The Victoria Royals, who open the 2014-15 Western Hockey League season Friday in Kamloops against the Blazers, remain an enigma to many in the league. Without the obvious star power of teams such as Portland and Edmonton, Victoria’s all-time franchise best record of 48-20-1-3 in 2013-14 took many by surprise and earned head coach Dave Lowry and GM Cam Hope the WHL coach and executive of the year awards, respectively. But there’s no secret to what the Royals do. They work hard and play within themselves.
Here is a look at the 2014-15 Royals:
GOALTENDING
Incumbent 19-year-old Coleman Vollrath had stellar numbers last season (2.29 GAA and .928 save percentage in 34 appearances) despite playing mostly in the shadow of the departed Czech import Patrik Polivka. Now is Vollrath’s moment.
“We hope Coleman takes the next step,” said Lowry. “The opportunity is presented to him.”
The 17-year-old rookie backup is intriguing on height alone — six-foot-six Evan Smith from Colorado. In two games in preseason, Smith was 1-0 with a 3.21 GAA.
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DEFENCE
The Royals lost veteran depth with last season’s captain Jordan Fransoo graduated and reliable 20-year-old Brett Cote traded to Red Deer because the Royals had too many over-agers.
So the Royals were heartened to see 20-year-old Travis Brown back Wednesday from Ottawa Senators rookie camp. Brown, Jack Walker and Joe Hicketts give the Royals three mobile, puck-moving blue-liners who can be paired with more defensive-oriented mates such as Ryan Gagnon, Jake Kohlhauser and six-foot-seven Keegan Kanzig.
Sophomore blue-liner Chaz Reddekopp, a first-round bantam draft pick in 2013, needs to step up this season. It will be a huge boost to an already strong unit if he does. Ralph Jarratt, a 16-year-old rookie, looks as if he will stick although his value is more for the future.
The Royals will be thin early, with Hicketts away at Detroit Red Wings main camp and the NHL-signed Kanzig in the camp of the Calgary Flames.
FORWARDS
It tells you something when the Royals leading scorer last season, the returning Brandon Magee, had only 67 points, yet the team finished with 100 in the standings.
“We’re going to have to work to score,” said Lowry.
That’s no understatement. Also, the departed Florida Panthers-signed Steven Hodges, whose 20-year-old rights were traded to Tri-City, and the graduated Minnesota pair of Ben Walker and Logan Nelson must be replaced.
Lowry squeezes the most out of returning forwards such as Logan Fisher, Brandon Fushimi, Mitch Skapski and Taylor Crunk. On any other team they might be afterthoughts. On this team, they are crucial to Lowry’s overall concept.
Austin Carroll, a brute force in front of the net, returns after scoring a team-leading 34 goals last season. He has made an impact in Flames rookie camp and earned an invite to the NHL club’s main camp, but watch for him when he returns. Magee has shown well in Calgary camp, too, with his non-stop motor but must sit out a 12-game suspension to start the WHL season. That doesn’t help Victoria’s prospects in the early part of the season and also pretty much takes him out of the captain sweepstakes.
Sophomore Tyler Soy, one of the few pure scorers on the team, is showing indications of having a breakout season. So is 19-year-old Axel Blomqvist, who is under NHL contract to Winnipeg and will miss the early part of the season because of Jets training camp.
Much will depend on young rookies such as Dante Hannoun, Regan Nagy, Jared Dmytriw and Matthew Campese being able to offer a degree of support to the veterans. If they do, the Royals will be tough to beat this season. If the rookies don’t show much, this offensive unit will have some vulnerabilities.
INTANGIBLES
This isn’t a squad with much glitter, but some true grit. The unsung spine consists of players such as Fisher, Fushimi, Crunk and Gagnon.
“We know if we play selfish, we don’t have as much of a chance to win,” said Fisher, who with Hicketts, is the leading candidate to be Royals captain this season.
“We are going to have to go hard every night and work for each other. That’s what we’re about.”
The real strength of this team is off the ice. Hope’s astute player moves — Blomqvist and Brown were inspired choices as mid-season additions — and Lowry’s tightly-run structure managed to get the most out of this group last season to obliterate the old standards and set new franchise records for wins (48) and points (100).
THE PREDICTION
This is the ninth season in franchise history, the fourth as the Royals after the first five as the Chilliwack Bruins. After the greatest regular season in franchise annals, followed by a franchise-first playoff series victory, the Royals will be looking for more this season. While not yet an elite team, the Royals at least look to have the kind of moxie it takes to be a top-four team in the Western Conference.
