It is in late January that it becomes permissible in hockey to begin mentioning the 鈥楶鈥� word, as in playoffs.
A potential first-round post-season matchup could be on preview tonight when the Victoria Royals travel to Kelowna to take on the Rockets in a Western Hockey League tilt.
Under the WHL鈥檚 playoff format, the second- and third-place finishers in the sa国际传媒 Division are guaranteed to meet in the opening round of the playoffs.
Victoria (23-20-1) is in second place with 47 points and third-place Kelowna (19-22-4) on 42 points and having played one more game. The sa国际传媒 Division-leading Vancouver Giants (29-12-2) have 60 points and appear out of reach. The Kamloops Blazers and Prince George Cougars trail not only the sa国际传媒 Division, but the entire Western Conference, with 37 points.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not looking at that [possible matchups] just yet,鈥� said Royals head coach Dan Price.
But pundits certainly are, as they are wont to do.
Not that a 鈥楶鈥� word is totally out of mind for Price, as in points. Along with the 鈥楽鈥� word, as in seeding.
鈥淲e just want to accumulate as many points as we can to get the best possible seeding,鈥� he said.
Another 鈥楶鈥� word is perk and it would certainly be an important one to get home ice-advantage in the opening round, making tonight鈥檚 points on offer a small step toward that outcome.
Both these teams are familiar actors in the post-season. The Royals have not missed the playoffs since the franchise moved to the Island in 2011-12 and is among only four WHL teams to accomplish that in that span. Also in that group are the Rockets, who have missed the playoffs only once in 23 seasons since coming to the Okanagan.
The gap has closed between the two teams this season since Victoria started a torrid 7-0 and Kelowna an uncharacteristic 4-10 before head coach Jason Smith was cut loose Oct. 23 and replaced on the Rockets bench by two-time Stanley Cup champion and Olympic gold-medallist, former NHL blue-liner Adam Foote.
Since Ryan Huska鈥檚 last season in Kelowna, the Rockets have had four different head coaches in the past five seasons in Dan Lambert, Brad Ralph, Smith and now Foote. That is a large amount of bench turnover for an otherwise steady-as-it-goes franchise.
Pundits around the league are wondering just when this season鈥檚 Rockets group is going to break out under Foote. Kelowna leads the WHL with six players ranked by Central Scouting for the 2019 NHL draft, including projected first- or second-rounders Lassi Thomson, Nolan Foote and Kaedan Korczak. The others are Kyle Topping of Salt Spring Island, Alex Swetlikoff and goaltender Roman Basran.
This is the core group the Rockets are building around for the 2020 Memorial Cup, which Kelowna will host. But they are underachieving so far this season. The Rockets have won their last two games, but had only won one of their previous eight.
Price, however, is wary of the potential that clearly lurks within this Kelowna roster.
鈥淭hey forecheck well and are fast and physical,鈥� said the Victoria bench boss, whose own team has only won once in its last six games.
鈥淭his will be a good test in their building. We need a good start and to establish the pace.鈥�
The Royals continue on the road Saturday night with a game in Kamloops against the Blazers.
