Emotions permeated the Victoria Royals dressing room, as they always do, on locker clear-out day in sports. It is a happy occasion for only one team, the champion, in any league.
The Royals were far from that, although they took a major step forward this Western Hockey League season simply by playing in the post-season after several years in the wilderness due to a combination of the pandemic and just plain not qualifying for the playoffs. The 4-0 sweep by the heavily favoured Western Conference second-seed Portland Winterhawks over seventh-seed Victoria was the Royals’ first playoff action since 2019. There is realistic hope for more with an almost intact, and hopefully wiser, roster returning next season.
“The playoffs haven’t been in the picture for a while here, so it was a big step for the whole organization,” said prize rookie forward Cole Reschny, on whose slender shoulders rides so much of the Royals’ future.
“Getting drafted by this team [third overall in the WHL in 2022], it was a goal of mine to make the playoffs, especially in my first year. It’s a big achievement. But, obviously, while we made it to the playoffs, we didn’t get much done here [against a Portland team with seven NHL drafted or signed players and three players ranked for the 2024 NHL draft].”
It is evident the Royals will be a playoff team for the next several seasons. But can they achieve something next time when they get there?
“We can be really good. We can be a team to beat in the coming years. We’ve got a great group of guys and a lot of skill coming up. We can do it within the next few years,” said Reschny, projected for the second round of the 2025 NHL draft.
“It’s not going to be easy. We’ve all got to buy in and it’s got to be a total team effort. It’s a process of wanting to get better and wanting to win. It’s about carrying the load and pushing us up to the next step.”
After 220 games for the Royals, veteran forward Tanner Scott finally got to skate in playoff games. It would be surprising if he isn’t a lock for more next season as one of the three 20-year-olds on the team. After all the bad times he has been through with the club, it would be a shame to miss out on a possible pay-off in his fifth season with the team.
“I think this team has a very bright future,” said Scott.
“There’s a lot of young talent like Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff [selected fourth overall in the 2023 WHL draft] and a whole bunch of other young guys who are really developing, too. I would be honoured to come back as a 20-year-old and lead the group. I’ve got to work hard over this summer to make sure that happens. The playoffs this year were a learning experience. We learned that the playoffs are three to four gears up from the regular season. Next year, we will be ready to make a deep run for sure.”
Unable to be a part of that potential eventuality are the three graduating Royals 20-year-olds Dawson Pasternak, who was team MVP, forward Tyson Laventure and goaltender Braden Holt.
“I think I started crying with three minutes left in [Game 4 Wednesday at the Memorial Centre with Portland leading by three goals] and was really trying to soak it all in. Five years in the WHL is a long time but not long enough,” said Holt.
“It was really emotional knowing it was the last chance for us to be together as a team. It’s always hard, especially as a 20-year-old. In the locker-room after the game was the hardest I’ve ever cried in my life and my eyes are swollen today. It’s pretty emotional, but I’m so thankful to finish my WHL career in Victoria with this great group of guys.”
Even though he won’t be a part of it anymore, Holt envisions big things for the Royals’ future: “Moving forward there’s a great group of 2005-borns moving up the chain with a [blue-line wall] of Nate Misskey, Justin Kipkie and Austin Zemlak. Even as 18-year-olds, they were huge leaders for us this season. Tanner Scott is going to be a good leader up front and also Robin Sapousek depending on his Euro situation. There are going to be a lot of leaders coming into this room next season.”
Harnessing that potential is the job of head coach James Patrick.
“Where the team and the franchise came from, I think this season was a step in the right direction,” he said.
“Where we go from here, time will tell. I feel like the work has just begun. The playoff loss is still fresh in the mind. We got beat by a more mature, I would say, more skilled team that plays fast and plays hard. That is something we can learn from and is an area we need to get better at. It is a benchmark of where we can be as a team. But we have to be more physical and bring more bite to our game.”
The maturity comes due next season with a 19-year-old heavy Royals team that needs to produce.
“How I described is how our 19-year-olds will have to play the game. That message is going to be sent in our individual meetings,” said Patrick.
“We don’t want to just make the playoffs. We want to keep getting better and setting higher standards.”
