Ty Domshy had the time of his life this past spring as he watched the NHL playoffs in Edmonton.
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Domshy, whose hometown is St. Albert, didn’t need to go far to follow the Edmonton Oilers as they advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup final, before losing to the Florida Panthers in six games.
“Yeah, I went to the watch party a couple of times,” he said. “Oh, it was amazing. It was electric, especially when (the Oilers) won.”
Domshy, one of the newcomers this season with the U18 AAA Lloydminster Lancers, hopes to contribute to an anticipated turnaround for the Alberta Elite Hockey League team.
After two years with the U17 AAA St. Albert Raiders Flyers, he has relocated to his father Darren’s native Lloydminster for his final season of U18 eligibility.
“It’s my last year of minor hockey and I just wanted to go to the place that gave me the best opportunity,” Domshy said Aug. 28 during the Lancers’ training camp at Servus Sports Centre.
“I already had some family here, so moving over here wouldn’t be too hard. I kind of wanted a new start.”
Domshy, a forward who turns 17 in December, has his paternal grandparents, two aunts, two uncles and a cousin living in the Border City. He’s billeting with some of those family members while residing in Lloyd. He plans to do Grade 12 courses online during the hockey season, after which he intends to return home to graduate with his St. Albert Catholic High School class.
PROMOTED TO U18
As captain of the U17 AAA Flyers last season, Domshy scored 11 goals and 26 points in 29 regular-season games, while accumulating 46 penalty minutes. He added three goals and eight points in four playoff games, along with three assists in four games at provincials.
After his U17 season, Domshy was called up to the U18 AAA Raiders and collected three assists in five games with them.
As far back as April and May, he was thinking about a possible move to Lloydminster this season to play at the U18 level.
“It took a while to get my release out of St. Albert,” Domshy said. “I had to go to Hockey Alberta for that.
“Once they got that all settled, it was late July, almost August. It’s fine. I got it done. I’m here to stay.”
Revamping under new coach Chris King, the Lancers were most receptive to Domshy’s expression of interest.
“He’s a guy that’s been very, very good for us at camp,” King said. “He’s going to be on our roster (this) year. He’s transferring here to us. We’re excited about, one, his leadership and, two, just his consistency.”
As the Lancers try to rebuild their organization into a competitive team, they’ll do so as one of the initial tenants of the state-of-the-art Cenovus Energy Hub, with its customized dressing rooms.
“He wasn’t sure what (St. Albert’s) association was going to look like, and we became an option,” King said of Domshy. “Honestly, I think maybe a new coach, new program, new rink definitely helped (with his decision).”
LIKEABLE TEAMMATE
While he’s still sizing up his new surroundings, the five-foot-10, 160-pound Domshy is confident he can provide skill and hopeful he can be a likeable teammate.
“I feel like I’m a good playmaker, I’ve got a good IQ and a pretty good shot,” he said, just minutes before a second effort enabled him to bank the puck off a defender’s skate and into the net during a practice drill.
“I seem like I’m a pretty good guy. I hope the guys like me here.”
Domshy didn’t know any of the Lloyd prospects beforehand, but almost a week into camp, he had become more acclimatized.
“I know a couple of names now,” he said with a smile.
“I’m getting a little bit better. It’s a little tough. I feel once I’m here a little more, and the team is actually finalized, I’ll get to know a couple of the guys better, or most of the guys. Hopefully, that’ll be easier.”
Domshy didn’t go easy this summer as he prepared for his jump to U18 AAA hockey, mixing training and recreation time with employment.
“Lots of hockey and lots of gym,” he said. “I like to golf, too, and hang out with the buddies.”
He also had a landscaping job that kept him busy during the game.
“I did a lot of work,” Domshy said. “It’s like a supply company, so I give out all the supplies, do orders and deliveries, that kind of stuff.”
Hockey-wise, he delivers a winning pedigree to Lloydminster. As part of elite St. Albert teams, Domshy reached provincial championship tournaments once in U15 AAA and twice at the U17 AAA level, including a gold-medal finish in 2024.
It amounted to a good run with quality teams.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Playoffs every year, at least.”
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