Eurolanche

Roman Will: A message for Roy

Roman Will’s already attending the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters’ training camp, where he went last Sunday. We were the first to break the news. The young Czech goalie has had the most memorable time of his young career, capped off by being on the Avalanche’s roster as the backup goalie for the game against the Montreal Canadiens in Quebec. “The support of the fans was obvious and pretty big. A lot of people from Montreal came to the game and the crowd was pumped up. The majority of the people in the stands supported Colorado, because every time the Montreal fans started to shout something, they’d shout louder and start to applaud,” recalled Will, looking back at a historic moment – Colorado returned to Quebec for the second time since their relocation nearly 20 years ago. According to Roman, Joe Sakic got at least a five-minute-long standing ovation and the other players fed of the atmosphere and, on the command of team captain Gabriel Landeskog, went right back on the ice after the final buzzer to thank the crowd.

A short video of the team's trip to Canada, where Will also took part.

It was Will’s third preseason game he spent on the bench, before being sent down. Although he didn’t get to play a single minute, he’s not regretting a single thing and he’s thankful for the opportunity he was given. “I wasn’t expecting to stay there for that long. I mean, I got to stay there instead of other goalies. I really enjoyed the inter-squad Burgundy/White Game. I’d be really happy if I’d get to play a regular season game,” said Will, who couldn’t really describe the great experience of being part of the rookie and the regular squad training camp. “I enjoyed every single second – the beautiful hotel, the beautiful dressing rooms, everything. The players and personnel around the team were great. Especially at the end, when the squad got smaller and they viewed me as a regular member of the team. I won’t forget the whole thing,” described Will.

The Czech goalie got word of his assignment to the AHL late at night after the team’s arrival from Montreal. He even got to speak to head-coach Patrick Roy about him being in training camp. “He told me I’d made a good impression and that they’re really happy with my performance. They told me I should continue where I left off in training camp. It’s in my hands now and everything can happen. They also told me that it’s not really important in which league I’ll play, because the most important thing for a goalie is to play in the first place. I told Roy I’d do everything I can to get to see him again,” said Will.

Will went to Cleveland on his own and took a cab to the hotel, in which he’s staying together with Trevor Cheek. As was the case in Denver, Will’s also full of praise for the team’s facilities in Cleveland. Everything’s on a high and professional level, the roster’s full of quality players. The camp will run until Sunday, when they’ll decide if Will will stay in the AHL, or if he’ll move to the organization’s ECHL affiliate, the Fort Wayne Comets. “It won’t be a big deal if I’d get sent to the ECHL. I take it more like a challenge, it’s always better to start from the bottom than to start with overblown expectations. I like it that way. I’ll do everything I can, to help my team win and to get to the AHL and, later on, the NHL as soon as I can,” proclaimed Will.

Related Stories

Roman Will: NHL for the first time

Roman Will: Main training camp

Roman Will: My last day at the camp