Since coming to the Island in 2011-12, the Victoria Royals have historically fallen into the Western Hockey League middle zone, with the outlier bookends being the WHL regular-season title in 2015-16 and missing the playoffs last season for the first time in a normal campaign. Generally, however, the club has never been truly great but never truly awful, either.
That has resulted in only three top-10 WHL draft selections for the Royals — forward Cole Reschny, third overall this year, forward Tyler Soy, eighth overall in 2012 and defenceman Austin Zemlak, ninth overall in 2020. Soy, who played last season with the Belfast Giants in the U.K. Premiership, had a productive career in Victoria. Reschny is the future of the franchise. Zemlak, meanwhile, will be looking to continue his progression on the Victoria blue line this season. He has a tremendous upside, something that was acknowledged by his invitation over the summer to the sa国际传媒 U-18 selection camp for the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Although he ended up not being picked for the Canadian team, the invite itself was notable in that Zemlak missed much of the 2021-22 WHL season to injury and was limited to 38 games.
“It was tough, really hard, dealing with the injury,” said Zemlak.
“But I’m 100 per cent and feel amazing. I felt healthy all summer.”
When Zemlak did get back into the Victoria lineup in the latter part of last season, it took him awhile to find his footing, but when he did he delivered some of the team’s most lacing body checks.
“I’m definitely a physical player,” said the six-foot, 190-pound, 17-year-old from Fort McMurray, Alta.
The corollary of getting the opportunity to nab the coveted Reschny with the third overall pick in the 2022 WHL draft is that the Royals had to miss the playoffs last season in order to get that chance. It came down to the final game of the season against the Spokane Chiefs.
“There were a lot of sad emotions about how it all ended, but that now becomes part of the journey for this group,” said Zemlak.
It was a learning moment and a source of background motivation.
“We are looking to make a push to the playoffs this season,” said Zemlak.
The Royals, young last season, return their entire blue line.
“Once healthy [captain and San Jose Sharks-signed Royals blue-liner Gannon Laroque will miss the early part of the season to injury], we are going to have a very strong defensive core,” said Zemlak.
“We have depth.”
He is a key part of that as he enters his NHL draft season.
“Austin Zemlak is physical and can provide game-changing hits but he is also very athletic and mobile,” said Royals GM and head coach Dan Price.
Top-10 WHL draft picks are usually rated future pro prospects, which comes with its own brand of personal pressure. Asked if he had any advice for Reschny as a fellow top-10 draftee, Zemlak said: “Be yourself and be confident in that and don’t change anything.”
Meanwhile, Victoria (2-1 in the preseason) lost 5-3 Tuesday night as the Rockets scored three unanswered third-period goals in Kelowna. Tanner Scott, Anthony Wilson and Alex Edwards scored for Victoria. The Royals conclude their exhibition campaign tonight in Kamloops against the Blazers.
The regular-season openers are Sept. 23-24 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre against Spokane.
