WATERLOO - Dayn Belfour was sitting in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport Sunday preparing to board a plane home to Winnipeg when he got a call from his dad, Ed.

"He told me, 'You've got a chance to try out for Waterloo of the USHL. Get your bags off the plane and get to Waterloo,'" Dayn said. "I was like, 'OK, dad, I'll book a flight.' It was harder to get the bags off the plane to Winnipeg."

If Belfour's name sounds familiar, it should.

The 20-year old goalie's dad is Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour, who played 18 seasons in the NHL and led the Dallas Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup championship.

The younger Belfour is one of 31 goalies brought in for the first of two invitation-only Black Hawks tryout camps, which got under way Monday with goalies only and will continue through Thursday.

More than 140 hopeful players are in Waterloo trying to nail down invitations to the Black Hawks' main camp in July and eventually one of 23 roster spots for the 2009-10 season.

Games will get under way today starting at 4 p.m.

Getting Belfour into camp was a bonus, according to Black Hawks head coach P.K. O'Handley.

"He was not one we expected to be here, but we are certainly happy for him to be here," O'Handley said. "We got a call from a mutual friend and it was lucky he was able to come.

"He's a good goalie. He's experienced. I was a big fan of his dad's, so I'm pulling for him."

Belfour has spent the last three seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League playing for the Winkler Flyers, the same team where his father started his junior career.

Winkler is just 30 miles away from Carman, Manitoba, where Eddie grew up. Dayn's grandparents, Henry and Alma, get to see him play most of his home games.

"They say dad and I have a lot of the same mannerisms," Dayn said. "It's funny. Occasionally, I'll hear grandma at games yelling, 'Eddie get back in the net.'"

Dayn won 41 games the last two years with Winkler, including a 20-13-1 mark last season with a 3.47 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage.

Being 20, Belfour knows this is his last year in junior hockey.

"I'm 20 and I want to got out with a bang, win a championship," he said. "It was definitely a very competitive workout this morning.

"It's going to be a great experience. I'm playing with and against some very skilled hockey players. Being here, you are definitely putting yourself in position to learn something.

"It is a great opportunity, and I'm definitely interested in playing at this wonderful place … 3,500 fans a night … sellouts … That is amazing. That is what you want.

"It's going to be a challenge. These players are more skilled, bigger, faster and stronger. They will make me a better hockey player."

Belfour has been playing some type of junior hockey since he was 15, much of it away from home. That includes a year in Ontario and a season with Victory Honda in Michigan in the Midwest AAA Elite League.

"Home is kind of everywhere," Belfour said. "Home is wherever there is an ice rink, and that is kind of fine for me."

O'Handley wants a veteran presence in net this year, which is what Belfour would bring to the ice.

"He definitely looked good, and again I'm pulling for him," O'Handley said. "With 31 guys we are looking for specific attributes. With Dayn, he is 20, which sometimes brings roster problems for some teams, but not us."

Waterloo's third-round May Entry Draft pick, goalie Alex Vazzano, a Union College commit, will not attend this initial camp.

Vazzano took part in the NHL scouting combine a couple of weeks ago and currently is working out for several NHL teams prior to next week's NHL Entry draft.

"We are counting on him coming, but you never know," O'Handley said. "The options available for kids today are many. We are preparing like we have him and like we don't have him."