Maybe it’s only fitting that a province known for its energy production would have produced Brandon Magee.
Islanders may be split on the pipeline debate but local hockey fans are of one mind about the energetic Magee. The popular Edmonton native was named the Victoria Royals’ most valuable player for the 2013-14 Western Hockey League regular-season during the team’s annual awards night Thursday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Magee is like a perpetual-motion machine on the ice. His legs never stop churning.
“My dad [Scott Magee] instilled in me a never-give-up attitude and that has always stuck,” said Magee, who was also the Royals’ leading scorer this season with 67 points in 65 games.
“My dad also instilled in me the attitude that you should always be having fun playing hockey. If you’re having fun, that means you’re probably winning hockey games.”
The Royals did plenty of that this season, setting franchise records for most victories (48) and most points in a season (100), obliterating the old standards of 35 wins and 77 points set last season.
The Royals ended the season ranked 10th in the Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll for the first time in the eight-year history of the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise.
Now comes the attempt at another breakthrough, and perhaps the most important one — advancing past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
The Royals, seeded third in the tough WHL Western Conference, open their best-of-seven first-round series Saturday and Sunday at the Memorial Centre against the sixth-seed Spokane Chiefs.
Magee is part of the leadership group that will lead the Royals into battle against the Chiefs.
“I’m not a vocal guy. A lot of my leadership comes from what I do on the ice,” said the undrafted 19-year-old forward.
Magee joins 2011-12 recipient Jamie Crooks, now with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, and 2012-13 winner Alex Gogolev, who began this season in the KHL, as the Royals MVPs in the three seasons the franchise has been in Victoria.
Meanwhile, the other Royals award winners this season included Steven Hodges as the most dedicated player, Tyler Soy as top rookie, Logan Fisher as hardest worker, Joe Hicketts as top defenceman, Ryan Gagnon for scholastic achievement, Coleman Vollrath for community service and Ben Walker for both unsung hero and fan favourite.
