It’s a good news, bad news sort of situation for the Victoria Royals.
The good is that Robin Sapousek is talented enough to make the Czechia team for the 2023 world junior championship, although he didn’t dress in their 5-2 victory over sa国际传媒 in their opener on Monday. The bad part is the recently-committed Royals forward won’t be available tonight and Wednesday at the Langley Events Centre or Friday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre for Victoria’s crucial three-game Western Hockey League set against the Vancouver Giants.
Sapousek, a left-shooting natural centre, was taken seventh overall by the Royals in the 2022 Canadian Hockey League import draft in July. The six-foot-one, 18-year-old instead decided to begin the season in his home country with Karlovy Vary HC U-20 where he scored nine goals with 18 points in 11 games. That earned him a call-up to the pros where he played in seven games for HC Energie Karlovy Vary of the Czech Extraliga. Sapousek committed to the Royals in November.
Sapousek’s current appearance in the world juniors also continues a trajectory in international play. He played for Czechia (the former Czech Republic) in the 2022 world U-18 championship in Germany, where he competed against soon-to-be Royals teammates Brayden Schuurman and Kalem Parker in beating sa国际传媒 in overtime in group play, and the 2021 U-18 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in Alberta, in which the Czechs placed fourth.
“We are very proud of him because it’s a great accomplishment to make the world junior tournament as an 18-year-old [Sapousek will also be eligible for the 2024 world juniors],” said Royals GM and head coach Dan Price.
“That shows his readiness, as does having already played pro with men in the Czech Extraliga, and having developed a pro style. He is a very complete 200-foot player who can perform in any situation.”
Each CHL major-junior team is allowed two European imports. Sapousek will became the Royals’ second in the category, joining veteran forward Marcus Almquist, who is re-joining the Royals this week after representing Denmark in the IIHF Tier-1 world junior tournament that took place in Norway.
Sapousek will join the Royals on Jan. 6 following the world junior championship taking place in Halifax and Moncton. His arrival couldn’t come at a more key time as the Royals (7-23-3) look to climb back in the playoff hunt. Victoria is 10 points adrift of the nearest post-season berth in the Western Conference and has played four more games that the Kelowna Rockets.
The Giants (12-15-6), meanwhile, are 13 points ahead of Victoria but have played the same amount of games. Vancouver will be without its captain, forward Zack Ostapchuk, who is playing for sa国际传媒 at the world juniors.
“These are important contests against Vancouver and are essentially four-point games,” said Price, of the three-game cross-strait set this week.
Meanwhile, Price said the return of Royals captain Gannon Laroque is imminent. Laroque was invited to the sa国际传媒 world junior team selection camp in the summer but could not make it due to surgery that has kept him out of the WHL season to date. The NHL-signed San Jose Sharks blue-liner is now listed day-to-day.
“We have targeted Jan. 3 for his return although there is still a chance Gannon could play this week,” said Price.
