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The Victoria Royals are at Angel of the Winds Arena Sunday in Everett, Washington, in need of some angelic intervention on defence against the Silvertips.

The Victoria Royals allowed 12 goals in losing 5-4 Saturday evening and 7-5 Friday against the Spokane Chiefs at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre as the Western Hockey League season got underway.

When the hockey gods sent ­Victoria Royals forward Brayden Schuurman a bag of hockey pucks, he opened it only to find it full of lemons. But, as the old saying goes, Schuurman squeezed them tight to make something positive.

Character in team sports is forged in large part on the road. The Victoria Royals first away game will be Sept. 30 at the Langley Events Centre against a familiar foe in the cross-strait rivalry against the Vancouver Giants.

In a sort of full circle, Czech international Robin Sapousek has gone from adversary to teammate with Brayden Schuurman and Kalem Parker of the Victoria Royals.

Island hockey fans will get to see the next thing, consensus 2023 NHL No. 1 draft pick ­Connor Bedard, on Nov. 26 when the Regina Pats roll onto ­Blanshard Street.

The Victoria Royals’ ­home-opening weekend for the 2022-23 Western Hockey League season, on Sept. 23-24 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, couldn’t be more bitterly ironic.

Gannon Laroque continued establishing himself as perhaps the greatest from-obscurity riser in Victoria Royals history.

The Victoria Royals have embarked on a four-week quest of research and discovery, which if done accurately and mixed with a dollop of luck, could land them a top prospect for the 2025 NHL draft. The Royals will have the No.

On the whole, the six teams involved in today’s Western Hockey League draft lottery would rather be anywhere but there watching the balls roll around in the hopper. It means they are the half-dozen that missed the playoffs this season.