Is Shaw Cable expecting promising things from a Victoria Royals team that rang up an — albeit modest — franchise-record 35 wins last season, and returns the bulk of its roster this season?
Three Royals home games will be featured live from Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Shaw’s TV coverage of the 2013-14 Western Hockey League season.
The cameras roll onto Blanshard to broadcast on Oct. 16 with the Prince George Cougars visiting and then March 7 with the Kamloops Blazers in town and the regular-season home curtain-dropper March 14 against the Everett Silvertips.
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One Royals road game will also be broadcast — Nov. 20 at Kelowna against the Rockets.
Shaw’s 32-game broadcast schedule begins Thursday with the league curtain-raiser as Swift Current visits Regina.
Meanwhile, Royals GM Cam Hope said he expects his three players in NHL main camps to be back before the regular-season opener Friday night in Vancouver against the Giants.
“We’re hoping all three will be back,” said Hope.
Forwards Logan Nelson and Austin Carroll are skating in the respective camps of the Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks, and blue-liner Keegan Kanzig in the camp of the Calgary Flames.
The Royals closed out their pre-season at 3-1-1 following Sunday afternoon’s 3-1 victory over the Giants in Ladner to follow up their 4-3 win over Vancouver on Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Five-foot-six and 145-pound Dante Hannoun, Victoria’s first-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, gave an enticing glimpse of the future by leading the Royals with two goals Sunday. The Delta native could be a small forward with a big upside.
“There’s a lot more room on the ice for smaller players in junior hockey than in pro hockey,” said Hope.
“The [defending] players are smaller in junior and don’t have the same closing speed as the pros. This gives smaller forwards time and space to make plays in junior.”
Royals fans will have to wait until next season for that as Hannoun is limited to five regular-season games this season as a 15-year-old and will play in the B.C. Major Midget League with the Greater Vancouver Canadians.
Veteran Logan Fisher scored the other goal Sunday for Victoria, while goaltender Patrik Polivka was also a factor as the Giants outshot the Royals 37-25.
The Royals, meanwhile, sent 16-year-old rookie forward Matthew Campese back to the Okanagan Hockey Academy team. Campese showed well for the future and Hope said he could play on several teams in the WHL right now. But with the veteran-laden Royals roster, it was prudent to send him down to get more ice than he would in Victoria.
The Royal’s regular-season home opener at the Memorial Centre is Saturday night against the Giants.
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