Last Season: 34-30-2-2, 72 points. The Royals finished second in the B.C. Division and were tied for 13th overall in the WHL.
Last season was a last run for longtime Royals Griffen Outhouse and Ralph Jarratt, as Victoria exceeded expectations and made it into the second round of the playoffs. Counted out early by many, Victoria was resilient and kept their postseason streak alive at eight straight appearances in the playoffs — every year the franchise has been in Victoria.
Outhouse capped off a fine WHL career with a 2.81 GAA and 0.913 save percentage to go along with 27 wins, while making his usual highlight-reel saves. Jarratt had an excellent fifth year with the club but was limited by injuries. The story of the season was the emergence of forward Kaid Oliver, who exploded offensively for his best season before falling victim to a shoulder injury that ended his season. Oliver still led the team in scoring with 27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points in 58 games, smashing his previous season best six goals.
Victoria also pulled the trigger on a trade just after New Year’s, that saw longtime team dynamo Dante Hannoun and picks off to Prince Albert for Kody McDonald, Carson Miller, and picks.
The Royals faced the Kamloops Blazers in a spirited divisional playoff battle that, at times, took some nasty turns. With home ice advantage, Victoria took the first round series in six games and moved on to face another division foe in the Vancouver Giants. For the second straight year, these two clubs met in the postseason. However, the Giants were too formidable this time around, resulting in a four-game sweep of the Royals.
Losses: D-Jay Jerome, Tyus Gent, Igor Martynov, Tanner Sidaway, Dino Kambeitz, Jake Kustra, Scott Walford, Parker Malchuk, Remy Aquilon, Jameson Murray
The departure of Walford in the offseason was most surprising, as the Royals were gearing for the defenceman to be a catalyst for this year’s club. Jameson Murray, easily Victoria’s most improved player last season, was caught in the overage numbers game. Martynov is seeing some early success in the KHL as he went for the opportunity to turn pro. Jerome and Kambeitz take their talents out of conference, as they were traded in separate deals to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Malchuk and Aquilon were moved to give them a chance for more playing time, as the roster spots on the Royals were filled. After missing much of last season with injury, Gent will take the year off to try and recover fully.
Additions: River Fahey, Alex Bolshakov, Keanu Derungs, Gary Haden, Graeme Bryks, Riley Gannon, Will Warm, Nolan Jones, Carson Golder, Nolan Bentham, Jacob Herauf, Shane Farkas
With the additions, the Royals feel they are in a better spot than when they began the offseason. Players like Outhouse, Jarratt, Hannoun, and Walford are difficult to replace, but Victoria has given it their best shot.
Haden, Warm and Farkas are a nice trio of 20-year-olds, and for the first time in club history, Victoria features all three overage players developed outside of their system. Fahey and Bryks look to be joined by Sean Gulka on a line that may be heavy to play against — something Victoria has lacked recently.
Jones and Herauf bring some experience (a combined 234 regular season games) and compete to the blueline and both will likely establish themselves quickly as fan favorites. Youngsters Bolshakov, Gannon, and Golder as well as import Derungs, look to solidify a spot on the roster and bring their offensive skills into the mix. Bentham remains listed on the roster, and has looked solid in training camp and preseason. The Victoria native hopes to follow in the footsteps of Joe Hicketts and Jarratt, sticking with the team as a 16-year-old defenceman.
Three storylines for this season:
New guard in net – The Griffen Outhouse era is over in Victoria. Always a position of strength for this franchise, from Patrik Polivka to Coleman Vollrath to Outhouse, Victoria has benefited from stability between the pipes. Looking to ensure that continuity, the Royals made a move to acquire 20-year-old Shane Farkas (30 wins last season) this spring from the Portland Winterhawks. Farkas would seemingly be the starter this season, as there is no point using a valuable overage spot on the roster unless you plan to make the most of it. Farkas also played very well against the Giants last season — something surely noted by the Royals. Brock Gould, a late 2001-born goaltender, will also compete hard to start and has shown well during parts of last season. At minimum, having another year teamed with a veteran in Farkas will be great for Gould’s development. With big proverbial shoes to fill in the net, Victoria hopes either or both take up the challenge.
What about the offense? – Where is the scoring going to come from? It is a question Victoria Royals President and General Manager Cameron Hope is likely tired of hearing. In the B.C. Division especially, a win is a win this season, regardless of the goal differential. Victoria’s roster is not built to run with a high-powered offense, and even with all the roster changes, fans should expect something similar to last year. Haden, who racked up 30 goals last season with Saskatoon, will help, as will a fully healthy Kaid Oliver. With eight 19-year-olds on the roster, Victoria is banking on the continued development of players such as Brandon Cutler and Phillip Schultz to provide maximum returns. A fully healthy Will Warm will be interesting to follow, and he has great potential to contribute from the back end.
Gelling the Pieces Together – New faces, new jersey numbers — with so many roster changes, it is a lot for fans to sort through. All early reports say that all the players acquired are not only skilled players but great teammates. This year’s Royals seem to be a tight group and will count on that cohesiveness along the way. The real test is upcoming, as the regular season will challenge these new bonds in game situations. All of the pieces seem to be in place. Head coach Dan Price and his staff need to ensure they gel together as one unit.
