John MacNeil/Independent editor
Stettler twins Adam and Scott Ternes are visiting Victoria, B.C., with their family this week, but it’s not exactly a summer vacation.
The 15-year-old forwards are participating in the inaugural training camp of the newest Western Hockey League team, the Victoria Royals.
Linemates last season with the bantam AAA Camrose Kodiaks, the Ternes brothers wanted to stick together when they selected the Royals from a list of summertime suitors.
“We got a couple of letters before that, but we got (an invitation from) Victoria at the same time, so we thought it would be good to go together,” Adam said before the twins left Stettler on Tuesday.
“We didn’t want to go to separate teams.”
After all, they worked well together last season with Camrose in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.
“We played on a line the whole year with Justin Kirkland,” Adam said.
“It’s great, because Scott is my twin brother, so I’ve got lots of chemistry with him. I think we’d be able to play pretty good over there (in Victoria’s camp).”
Kirkland led the Kodiaks in scoring with 18 goals and 40 points in 33 games. He played right wing on the Ternes line, with Adam at centre and Scott on the left side. Scott scored 16 goals and 35 points, while Adam netted 14 goals and 29 points.
“It’ good, having my brother as a teammate,” Scott said.
“It’s sometimes frustrating, being on his line, just getting mad at each other sometimes. But, all in all, it’s good.”
Adam smiled when asked whether the twins sometimes engage in a sibling rivalry off the ice.
“Oh yeah, we do, even playing video games or something, we’re always fighting, trying to be competitive,” he said. “It’s all fun.”
More fun is in store for this week as they’re exposed to life in the WHL, though the 1996-born prospects aren’t eligible to play major junior full-time until next season.
“It’s exciting,” Scott said. “Just getting the experience of playing with older guys and just seeing what the level is like.”
Scott is relatively small at about five-foot-10 and 145 pounds, but he believes there’s a secret to holding his own against bigger and older players in training camp.
“Don’t be intimidated,” he said. “If they’re big guys, just play your game and stay composed. Just watch yourself.”
Adam, who is about five-foot-11 and 155 pounds, has similar goals as he auditions for the Royals, the former Chilliwack Bruins franchise.
“Hopefully, I can show them my stuff and give a good first impression, and try to make their squad a couple of years down the road,” Adam said.
“I’m a two-way player. I can score goals, but I can also defend my own end. I like to play like a Mike Richards.”
Scott also likens his style to an NHL player in Martin Havlat.
“I think I’m a two-way player,” he said. “I can score, but I’m still good defensively, too. I’d be like a Martin Havlat. I like the way he plays.”
The Ternes brothers worked with a personal trainer and complemented their summer training with workouts at Complete Athlete in Sylvan Lake.
“They’ve got a skating treadmill there and you just work on your stride and do off-ice stuff,” Scott said. “It’s really good, actually. It was real fun.”
Victoria might seem a little bit like home for the twins, whose older sister Chelsey is a student at the University of Victoria.
After they return home, Adam and Scott plan to hit the road again for midget AAA tryouts with the Red Deer Optimist Rebels.