On May 30, 2017 news came that Dave Lowry was leaving his position of head coach of the Victoria Royals for an assistant coaching position in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings. Lowry had coached the Royals for five seasons, during which he became the franchise’s winningest coach and led the team to the playoffs each year.
While some fans were caught off guard by the sudden news, many who followed the team and league closely knew that the move was only a matter of time for Lowry to make the return to the pros. Team President and General Manager Cameron Hope said in a team release “It was just a matter of time before he moved back to the NHL. Dave set a high standard and was an important part of building our program to where it is today.” As in the 2016 offseason, this spring Lowry was linked to multiple vacant coaching positions in the professional leagues, including possibly the Canucks organization.
Lowry guided the Royals to a regular season record of 199-112-13-9 under his leadership and was recognized twice as the WHL’s Coach of the Year, receiving the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy for the 2013-2014 and 2015-16 seasons.
His success was also recognized by Team Canada as he was selected as assistant coach for the 2015 IIHF world junior championship in which the team won gold in Montreal/Toronto. The following year, he was named head coach for the 2016 tournament in Helsinki and although the result was not gold, the honour of coaching at the national level was impressive for Lowry. Lowry’s coaching style of controlling the puck while playing an up-tempo game and forcing opponents into turnovers proved successful. Fans came to know Lowry’s seemingly stoic stance behind the bench, eyes locked on the play and in full control of his players emotions and energy. There was no post goal “fly-by” the bench, often seen with many junior teams. Victoria goals had a quick, often muted celebration and then it was seemingly back to business. Under his charge, the team could be always seen sitting on the bench between shifts, as opposed to many visiting teams standing and leaning over the bench. The team always seemed composed and level, likely a direct reflection of their head coach.
Fans will remember the successful coach who led his team to play exciting and competitive hockey, helping solidify the league’s fan following in its return to Victoria. The surprising 2015-2016
season in which the team won its first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the league’s top team will always be truly memorable. Forever a believer in development, Lowry aided in the progression of players such as Joe Hicketts, Brandon Magee; Austin Carroll; Jack Walker; Tyler Soy and Matthew Phillips. Under his guidance, the reclamation of Greg Chase and Alex Forsberg proved successful as both had solid team contributions.
Lowry’s replacement was soon named as the team revealed on June 12 that Dan Price was being promoted from the team’s assistant coach. In referring to his new coach, Hope said “We did look at other candidates, and we took careful steps in doing our due diligence. In the end, Dan emerged as our top choice. His knowledge, professionalism, and the manner in which he approaches the game and our players, makes him the perfect fit for the Victoria Royals”. The Royals and their fans hope the new coach can continue the success coach Lowry had during his time behind the bench.
*story cover photo courtesy Kevin Light Photography
