As a rookie in Buffalo Sabres training camp earlier this month, Logan Nelson was placed for a time on a line with canny NHL forwards Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis. Something from the experience obviously rubbed off as Nelson assisted on all four goals to pace the Victoria Royals to a 4-2 Western Hockey League season-opening victory against the Vancouver Giants before 7,182 fans at the Pacific Coliseum.

“Before you know it, the puck is on your stick . . . the puck always seems in the right place,” said the 20-year-old Nelson, of playing with Vanek and Ennis.

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Nelson repaid the favour — four times over — Friday at the junior level.

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Three of the goals Nelson assisted on came off the stick of Austin Carroll, who just returned from the training camp of the Anaheim Ducks to record a natural hat-trick. Like Royals linemate Nelson, Carroll too, seemed to make the most of his time playing alongside the big boys in the pros.

“It was so fast up there. Every shot, every pass was where it needed to be,” said Carroll, before the Royals opener in Vancouver.

“I came back [from Ducks camp] a better player in terms of confidence. You realize up there how you have to keep pushing the pace.”

Which is what Carroll and Nelson did in spades last night.

Anthony Ast opened the scoring on the season for Vancouver at 4:38 of the first period on the power play with Brandon Magee in the penalty box. The veteran Magee made up for that in the second period, converting a two-on-one break with Nelson to tie it 1-1 at 3:28. That was followed by the Nelson-assisted Carroll goals at 9:44 and 13:14 of the second and 9:44 of the third. Vancouver defenceman Tyler Morrison closed out scoring.

The Nelson-Carroll-Magee line finished with nine points.

Victoria starter Patrik Polivka was busy in making 34 saves for the victory, while Payton Lee made 19 saves for Vancouver.

“We got timely scoring from our top guys,” said Royals head coach Dave Lowry

“That line [Nelson-Carroll-Magee] played well. And our goaltender [Polivka] was good. But we traded too many quality chances. We have to be a lot tighter and cleaner than that as we move forward.”

Both teams were missing impact defenceman to NHL training camps — Keegan Kanzig of the Royals is still with the Calgary Flames and Dalton Thrower of the Giants with the Montreal Canadiens.

The Royals faced a former teammate and assistant captain Friday, and will again tonight, in hard-nosed 20-year-old forward Tim Traber, who was released by Victoria in the off-season. The Giants claimed Traber off waivers and he joined them this week after returning from a pro tryout in Switzerland. Traber picked up two minor penalties on the night against his old teammates.

The Royals home opener is tonight at 7 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre against the Giants, the second of 10 meetings this season between the cross-strait rivals.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com

Twitter.com/tc_vicsports