TRI-CITY 6-VICTORIA 4
The Tri-City Americans defeated the visiting Victoria Royals 6-4 in a WHL game Saturday night that had several subplots, not the least of which was what the teams would do regarding their silver-medallist Czech players returning from the world junior championship tournament in the Maritimes.
That question was answered early on with the Royals sitting out forward Robin Sapousek and Tri-City goaltender Tomas Suchanek and centre Adam Mechura, who had lost to Canada in overtime on Thursday night in the world junior final in Halifax. “With the travel and lack of sleep, Robin [Sapousek] was not quite ready to play tonight,” said Royals head coach Dan Price.
The other part of the junior hockey equation this time of year, the trade deadline Tuesday midnight, is looming. The Royals’ rivals for the last playoff positions in the Western Conference have already essentially pulled the cord on this season to build for the future.
The Kelowna Rockets pulled off a blockbuster deal Saturday sending captain and Chicago Blackhawks first-round draft pick Colton Dach to the championship-contending Seattle Thunderbirds for a first-round pick in the 2024 WHL prospects draft and a conditional second-round selection in 2025 and other draft picks as well as young players Ethan Mittelsteadt, of Victoria, and Ty Hurley. Dach was injured while playing for Canada in the world junior tournament but is expected back in March in time for Seattle’s playoff drive.
That follows a series of WHL trades this season from lowly teams, building for the future, to current championship contenders. “We are assessing the market and all the options,” said Price. But it is sounding like the Royals will neither be buyers nor sellers. “We want to protect our core group. We really believe in our group,” said Price.
Victoria (10-25-4) has won seven of its last 12 games, a stretch in which the Royals have earned points in eight games, as they look to rally for a playoff berth after a disastrous start to the season. But Saturday’s loss left ninth-place Victoria five points adrift of eighth place, and the final playoff berth, with Kelowna having three games in hand. The Royals meet the Rockets next Friday and Saturday in a key set at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Royals captain Gannon Laroque, an NHL-signed blueline prospect of the San Jose Sharks, led the Royals with two goals in Tri-City and has four points in three games since returning to action for the first time since surgery over the summer. Also scoring for Victoria was Brayden Schuurman and Jake Poole. Nicholas Cristiano made 20 saves in goal for Victoria and Nick Avakyan 22 for the Americans before 3,636 fans at the Toyota Centre in Kennewick, Washington.
“It was a tough game on the road at the end of a long road trip and we were a tired group,” said Price. “But the game could have gone either way.”
Scoring for Tri-City against the Royals on Saturday was Parker Bell of Campbell River, who was named the WHL player of the month for December with 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists over the month. The lanky Island forward with the pro-style skating stride leads the Americans in points and is an NHL prospect of the Calgary Flames.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
