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If fans of the Victoria Royals have felt starved of live hockey because of the pandemic, they will certainly make up for it by getting their fill in October.

It will be like old home week for the Victoria Royals when they open the Western Hockey League preseason at two locations they know all too well. The Royals will play the Blazers at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops on Sept.

So, where were we when so rudely interrupted? It will be 581 days between Western Hockey League regular-season games at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre when the Victoria Royals open Oct. 2.

The only non-normal thing the Western Hockey League plans for next season is no inter-locking play between the Western and Eastern conferences. Other than that, it’s full on for 2021-22 with 68 games per team from Oct.

The Victoria Royals are hoping defenceman Damon Agyeman provides a large-body presence in front of their net.

Nolan Bentham had the rare opportunity to play for his hometown Western Hockey League team.

Forward Tanner Kaspick of the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League and Kale Clague, who split this season between the Ontario Reign of the AHL and Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, are both three-season pros. That’s a near eternity in hockey.

The pandemic-abbreviated WHL and BCHL seasons were short, but vital, for players such as defenceman Gannon Laroque of the Victoria Royals and forward Ellis Rickwood of the Victoria Grizzlies.

Former Victoria Royals captain Matthew Phillips may be small in stature but he’s now a big-leaguer as he became the third Royals graduate to play in the National Hockey League.

With apologies to Steve Martin and the late John Candy, departing assistant GM Jeff Harris’ final task with the Victoria Royals on Thursday was getting the players onto their correct planes, trains and automobiles for their various trips home from th