The Victoria Royals and Spokane Chiefs have spent the past two seasons in the nether regions of the Western Hockey League grasping for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference, with the Chiefs winning out on the last day over the Royals in 2021-22 and both teams missing out completely last season.
While nobody expects either team to challenge the likes of the Portland Winterhawks or Prince George Cougars in the conference penthouse this season, a modest move up to the middle floors could be happening.
Spokane is 4-3 and Victoria 4-5 heading into their back-to-back set tonight and Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Both teams have won their last two games, with the Royals having won four of their last five after opening the season with four losses.
The Chiefs are led by Berkly Catton, who will be a high first-round selection in the 2024 NHL draft, despite being five-foot-11 and 163 pounds. The Hockey News, Yahoo Sports and Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet all have Catton going fourth overall behind Mack Celebrini of Boston University, Cole Eiserman of the U.S. U-18 program and Ivan Demidov of St. Petersburg of the KHL while the Elite Prospects and The Hockey Writers sites have Catton ranked sixth overall.
Considered a complete forward, the Saskatoon native has six goals and 11 points in seven games for the Chiefs this season after scoring eight goals in five games to lead sa国际传媒 to the gold medal in the Under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup over the summer.
Meanwhile, far from that heady company in which Catton exists is recently acquired Royals forward Dawson Pasternak. He went unnoticed during his draft-eligible days but the 20-year-old journeyman has given the Royals an immediate spark with two goals and four assists for six points in the three games since being acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a conditional WHL prospects draft pick in what looks to be a total steal of a deal for Victoria. The five-foot-nine, 155 pounder been all over the ice for the Royals, playing forward and defence, and becoming an instant fan favourite.
“Being a small player you’ve got to be very competitive and fast all over the ice to make yourself be an impact player. That’s what [fans] are seeing so far and what they should be expecting moving forward,” said Pasternak.
Coming into Victoria, Pasternak had 20 goals and 33 assists for 53 points in 89 regular-season WHL games with the Wheat Kings and Portland Winterhawks between 2020-21 and 2022-23. He began his junior career with two seasons in the USHL with Chicago Steel, winning the league championship in 2020-21.
As a 20-year-old, Pasternak provides an age bookend to the Royals’ heralded 16-year-old rookie forward Cole Reschny, rated by Elite Prospects for the second round of the 2025 NHL draft. The two played on the second line in Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers with Pasternak assisting on Reschny’s first-period goal while Reschny, sliding on his stomach, assisted on Pasternak’s third-period goal.
“They [20-year-olds] have been here for a long time and know what goes on in this league and what you need to do to stay in the league,” said Reschny.
“He [Pasternak] is a great guy and a great leader and a great guy to look up to. He’s not the biggest guy but his compete level is so high.”
