Victoria Royals defenceman Justin Kipkie pointed to beyond the glass doors at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Wednesday and noted it is springtime and the Royals are still playing hockey.
It’s been a while since that sentiment has been expressed.
“It’s the first step to changing the narrative,” said the Arizona Coyotes NHL-drafted blue-liner, who was named to the B.C. Division first all-star team.
“The last few years have obviously been tough. But we are finally playing hockey as the weather gets warmer.”
The Western Conference seventh-seed Royals will play their first Western Hockey League playoff game since 2019 on Friday night in Portland to open their best-of-seven opening round series against the conference second-seed Portland Winterhawks.
The 2020 playoffs, for which Victoria had qualified, and 2021 playoffs, for which the Royals would not have based on their last-place showing in the bubble season, were cancelled due to the pandemic. The Royals then failed to qualify for the 2022 and 2023 playoffs. Victoria has only four players who have performed previously in the WHL playoffs, none in Royals colours, as they were all acquired in trades.
“We don’t have playoff experience but we will bring energy and I know we will play Portland hard,” said Kipkie.
“We are a young team that is healthy again at just the right time. It’s the first time we have had a near full roster in a long time.”
The second game of the series is Saturday evening in Portland. The third and fourth games will be played Tuesday and next Wednesday nights, and if needed the fifth game on Friday of next week, at the Memorial Centre.
“The 2-3-2 format is more favourable to the lower seed,” said Victoria head coach James Patrick.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that the lower seed still has to win at least one game on the road in the other building.”
The Winterhawks (48-15-5) won the regular-season series 4-0 against Victoria (29-30-9) but the two games in Portland both went to extra time with Portland winning one in overtime and another in a shootout.
“The last time we had close to a full defence was before Christmas. And the strength of our team is the defence,” said Patrick, touching on the Royals’ return to a near-whole roster, after a horrendous run of injuries.
How different this post-season experience will be for Patrick, who last year coached the WHL regular-season champion Winnipeg Ice (now Wenatchee Wild) to the league final with a roster loaded with first-round NHL draft picks.
“We have very little playoff experience,” admitted Patrick, of his Royals.
“But individually, how each guy handles it [lack of post-season experience], is different. I don’t even want to call it pressure. It’s opportunity and excitement. I have talked to our team about embracing the challenge and enjoying the experience. As coaches, the playoffs are about teaching, adapting and adjusting for what needs to be done from period to period and game to game. At this time of year, it’s not about being hard on players or pushing players. I’ve backed off a bit this week. I want our players to play their hardest and enjoy the experience and embrace the opportunity.”
In other words, the pressure is all on Portland, which boasts seven NHL draft picks. They include Detroit Red Wings first-rounder Nate Danielson, and San Jose Sharks-prospect Luca Cagnoni, whose 90 points this season were the most by a WHL defenceman in more than three decades, since Shane Peacock of the Lethbridge Hurricanes recorded 102 points in 1992-93.
The playoffs are all about emotion and intangibles, according to Patrick, who played 21 seasons in the NHL: “When you are in a barn that is electric, packed and emotive, those are the memories you remember for a long time.”
Then there are the unexpected heroes.
“It takes a whole team. It takes guys who might not even dress at the start. There might be guys a little bit down your line-up who step up and come through for the team,” said Patrick.
“A lot of times it’s someone you don’t expect. Sure, I’ve seen the greats, like [Mark] Messier, put a team on their back and carry it. But a lot of times in the playoffs it’s not always your top players. Last year [with the Ice], our third line won a series against Moose Jaw for us.”
So, perhaps it’s good that most of the star players in the series are on the favoured Winterhawks. But Portland, too, has lesser lights ready to shine and waiting their chance to light up the post-season.
WHL DRAFT LOTTERY: For the first time in several seasons, the Royals did not have to concern themselves with watching the balls bounce around the hopper in the WHL Prospects Draft lottery for the six teams that missed the playoffs. The Kamloops ball came up first Wednesday but the Blazers had traded that pick to Everett, so the Silvertips will select first in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft in May. The Prince Albert Raiders (in a pick acquired from Seattle) will draft second, the Tri-City Americans third, the Kelowna Rockets (via a trade from Regina), will select fourth, the Edmonton Oil Kings fifth and Calgary Hitmen sixth.
The Royals have two first-round draft picks this year, their own at No. 8, and the No. 18 selection acquired in a trade from Moose Jaw.
