By Trevor Redden

Scott looks forward to ‘exciting’ Raider season

Sep 1, 2017 | 12:00 PM

It was a whirlwind summer for the newest goaltending prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Prince Albert Raiders standout Ian Scott fulfilled a childhood dream back in June, being drafted by one of the most storied franchises in hockey history.

“It was surreal. You grow up your whole life wanting to be drafted by an NHL team and it being the Leafs, for me, it was just unreal,” Scott said. “They’ve been around forever, have a great culture, and lots of good role models and players have come out of that organization so it was pretty cool.”

Prior to becoming a part of the Maple Leafs, Scott was selected to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence goaltending camp. The program is intended to develop the elite goaltenders across the country, and Scott was one of just seven goaltenders selected nationwide for the under 20 category.

Scott said the camp allowed him to learn from high-calibre coaches as well as the other top goaltenders from coast to coast, allowing him to pick their brains to improve his game.

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Roughly a month later, the Calgary native was off to Toronto to take part in his first development camp with the Maple Leafs, where once again he was exposed to coaching at the highest level. He was joined at the camp by Raiders goaltending consultant and former Ottawa Senator draft pick Kelly Guard. Together with Maple Leafs staff, Guard and Scott built a plan moving forward to continue building his game as he looks towards a pro career in the future.

Although his summer was dedicated primarily to hockey, he was able to tie his development together with a vacation of sorts as he spent three weeks in Boston where he worked with a goaltending coach. While there, he had the opportunity to take in the sights of Boston in the summertime. 

Scott is currently in camp with the Raiders, but will depart once more next week as he heads to Toronto to participate in a rookie tournament against prospects from the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens at Ricoh Coliseum. Raider teammate Parker Kelly will be attending the same tournament as a member of the Senators.

As for the season ahead with the Raiders, Scott is ready for the team to take a big step.

“I think the end of last year, you could really see the promise in our team,” Scott said. “I think I can speak for all the guys that it’s definitely going to be an exciting year.”

Camp continues through the weekend for the Raiders with Saturday night’s intrasquad Green and White game, followed by a Young Guns showdown on Sunday afternoon against the Saskatoon Blades at the Art Hauser Centre.

trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nedderrovert