The Western Hockey League鈥檚 sa国际传媒 Division will get a taste of the European soccer style of settling championships 鈥� the regular-season winner is the champion.
The sa国际传媒 Division schedule was released Tuesday. It begins March 26 with each of the five teams playing 24 games in hubs located in Kelowna and 颅Kamloops. No fans will be allowed. There will be no 颅playoffs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like the race for the pennant,鈥� said Royals GM and head coach Dan Price, using an example from baseball.
With only 24 games, and little time to rebound, slow starts will be punished severely. But Price is predicting a closely-bunched race to the wire.
鈥淚 believe there is so much parity in our division that every team will be in it to the end and that it could go down to the final games in the final week,鈥� he said.
Many experts, however, see the Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets and Vancouver Giants as potential champions.
The Royals got a big push toward their goal of staying with the pack with the pro San Diego Gulls of the AHL releasing forward Brayden Tracey to play on loan for the Royals. The 2019 NHL first-round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks, selected 29th overall, had no points in 12 games with the Gulls. Tracey, acquired in a mid-season trade by Victoria, had seven goals and 23 points in 24 games for the Royals in 2019-20.
The Royals, who will be based in Kelowna, open there March 26 against the host Rockets. That will be followed by a game March 29 in Kelowna against the Prince George Cougars. The first trip by the Royals to Kamloops will be March 30 to play the Vancouver Giants.
The Royals鈥� final game will be May 12 against Kelowna.
All games are 7 p.m. starts and available to watch online at WHL Live on CHL TV.
