The Kelowna Rockets find themselves in a sort of no-man鈥檚 land as they prepare to meet the Victoria Royals in a Western Hockey League contest Friday night聽 in the Okanagan.
The Rockets are 1-5 after graduating last season鈥檚 top four scorers 鈥� Dillon Dube, Kole Lind, Carsen Twarynski and defenceman Cal Foote 鈥� to pro hockey.
Yet, this is a team with five players listed by Central Scouting for the 2019 NHL draft, including projected first-rounder Nolan Foote. The five projected 2019 picks ties Kelowna for most among Canadian Hockey League teams with the London Knights of the OHL.
But these promising kids are only 17 years old, turning 18 next year, and may yet be a season away from truly making up for the formidable loss of players such as NHL prospects Dube, Lind and Cal Foote. They will be in fuller bloom when they are guaranteed to be in the 2020 Memorial Cup as Kelowna hosts the CHL national championship tournament.
The Royals, meanwhile, are among only three of the 22 WHL teams not to land a player on the 2019 NHL draft watch list. Yet, Victoria is 4-0, and an honourable mention in the CHL top-10 poll, as it continues a reputation of squeezing the most out of the talent at hand.
鈥淲e have to continue playing our hearts out,鈥� said Royals veteran forward Dante Hannoun.
The 20-year-old Hannoun is a rarity 鈥� a player in his fifth WHL season with the same team. He鈥檚 seen a lot of Rockets talent come and go in what has become the Royals鈥� greatest rivalry, along with that against the Vancouver Giants. But he might need a program to identify the raft of new Kelowna players this weekend.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a different mix of players in Kelowna this season but there鈥檚 always the same feeling in a Victoria-Kelowna matchup, no matter who鈥檚 in the lineup,鈥� said Hannoun.
鈥淕ames against the Rockets are always easy to get up for.鈥�
Hannoun is one of the quieter guys on the Royals, which belies the key role he plays as a team leader on a young team.
鈥淚 know myself and the other 20 year olds [defenceman Ralph Jarratt and goaltender Griffen Outhouse] have a lot of leading to do with so many young players on this team,鈥� said the undrafted native of Delta.
鈥淚 prefer to lead by example, and it all starts in practice, by showing a willingness to work hard.鈥�
If someone the calibre of Hannoun is staying out on the ice until chased away by the Zamboni, every other Royals player knows they better, too.
Meanwhile, even by the standards of leadership roles, few expected former stay-at-home blue-liner Jarratt to be leading the Royals in scoring so far this season with six points in four games. That is two points clear of forwards Hannoun, D-Jay Jerome, Dino Kambeitz, Kaid Oliver and Igor Martynov, all on four points.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what to say . . . I鈥檝e never done it before [lead a team in scoring at any point],鈥� said Jarratt. 鈥淚 seem to be getting more opportunities this season. I鈥檓 more relaxed with the puck.鈥�
And they have come.
Victoria鈥檚 four wins to start has some people ruminating about a reprise of 2015-16, another season in which the Royals defied the pre-season prognostications, and went on to post the best record in the WHL.
But Jarratt noted that only he, Hannoun, Outhouse and defenceman Scott Walford remain from that team.
鈥淭his is a new group from 2016, and we want to write our own story,鈥� he said.
