It’s another sign the pandemic, at least in the public mind at large, is receding in the rear view mirror.
The Victoria Royals next two Western Hockey League games will be the first against Eastern Conference teams since the pandemic restricted the schedule. The Brandon Wheat Kings are in town tonight followed Tuesday night at the Memorial Centre by the Canadian Hockey League top-ranked Winnipeg Ice and NHL first-round draft picks Matthew Savoie, Conor Geekie and Carson Lambos.
“It’s really refreshing and our guys are looking forward to the re-integration and seeing perhaps a different style of play that they have not seen for awhile,” said Royals GM and head coach Dan Price.
The Wheat Kings were 3-2-1 heading into Friday night’s late-finishing game at the Langley Events Centre against the Vancouver Giants.
“Brandon’s top line is very dangerous and with a lot of speed,” said Price.
It includes Jake Chiasson, a fourth-round 2021 NHL draft pick of the Oilers who was in Edmonton’s training camp before being returned to the Wheaties, and team co-leading scorer Brett Hyland.
The Wheat Kings also have one of the brightest young prospect goaltenders in 17-year-old Carson Bjarnason, who was on the sa国际传媒 roster over the summer for the 2022 U-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and who has been outstanding in the crease for Brandon this early season.
The Royals, meanwhile, lost their first seven games before taking three of a possible four points in this week’s two-game home set on Blanshard against the Kelowna Rockets with an overtime loss followed by the first win of the season.
“It was a good week of building and we are seeing more consistent habits and style of play from our guys,” said Price. “We were passive to start the season and are now more structured, aggressive and playing with more pressure.”
Meanwhile, the Royals said top-pairing defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was in the NHL rookie camp of the Winnipeg Jets, will be out for several months with a lower-body injury after being stretchered off Tuesday in the first game against the Rockets. That leaves three of Victoria’s top players shelved in what is a horrendous injury situation. Forward and sa国际传媒 U-18 player Brayden Schuurman was hurt in the NHL rookie camp of the Boston Bruins and Victoria captain Gannon Laroque, signed to an NHL entry-level contract by the San Jose Sharks, is also out with injury. Both have yet to play this season. Schuurman is week-to-week and Laroque month-to-month.
ICE CHIPS: Jake McNabb of Langford made his debut as a WHL linesman on Wednesday at the Memorial Centre in the Royals-Rockets game.
