Even when the pre-season outlook has the odds stacked against teams, as it seems to for both the Victoria Royals and Prince George Cougars, hope springs eternal at the beginning of any season in sports. That鈥檚 the beauty of that singular moment when every team sits at 0-0-0 in the standings, as it does this morning in the Western Hockey League.
That changes tonight when the 53rd WHL season opens with all 22 teams playing.
When this journey concludes in the spring, few expect either the Royals or Cougars to be representing the WHL at the Memorial Cup in Halifax.
There will not be a single NHL drafted player on the ice, a rarity in the WHL, when the Royals and Cougars open their 2018-19 regular-season accounts tonight at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. (To be fair, Royals blue-liner and third-round Canadiens selection Scott Walford is still in Montreal camp, while promising Cougars forward Jackson Leppard is in Tampa Bay Lightning camp in Bradenton, Florida, while undrafted blue-liner Joel Lakusta has just returned from St. Louis Blues rookie camp).
Both teams went all in by stocking up on veteran talent 鈥� the Royals last season and Cougars two seasons ago 鈥� in bold respective attempts to reach the Memorial Cup. But in major-junior hockey as in physics, for every action there is a reaction, and it comes now in the form of rebuilds. The Royals, second in the sa国际传媒 Division last season at 39-27-6, are in the first year of theirs and the Cougars in their second, after going from sa国际传媒 Division champions at 45-21-6 in 2016-17 to bottom of the division and missing the playoffs last season at 24-38-10.
So a platform has presented itself, on both teams, for players to step up. They seem to relish that opportunity.
鈥淲e had a far older team last season, so I did not play as much as I would have personally liked,鈥� said 17-year-old Royals forward Tarun Fizer, who had two goals and seven points in 45 games last season as a rookie
鈥淭he opportunity is here now to get a high number of playing minutes.鈥�
Returning import forward Igor Martynov had 18 goals and 43 points in his rookie season and will need to up that production in his sophomore season if Victoria is to be successful.
鈥淚 feel better and know what to do heading into my second year in the WHL,鈥� said Martynov, who represented Belarus in the 2018 IIHF world junior championship tournament in Buffalo.
鈥淕oing from the big ice surface of Europe to the smaller ice surface [of North America] was an adjustment, but I understand better now how the battles are won on the smaller ice. I know if I play hard, the goals will take care of themselves.鈥�
Other Royals players have been thrust into leadership roles, especially with 2017-18 captain Matthew Phillips favoured by many to stick with the Calgary Flames in their minor-pro system.
Case-in-point is 18-year-old, third-year Victoria forward Kaid Oliver. He needs to accomplish the multiple tasking that departed St. Louis Blues-signed Tanner Kaspick did so well last season at the front end.
鈥淭hose are big shoes to step into,鈥� said Oliver.
鈥淚鈥檓 no longer a follower. It鈥檚 a different experience for me taking on a larger leadership role. This team may not have as much skill as last year, but we have people to fill those roles. Everybody here believes in themselves and in each other. It鈥檚 a good group with everybody fitting in and meshing together. We know we have to show up every night and work hard every night.鈥�
That鈥檚 the kind of spirit that has made the Royals a consistent playoff team in the seven seasons they have played on the Island, even while producing a dearth of NHL prospects. Victoria is among only four of the 22 WHL teams to have not missed the post-season in that span.
Victoria head coach Dan Price, entering his third season with the team after a season as assistant coach under Dave Lowry, dismisses concerns about his team鈥檚 youthfulness entering this season. There is a Royals way, he believes, that overcomes such obstacles.
鈥淪uccess in the WHL is not defined by age, but by what you do on the ice, at any age,鈥� he said.
鈥淥ur older players have become close to our younger players and have taken them under their wings. That鈥檚 why you鈥檒l see this team come along quickly. The players have displayed extraordinary pace in practice. They are versatile, fast, physical and vocal.鈥�
ICE CHIPS: The Royals will definitely be missing a key veteran component in the opening-weekend set against the Cougars tonight and Saturday, and possibly a second. Walford is still in Canadiens camp skating in non-contact drills. Once Walford returns to the Island, Price is optimistic for a 鈥渜uick return鈥� to the Royals lineup from the injury that kept the Coquitlam product out of last spring鈥檚 playoffs . . . Veteran 20-year-old forward Dante Hannoun of Delta, who amplifies much of the Royals offence and will likely lead the team in scoring this season, has been called away suddenly on a family matter and Price was not sure of his availability for this weekend.
