Taking a page from the political playbook, Hope and change has come to the Victoria Royals. General manager Cam Hope has completed a substantive makeover of the team heading into the stretch drive following a highly active dip into the Western Hockey League trade market before last weekend’s deadline.
As a result, in the Royals’ dressing room, it feels more like hockey in September rather than January, with new players being introduced to each other.
An old complaint about minor pro during Victoria Salmon Kings days was that with the constant yo-yo call-ups and send-downs to and from the American Hockey League, it was hard to get to know the players. It’s really no different this time of year in the major-junior WHL. Defencemen Alexy Sleptsov and Bryton Sayers, centre Alex Forsberg and goaltender Justin Paulic continued their feeling-out process during practice Tuesday. The new Royals, acquired in very recent trades, have been in town less than a week.
All four came from struggling clubs unlikely to make the playoffs, so each is grateful to be on the likely playoff-bound Royals (22-19-3). Forsberg came from the Saskatoon Blades, Sayers from the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Sleptsov and Paulic from the Moose Jaw Warriors — the three lowest-ranked teams in the WHL Eastern Conference. And the much warmer winter climate than they were used to in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Lethbridge was mentioned by all four, who noted the temperature more than makes up for the clouds and rain.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to be on a winning team, a good club, that is looking to make the playoffs and keep going,” said the 18-year-old Sayers, acquired Saturday for a fifth-round bantam draft pick, and who will make his Royals debut Friday in Red Deer against the Rebels.
“Despite my size, I’m a physical presence. Offensively, I can make that first pass,” added the five-foot-10 blue-liner.
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Russian U-18 national team rearguard Sleptsov is injured and won’t make his Victoria debut until after this week’s road trip that takes the Royals through Red Deer on Friday, Calgary on Saturday and Edmonton on Sunday.
“I was happy for the trade. This is a good city with warmer weather and the team is like a big family and [looks to be] playing in the playoffs,” said Moscow-native Sleptsov, speaking decent English.
The 19-year-old Forsberg, meanwhile, scored a natural hat-trick in his third Royals game, while Paulic took the win in net in his Victoria debut during the Royals’ 5-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars on Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
What’s not to like about his new situation, asked Paulic.
“It’s a beautiful city with a great team with older, bigger, stronger, more skilled guys [than in Moose Jaw] . . . I don’t think I’ve been in the playoffs since I was 16,” said the 19-year-old from Thompson, Man., who also played lacrosse while growing up.
“The atmosphere in the rink Saturday was awesome. It’s exciting to be here.”
Royals head coach Dave Lowry said in their totality, the newcomers “bring depth … with Forsberg a top-six skill player.”
But the new wave didn’t crash cheaply on the Island.
Forsberg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 WHL bantam draft, came at the cost of Victoria’s first-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. Paulic and Sleptsov required Victoria sending Winnipeg Jets-signed forward Axel Blomqvist to the Warriors.
Only time will tell, but these may have been assets shrewdly expended.
“As a group, we just got deeper, more experienced and more versatile,” said Hope.
