The Victoria Royals and Vancouver Giants both played the Canadian Hockey League top-ranked Winnipeg Ice — with its three first-round NHL draft picks — tough this week in one-goal losses. But it is the measure of both B.C. Division teams that they didn’t take those as moral victories. This is, after all, a results-based business.
“The parity in the WHL is outstanding and any team can win on any night,” said Royals GM and head coach Dan Price.
But wins have been few for both the Royals (2-8-1) and Giants (1-4-3) so far this season heading into the match-up between the clubs at 6 p.m. Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. There might have been even fewer if not for goaltending as Tyler Palmer of the Royals and Jesper Vikman of the Giants have been outstanding. It is telling that Vikman faced 48 shots by the Ice and Palmer 41.
Palmer doesn’t have the Swede Vikman’s pedigree as an NHL-signed prospect of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, but the five-foot-11 former journeyman from Fernie has risen to towering heights the past two seasons in keeping Victoria in games. He has held opposing teams to three goals or fewer in his last six starts and has a 3.37 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. Vikman, who at six-foot-three has the sort of size pro scouts covet in the crease, has a 3.39 goals-against average and .897 save percentage.
“It’s a great match-up in goal,” said Price. “Both teams will be looking to get their skaters in front of the net to take away the goalies’ eyes. The team that does that the best will be the team that turns out to be the most successful in this game and has the best chance to win.”
The Royals received some encouraging news on the injury front with forward Brayden Schuurman, who represented Canada in the IIHF World Under-18 Championship last spring in Germany, upgraded as probable for Saturday. Schuurman, who was injured in the NHL rookie camp of the Boston Bruins, has yet to play this season.
Otherwise, the Royals injury situation, at least in regards to prime players, remains dire and long term. Top-pairing defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was in the NHL rookie camp of the Winnipeg Jets, is out for several months with a lower-body injury incurred this month.
Victoria captain Gannon Laroque, a blueliner signed to an NHL entry-level contract by the San Jose Sharks and who was under consideration for the Canadian team to the 2023 world junior championship, is also out month-to-month with injury and has yet to play this season.
Saturday night’s game closes out a five-game homestand for Victoria before it embarks on a six-game road swing through the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, its first since before the pandemic.
