It was a good news, bad news Tuesday for the Victoria Royals.
The good news is defenceman Joe Hicketts, left off Central Scouting’s rankings for the 2014 NHL draft after missing a large chunk of the Western Hockey League season to shoulder surgery, will get a second chance to make an impression on pro scouts.
The Royals confirmed Hicketts has been named to the Canadian roster for the IIHF under-18 world championship that starts Thursday and runs through April 27 in Finland.
“It’s good for Joe because he missed a lot of the season. This gives him a chance to build on the season,” said Royals head coach Dave Lowry.
Canada, which beat the host Finns in an exhibition Monday, opens pool play Thursday against Sweden before playing Germany on Saturday, Slovakia on Sunday and Russia next Tuesday. The national side is coached by Kevin Dineen, who is just off guiding Canada to the gold medal in women’s hockey at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
The bad news for the Royals is the WHL threw the book at them for incidents in their final playoff game. The team was fined $10,000 for “actions [in Game 5 of its Western Conference semifinal series against the Winterhawks] deemed detrimental to the league at Portland on April 10.” The largest previous fine this season levied against a team by the league was $500.
Also, forward Brandon Magee was suspended for 12 games and Steven Hodges for five at the beginning of next season, if they return to the club as overage 20-year-olds.
“We are disappointed we were involved [in the incidents],” Lowry said. “It was uncharacteristic of our club. We’ll have to deal with them [fines and suspensions]. ”
There is a chance Hodges, a draft pick of the Florida Panthers, could play minor-pro next season. Magee, however, has had no pro offers to date and is strongly expected to fill one of the Royals’ three overage slots for next season. If Magee indeed doesn’t go pro and is still available, the 12-game suspension won’t change the Royals’ thinking about bringing him back.
“Brandon Magee is going to play on our team,” said Lowry.
The league said Hodges was suspended because “he threw two separate punches at an unsuspecting opponent.” The WHL cited Magee for “separate crosschecks to the heads of two opponents” and noted “it is the second match penalty for the player this season.”
