. He’s going to be a great pro,” Price said.
With the Royals battling through many injuries this season, Walford has been asked to play in every role. He relishes this opportunity and just wants to help his team.
“Whenever the team trusts you and coaches trust you, you really want to go out there and play your best. Just keep things simple and predictable so that you get another shift,” Walford said.
Now after missing the 2018 playoffs, Walford is ready to lead his Royals in the 2019 postseason.
