The Victoria Royals began their potential future-altering week by taking power-forward Cruz Waltze of Richland, Washington, second overall Wednesday in the Western Hockey League draft of U.S. players.
“Cruz is the definition of the net-front offensive player,” said Royals GM and head coach Dan Price.
Waltze had 24 goals and 24 assists for 46 points in 28 games this season for the Rink Academy U-15 Prep team in Kelowna.
The key thing about the U.S. draft is making sure the player selected will show up to play in the WHL because the collegiate NCAA is also a big route for American players. The Royals signed Waltze on Wednesday to assure he will be coming to the team. His dad, Kris Waltze, played in the WHL for the Tri-City Americans before a pro career in the ECHL.
The Spokane Chiefs selected forward Brodie Gillespie of Vancouver, Washington, first overall. Gillespie and Waltze are teammates on the Rink Academy U-15 Prep team in Kelowna. The Royals selected defenceman Odin Vauhkonen from Costa Mesa, California, out of Shattuck St. Mary’s 14-U Triple-A in the second round and 25th overall.
The second consecutive season of missing the playoffs gave the Royals the second overall selection in the U.S. draft and the fourth overall selection in today’s main WHL prospects draft.
The order for both drafts was determined through a lottery involving teams that missed the playoffs.
The Royals appear to have hit on their first-round picks last season with forward Cole Reschny, taken third overall in the 2022 WHL main draft, having an outstanding season in representing Saskatchewan at the sa国际传媒 Winter Games and for his club team, the Saskatoon Blazers, and he will enter his highly-anticipated WHL rookie season with the Royals in the fall. Defenceman Hudson Bjornson of Scottsdale, Arizona, taken ninth overall by Victoria in the 2022 WHL U.S. draft, appears ready to jump up to the Royals’ blue line in the upcoming season.
If the Royals can hit again in both drafts this week with Waltze, and whoever they get fourth overall today, it will go a long way toward securing more success in upcoming seasons.
“When you look at teams like Seattle and Prince George, they had two really good back-to-back drafts of high selections,” said Price.
He did not say which four players the Royals have focused on for today’s main draft, knowing they will get one of them.
“We know we will be getting a foundational player,” is all Price would allow.
That could be of added importance with Victoria planning to bid to host the 2026 Memorial Cup national championship tournament. If the bid is successful, the Royals would receive a host berth.
Forward Noah Kosick of Victoria is the top-ranked player for the main WHL draft today. He is only listed as five-foot-six and 106 pounds but the centreman with Langford-based Pacific Coast Hockey Academy is elusively quick with a lethal release.
The Prince Albert Raiders have the first two selections followed by the Chiefs at No. 3 and the Royals at No. 4
