There is no moment more emotive, if not downright surreal, for an athlete than going back to play a former team in a building they once called home. That will be the case tonight for Victoria Royals forwards Kenta Isogai and Hayden Moore when the Royals meet the Wild in a Western Hockey League game at Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee, Washington.
The Royals acquired Isogai, who was the Wild’s top scorer two seasons running, in a trade this month for a second-round selection in this year’s WHL prospects draft, a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2028 and the rights to 17-year-old players Morgan Hackman and Nick Koering.
Isogai is a native of Nagano, Japan, and grew up skating in the rink that hosted the hockey competition of the 1998 Winter Olympics. His quicksilver deceptiveness has been evident as he and Toronto Maple Leafs draft-pick Brandon Lisowsky — another 20-year-old forward acquired recently by the Royals from the Saskatoon Blades for veteran Tanner Scott and two second-round draft picks — have considerably lifted Victoria’s fine-skill level on offence.
Moore, meanwhile, was acquired from the Wild in November as a utility forward in exchange for Deagan McMillan and a seventh-round pick. Although not as flashy as fellow-former Wild forward Isogai, the Manitoba-raised Moore has filled his role well with Victoria. The Royals brain trust of head coach James Patrick and GM Jake Heisinger were aware of Moore because he played for them in Winnipeg when the Wild franchise was known as the Ice before the move to Wenatchee. That internal knowledge led to the trade to get Moore to Victoria, where Patrick and Heisinger now run the show, and appears to be paying off.
“[Moore] is a really solid two-way player who is strong on pucks and sees the play with good hockey sense,” said Patrick.
“He is very responsible. You never have to worry about him in any situation. When we lost [2025 NHL first-round touted forward] Cole Reschny [for a bit in a recent game in Everett], Hayden Moore moved up to the top line and fit in great.”
Patrick, in a media scrum, described Moore’s attacking style: “He has a quick catch-and-release shot.”
That led to Patrick giving Moore a chance in a recent shootout in Everett as Moore scored the deciding goal as Victoria beat the WHL-leading Sivertips: “He was surprised I called his number. He’s a shooter but scored on a deke in the shootout to the surprise of the goalie and everybody on the bench.”
Moore, along with Isogai, are hoping to have a few more moves like that up their sleeves, as they return to an old haunt tonight.
Western Conference fourth-place Victoria (21-11-7) is on a four-game winning streak and has earned nine of a possible 10 points in its last five games. Wenatchee is 15-18-4 and currently holds down the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference. Victoria leads the season series against the Wild 2-0-1.
ICE CHIPS: The Western Conference third-place Spokane Chiefs, who lead Victoria by three points, upped the arms race considerably by trading for Kelowna Rockets forward Andrew Cristall, second in WHL scoring, and a second-round NHL draft pick of the Washington Capitals. The Rockets, who will host the 2026 Memorial Cup, received the Chiefs’ first and third-round selections in this year’s WHL prospects draft, a second-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027 and 17-year-old prospect Hayden Paupanekis.
