Fresh off an impressive final year for the Medicine Hat Tigers, Curtis Valk is looking to continue his success at the next level in his first year as a professional. The local product has been skating at the Arena with a handful of other pros in recent days.

Born and raised in Medicine Hat, Valk was a huge source of pride for fans of the Orange & Black, lighting up the WHL night in and night out over the past couple seasons while leading the club on an impressive run deep into the playoffs last year.

“It was a pretty crazy year. The team did really well, it was fun going far in the playoffs to the Conference finals,” says the Gas City native.

“It wasn’t quite the way I wanted to go out, a win would have been great, but it was a great season. I had a lot of fun with the guys and couldn’t ask for a better way to end my career in Medicine Hat,” added Valk.

With his WHL eligibility now a thing of the past, Valk has his sights set on a job with the Vancouver Canucks this fall. His outstanding final year, in which he captained the club and lead the team in scoring with 92 points, opened the eyes of NHL scouts, leading to a pro tryout offer with Canucks.

“Just after our season ended, my agent gave me a call and said that Vancouver was going to invite me to Development Camp and then back to Penticton in the fall. I was pretty excited about that for sure; it was the first Development Camp I’d ever been to so it was a good experience and I learned a lot. It’s definitely different, the pro game versus junior. It’s an exciting time coming up here in the fall, having to basically play for a job. It’s kind of what you’ve been working at for your whole life, so it’s pretty cool to have that opportunity.”

Valk isn’t doing too much different to prepare for his first year as a pro, leaning on the same routine that helped transform him from a 137-pound rookie in his days as a 16-year-old trying to make the Tigers, to help him make the transition to the next level.

“Same as every other year, just try to work out as much as we can and skate as much as we can here in Medicine Hat. Just trying to get bigger and stronger and doing that the same way I’ve done it my whole career.”

One thing in Valk’s favour as he tries to make the jump to the pros is familiarity with the brass in the Vancouver organization.

“It definitely makes it easier for sure knowing Willie (Desjardins). He was here when I was 16, I played a couple games for him, so it takes the nerves off a little bit but they’re still going to be there. It’s an exciting time and now I have to do it for a living so there’s a little bit of pressure. But that’s why we play the game, to have opportunities like this.”

“Hopefully if I go into camp here I can earn myself a contract and find myself a spot on one of the teams in their organization, and by doing that keep getting better. I’m only 21-years-old so it might not be the jump to the NHL right away. There’s still a long ways to go and I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully good things will come from it.”

Beyond the connection with Desjardins, there are a number of Tigers alumni looking to suit up for the Canucks this season. That list includes Derek Dorsett, Linden Vey, and Hunter Shinkaruk, who Valk starred on a line with before Shinkaruk was lost for the season due to injury.

“Seeing Hunter in Development Camp was pretty cool, knowing somebody there. He’s been through it before as he was at the camp last year. I talked to him on and off throughout the summer and we’re pretty excited to get another opportunity to play with each other in the fall.”

Tigers fans will be cheering hard for the many former Bengals now in the Vancouver system, but perhaps most enthusiastically for their recent hometown hero Curtis Valk.