Dave Lowry had a simple answer as to why Victoria Royals defenceman Joe Hicketts and Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Point were chosen to captain the WHL all-star team against the Russian Junior Selects next week: 鈥淭hey鈥檝e won. They know what the expectations are.鈥�
The Royals coach was referring to Hicketts鈥� and Point鈥檚 experience last year in the WHL-Russia two-game set en route to winning gold with sa国际传媒 at the 2015 world junior hockey championship. Lowry was assistant coach of the victorious Canadian team and will be head coach for sa国际传媒 at the 2016 world juniors, which begin Boxing Day in Helsinki, Finland.
Hicketts, an undersized but mobile blue-liner, is second in Victoria team scoring and also second in WHL scoring for a defenceman with one goal and 18 assists for 19 points. Point leads the league in scoring with 32 points, two of which came on assists Wednesday as the Royals defeated the Warriors 5-2 in Moose Jaw.
Hicketts, signed by the Detroit Red Wings, will captain the WHL on Monday in his hometown of Kamloops, while Point, under contract to the Tampa Bay Lightning, gets the 鈥楥鈥� on Tuesday in Kelowna.
鈥淎nytime you get a chance to lead a group like that is special. Especially it鈥檚 cool to be representing the league as a leader in your hometown, in front of family, and friends,鈥� said Hicketts, also captain of the Royals.
He pointed to Curtis Lazar of the NHL鈥檚 Ottawa Senators, who captained sa国际传媒 to 2015 world junior gold, as the person he models himself after as a captain.
鈥淭he leadership group makes the difference on any league or national team,鈥� added Hicketts.
鈥淭his WHL-Russian series happens so quickly. It鈥檚 one practice, two games and you鈥檙e out of there. But every player on the WHL roster is a special talent, so you just trust your instincts.鈥�
Club play is just the opposite. It is all about the long haul.
The upstart Royals (12-5-1) are 4-0 on their lengthy six-game road journey through Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It continues tonight with a marquee matchup against the Brandon Wheat Kings (11-3-2), one of the elite teams in the WHL. But while others might describe it as a statement game, not the Royals.
鈥淏randon was picked to win the league, while we are young. For us, it鈥檚 just another game against a well-respected opponent,鈥� said Lowry.
Added Hicketts: 鈥淚n a sense, all games have been statement games for us this season.鈥�
The Royals conclude their 5,000-plus kilometre odyssey Saturday night in Regina against the Pats (7-6-1).
ICE CHIPS: Added as an injury replacement to the WHL roster for the games against the Russians is defenceman Dysin Mayo, a Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey Association product and 2014 WHL and Memorial Cup champion from the Edmonton Oil Kings, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes . . . The Royals will receive national television exposure on Nov. 27 in a home game against the Kelowna Rockets and Dec. 11 in a game in Vancouver against the Giants. Those fixtures were among the broadcast schedule announced Thursday by Rogers Sportsnet.
