TISDALE — A power outage nearly denied former Tisdale Trojans goalie Roddy Ross of arguably one of the most memorable moments of his hockey career.
When power went out at his Meadow Lake home during the National Hockey League Entry Draft, a car battery was used to get the TV back up and running. He was able to watch as the Philadelphia Flyers took him with the 169th overall pick in the draft.
“I was waiting on a couple other teams I have talked with, so it was a total surprise when I saw my name pop up with Flyers,” Ross said. “Once my name popped up, things got real. Then I felt nervous and in shock.”
Only a few days later the Seattle Thunderbirds netminder was in Philadelphia for the Flyers development camp.
“It’s an awesome experience,” Ross said from Philadelphia. “Probably the thing that I’m enjoying most is the eliteness of everybody here and the professionalism.”
It certainly was a whirlwind week – and past few seasons for Ross. On NHL.com, Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr described the 6-foot-4 Ross as “kind of a late bloomer.”
“It took him some time to start to grow into his body. Greiger [Flyers western Canada-based scout Mark Greig] and Brady [Robinson, the goalie development coach] liked what they saw of him. Big kid, pretty good technique."
Darrell Mann, his former coach with the Trojans, said that Ross’ rise in the hockey world is something you do not hear about anymore.
“There aren’t many hidden gems out there anymore,” Mann said. “His rise from Junior B at 16 to being drafted at 18 is incredible. We were lucky enough to have him play for us in Tisdale at 17. No one even knew who he was in our league and that’s unheard of in hockey these days.”
After playing minor midget with the Lloydminster Rage as a 15-year-old, Ross suited up for the Onion Lake Border Chiefs. Mann said he was “told about a 16-year-old goalie playing Junior B by a friend.” Mann went and watched him and invited him to camp.
Ross impressed in his lone season, 2017-18, as a Trojan. He set a team record with a 1.85 goals against average and was chosen as the Trojans MVP. Ross’ father, Marty, praised Mann, his coaching staff, and his son’s billet parents Gord and Kristie Mamer for their role in his success.
“Without them I’m sure he wouldn’t be where he is today,” Marty Ross said.
Ross also benefited from sharing the Trojans’ crease with Tanner Martin. This past season Martin swept the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League’s goaltender awards and set league and team records with eight regular season shutouts.
When asked about his Tisdale time, Ross said:
“I think playing under such an awesome coach in Darrell Mann really helped me. He really pushed us to be the best we can. My goalie partner, Tanner Martin, also played awesome all year so we just rotated games for the most part. We were a very young team. We really weren’t expected to do as well as we did, but I think just the whole experience made me a better goalie as well as person.”
Ross’ former teammates were pleased to see him drafted by the Flyers. Trojans forward Cade Hayes said:
“It’s obviously super cool to think that I played with him last year and now he’s getting drafted to the NHL … it just shows that anything is possible, and it motivates me to want to do that as well …. I’m really happy for him. He was a great teammate and a really good goalie and a good buddy of mine. He was a fun guy and we shared lots of laughs.”
Ross started this past hockey season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Camrose Kodiaks. In January he joined the Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. Ross was named the WHL Rookie of the Month for January. With the Thunderbirds, he posted a 16-5-1-2 record, 2.76 goals-against and .919 save-percentage. His strong performance this season obviously impressed NHL scouts.
When asked about his rapid assent up the hockey ladder, including being drafted, Ross said:
“I got to admit I’m surprised, but not totally shocked. I’ve always felt confident that I could be of that caliber. I just got to keep working hard and pushing forward.”
Mann said that Ross is a great athlete who is getting better and better everyday.
“The sky is the limit for him and I can’t wait to see Roddy in a Flyers jersey.”
