British Columbia’s capital city might’ve not have been a fan of all the rain last month, but the Victoria Royals flourished during the wet weather.
After a tumultuous December, the Royals cruised to a 9-4-0 record in January, putting them back in the hunt with the Kelowna Rockets for the B.C. Division lead, whom they trail by 4 points.
Victoria, 2nd in the B.C. Division, will look to continue their January form against the Medicine Hat Tigers as they kick off the first match of a busy February schedule that sees them play 12 games – 8 at home.
Deadline acquisitions paying dividends
Royals general manager Cam Hope made 11 trades since the beginning of December, and with two huge moves on trade deadline day (acquiring NHL draftees Lane Zablocki and Tanner Kaspick), the Royals acquired some much-needed attributes: specifically toughness.
Zablocki, Kaspick, Noah Gregor, Andrei Grishakov, Jeff de Witt, and Kade Jensen have given the Royals a tremendous amount of grit and sandpaper to play alongside the Royals’ skill up the middle.
Resourceful, hard hitting wingers that can still work with the puck give the Royals a delicate mix of skill and feistiness. With talented options such as Matthew Phillips, Tyler Soy, and Dante Hannoun centering the team, there are dozens of appealing line combinations for head coach Dan Price.
The Royals appear more playoff ready than ever, and it looks like Hope is intent on doing whatever he can to bring a championship to the current core of Royals veterans.
Here are the stats of the Royals’ acquisitions. (Games played – Goals – Assists – Points)
- Lane Zablocki, RW: 8-1-3-4
- Tanner Kaspick, C: 8-6-3-9
- Noah Gregor, C: 10-3-7-10
- Andrei Grishakov, LW: 12-5-2-7
- Jeff de Witt, C: 13-6-5-11
- Braydon Buziak, C: 15-2-2-4
- Kade Jensen, D: 14-1-0-1
Friday night is Eco Night!
Eco night means numerous eco-friendly vehicles will be on display on the concourse throughout the game, featuring models from Tesla, BYD, Victoria Hyundai, and Kia.
Fans can also enter a draw at Gate 1 to win a kid-sized Tesla Model S.
Chuck-a-puck participants will have a chance to win a Mt. Washington Prize pack, or a one night stay at the Villa Eyrie Resort on the summit of the Malahat.
Puck drop is 7:05 pm!
Victoria Royals vs. Medicine Hat Tigers – Eco Night
- Where: Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, 1925 Blanshard St.
- When: Friday, February 2nd.
- Puck drop: 7:05pm.
