The 2014-15 hockey season has yet to end, at least in Tampa and Chicago, and the international summer sports season has begun in earnest with the women’s soccer World Cup being played across Canada.
So the 2015-16 Western Hockey League season may seem far off. But planning is ongoing, with the Victoria Royals announcing they will open the season on Sept. 25 against the Portland Winterhawks. The rest of the schedule will be released this month.
It will be the first time the Royals open at home since the franchise relocated to the Island from Chilliwack in 2011.
“It’s going to be a good test to open against a strong opponent,” said Royals GM Cam Hope.
“Portland has had a very good program for a long time and their team for next season looks solid once again.”
Under Hope and head coach Dave Lowry, the latter who will guide Canada at the 2016 World Junior Championships, the Royals advanced to the second round of the WHL playoffs the past two seasons. In the seven seasons before that, including the first five in Chilliwack, the franchise had never won a playoff series.
“It will be a year-and-a-half removed from that contentious series [when Portland defeated Victoria in the second round of a combative 2014 playoff series], so that’s no longer a factor,” Hope said.
Meanwhile, Royals forward Tyler Soy, of Cloverdale, and defenceman Chaz Reddekopp, of West Kelowna, have returned to B.C. from the recent NHL scouting combine in Buffalo.
Soy rated sixth and seventh in agility and balance, respectively, among the 120 draft-eligible players, of which 24 were from the WHL. Reddekopp ranked second in anaerobic fitness mean power output and seventh in aerobic fitness test duration.
Soy is the 78th-ranked North American skater for the draft, an improvement of 74 spots from his mid-season ranking of 152nd. Reddekopp is rated 82nd among North American skaters after an even more dramatic jump of 117 spots from his mid-season ranking of 199th.
The 2015 NHL draft takes place on June 26 and 27 in Sunrise, Florida.
“Those are going to be interesting days for both of them,” Hope said.
