What the Victoria Royals went through last Western Hockey League season 鈥� vacating Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre for a long stretch to make room for the 2013 world men鈥檚 curling championship 鈥� is what the Blazers will go through this season when hosting the 2014 Brier.
鈥淚 wish them well 鈥� I鈥檓 glad it鈥檚 them, not us [this time],鈥� chuckled Royals GM Cam Hope, from Manhattan on Wednesday, as he prepares to attend the 2013 NHL draft Sunday in New Jersey, and meet with those gathered there from within the hockey business.
鈥淕enerally, we鈥檙e happy with our schedule. It鈥檚 was an impartial process.鈥�
The WHL announced its 792-game 2013-14 regular-season schedule Wednesday, which opens Sept. 19 with Swift Current visiting Regina.
The Royals play the next night in Vancouver before hosting a return visit from the Giants Sept. 21. It鈥檚 the first two of 10 games against the Giants as Victoria will see Vancouver more than any other team for the third season running. The Royals will face their other sa国际传媒 Division opponents eight times each and their Western Conference foes in the U.S. Division four times each.
This is the alternating season in which the Royals make the trek to the Eastern Division of the Eastern Conference, a journey through Saskatchewan and Manitoba that will encompass 16 days beginning Feb. 15.
At home, the Royals will feature five separate five-game homestands.
The bulk of the Royals鈥� home games will be on Fridays and Saturdays with 12 games on each of those days. There will also be six Wednesday night home dates.
Victoria鈥檚 regular season concludes with back-to-back tilts against the Everett Silvertips March 14 at the Memorial Centre and March 15 in Everett, Wash.
The playoffs begin March 21.
Meanwhile, the Royals鈥� five-game exhibition schedule commences Aug. 30 in Everett.
ICE CHIPS: Two incoming Royals 16-year-olds 鈥� five-foot-11 forward Tyler Soy and six-foot-two defenceman Chaz Reddekopp, both selected in the first round of the 2012 Bantam draft 鈥� have been named to the Team Pacific summer development camp.
Team Pacific, which will compete in the 2014 World Junior U-17 Hockey Challenge in late December-early January in Cape Breton, comprises sa国际传媒 and Alberta.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great and says a lot for our young group,鈥� said Hope. 鈥淭hose two players have earned it.鈥�
If they make Team Pacific, Soy and Reddekopp will have plenty of Royals company on the bench. Victoria assistant coach Enio Sacilotto has been tapped as assistant coach and Khore Elliott of the Royals as athletic therapist for Team Pacific.
Sacilotto, who has coached pro all over Europe, has been with the Royals the past two seasons. Before joining the Royals, Elliott was athletic therapist for the pro Victoria Salmon Kings and has cross-sport experience with the Canadian U-20 national rugby team, Westshore Rebels junior football club and also by working the 2011 BMO Skate sa国际传媒 national championships.
Twitter.com/tc_vicsports
