In another era, it was Manitoba Moose GM Craig Heisinger looking down from the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre gondola and assessing which Victoria Salmon Kings were worthy of moving up from the ECHL affiliate to his AHL club in the pro-hockey ladder.
Now is the time for his son, Jake Heisinger, to occupy the same perch in the Memorial Centre as he was named GM of the Victoria Royals of the major-junior WHL. The position remained vacant this season. Jake Heisinger steps up from his role this past season as Victoria associate GM to become the fourth GM in Royals team history following Marc Habscheid, Cam Hope and Dan Price.
“I grew up around rinks as a young kid,” he said, alluding to his dad’s life in hockey.
The elder Heisinger is assistant GM and director of hockey operations for the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL, senior VP of True North Sports and Entertainment and also still GM of the Moose of the AHL. He rose from his start in the sport as an equipment manager, including for Canada at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
“My dad is a role model to me and someone I look up to. He taught me to work hard and treat people with respect, which is what I strive to do in this business,” said Jake Heisinger.
Jake Heisinger was the VP of hockey operations and assistant GM of the Winnipeg Ice since 2020 and helped build the Ice teams (now the Wenatchee Wild) that won WHL regular-season championships back-to-back in 2021-22 and 2022-23 under current Royals head coach James Patrick and went to the league final last year. Heisinger was a key component of the Ice scouting system that acquired first-round NHL draft picks Matthew Savoie, Connor Geekie, Zach Benson and Carson Lambos.
Heisinger was hired as the assistant GM of the Royals prior to the recently concluded 2023-24 WHL season, in which Victoria made the playoffs after not qualifying the two previous seasons and finishing last in the bubble season before that.
“We took some good steps in the right direction this year,” said Heisinger.
A big moment for him comes May 9 in the WHL Prospects Draft with the Royals holding two first-round picks, the eighth and 18th overall, and seven total picks in the first four rounds, the most in franchise history. This draft could set the course for the future of the team.
“It’s an important draft day for us and I am excited by it,” said Heisinger.
His philosophy is simple when it comes to the old draft question of need versus best player available: “Always look at the best player available.”
As for what the Royals will look like stylistically under his reign, Heisinger said: “I look for players who can really skate and are skilled. That’s how I like to build out teams for the long term.”
The previous recent low years have allowed the Royals high draft picks in 2022 and 2023 that landed two cornerstone young players in forward Cole Reschny and defenceman Keaton Verhoeff. Those picks were made by former GM Dan Price and are a legacy Heisinger has inherited: “Those are two really good young players we can build off.”
At the other end of the age scale are decisions to be made on the three allowable 20-year-olds for next season. Veteran forward Tanner Scott, and his non-stop engine, seem a good bet for one of those slots. The status of Czech world junior championship bronze-medallist forward Robin Sapousek, who did not return after a season-ending injury in the world juniors in January, is more uncertain.
“We have some things to work through with Robin because 20-year-old imports have the option of turning pro back home,” noted Heisinger.
Heisinger expressed confidence in 17-year-old goaltender Jayden Kraus as the team’s potential goaltender of the future after he understudied this season with graduating 20-year-old starter Braden Holt in what Heisinger described as a “learning curve.”
