Realistically, Xander Roy and Riley Lavallee understand that they are trying to beat the odds.

It's just that the young local forwards are not quite prepared to close the door on their hockey dreams just yet.

If dreams are to become reality, the Knights of Meaford will have to have played a very large role, with both Roy and Lavallee committing earlier this summer to join the Greater Metro Junior A League (GMHL) team beginning in September.

Unaffiliated with Hockey Canada, the GMHL is the brainchild of one time Sudbury Wolves' sniper Bobby Russell. Located in a town of 11,000 or so situated just east of Owen Sound, the Knights have been part of the loop since the 2013-2014 season.

With mostly "AA" minor hockey background, Roy worked diligently during the pandemic, hoping to garner some interest. "I focused on increasing my muscle mass, in general," said the 16 year old student at E.S. l'Horizon.

"I knew that for me to have a chance to be brought over to a junior team that I would have to bring up my physical performance a lot." Having suited up with coach Dale Lafrance and the Nickel City Minor "AA" Midget Sons in 2019-2020, Roy was pleased to see his game continue to evolve, even incorporating the learnings from a brief stint as a defenceman, before settling in up front.

"I started to understand a lot more where our defense would be," he said. "It helped me understand how to stay out of their way, but also how to help them defend, when they needed me to."

A tad nervous about moving away from home for the first time - Roy was thrilled when his schoolmate, Lavallee, jumped on board for the adventure, as well - the competitive teen is giving himself at least a little runway to see how things play out.

"This is my first year playing in that junior league, so giving myself a timeline, right now, in my first year of junior hockey, is way too early to give myselk a set date," he said. "As a rookie, you just want to go out there and give it your best, try and impress everyone."

Though their styles might be somewhat different, it appears safe to believe that Lavallee carries with him that very same focus.

"I would like them to notice how I see the ice and read plays before they happen," said the 17 year old playmaker who suited up with the AAA Sons in both of his peewee years before altering the course a little in bantam.

"I was a smaller guy, so when the hitting came along, I decided to back down and just stuck with AA since then," said Lavallee, who currently stands 5'9" but now presents a compact 150 pound presence on the ice.

"I try and keep my head up as much as possible. Off the ice, I work on my balance, my mobility and my explosion to try and avoid hits."

With the 18 month layoff compounding matters, Lavallee believes that his dedication to hard work should pay dividends this winter. "I've been training all summer with some high level athletes," he said.

"I've been working a lot on my shot, really focused on my shot and my hands. I will have to adapt to the speed and the change of game from a AA perspective to a junior style game."