Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Final junior season has Royals sniper feeling wistful

Forward Brandon Magee, who led the Victoria Royals in scoring last season, might feel like a bit of a ghost when Royals main camp opens Monday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
B1-0824-magee.jpg
Brandon Magee will sit out all of the RoyalsÕ preseason games and the first 12 regular season games.

Forward Brandon Magee, who led the Victoria Royals in scoring last season, might feel like a bit of a ghost when Royals main camp opens Monday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. An incident from the final playoff game last spring against Portland is coming back to haunt him.

Magee must sit out the first 12 games of the regular season for what the Western Hockey League cites as “separate cross-checks to the heads of two opponents,” adding “it is the second match penalty for the player this season.”

Magee also must sit out his team’s seven pre-season games the league ruled in April. He is allowed to skate in practices and team scrimmages, however.

On the eve of camp opening, Magee is philosophical about his situation.

“It will be tough for myself in the stands watching,” said the Albertan, whose team-best 67 points helped the Royals set franchise records last season for wins with 48 and points with 100.

“With the exhibition games, it’s really a 19-game suspension. I’ll be counting down the days until I can be back with the guys. Hopefully, the team will have success through it. With the way we play, one guy does not make a difference. We’re structured to play a team game.”

Royals GM Cam Hope described the suspension as “really harsh.”

“It’s not ideal, but we have to live with the decision,” said Hope.

“Brandon is too important an impact player for us to worry about that [suspension].”

Royals head coach Dave Lowry said he is treating it no differently than having a player out with an injury and then returning after 12 games.

There was no hesitation in welcoming Magee to Royals camp.

In fact, Magee turned down a contract offer from Czech pro club Brno to play out his 20-year-old over-age junior season in Victoria. It will be his fifth season with the team, beginning with his rookie year as a 16-year-old when the Royals franchise was in Chilliwack and known as the Bruins.

“I loved the culture of Europe, which was a huge difference for myself [in Brno’s summer camp] coming from Canada,” said Magee, who will join forward Austin Carroll and defenceman Travis Brown as the Royals’ three allowable 20-year-olds this season.

“The Czech league is a main feeder league to the [Russian] KHL. But I thought it was better for me at this point to come back here to Victoria. If nothing works out next year for me in pro in North America, I know they [Brno] want me and I can go back.”

Magee received an invitation to the Edmonton’s Oilers summer rookie/development camp in July.

“The Edmonton camp fuelled the passion again for Brandon to stay in North America,” said Royal bench boss Lowry.

“If he has a good year [in Victoria], hopefully that will generate interest again [among North American pro clubs]. I think this is the best decision for him.”

For the first time in five years, Magee will open training camp without fellow-forward Steven Hodges alongside him. Hodges’ is under an NHL entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers and his 20-year-old overage WHL playing rights were traded by the Royals to the Tri City Americans earlier this month.

“I think I’ve talked to Steven every day of my life for the past five years,” said Magee.

“[Hodges] helped make me the player I am now. It was awesome to see him sign [with the Panthers].”

Magee is also wistful in other ways as he enters his final junior training camp Monday.

Junior hockey will be over before you know it, he notes.

“It’s almost a sad feeling entering your last year of junior. You want to be that 15-16-year-old kid again coming into camp,” said Magee.

“It’s coming down to the end of the road for me [in junior]. I would tell these younger players [coming into camp] not to take it for granted.”

Main camp features scrimmages at 2 p.m., 3:45 and 5:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday followed by the annual Royals intra-squad game Wednesday at 7 p.m., all at the Memorial Centre.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com