The start of the Western Hockey League season coincides with many of the best older players from the league concurrently in NHL training camps. Even though that annually dilutes the start of WHL seasons, it’s a good thing overall for the league because it shows the trajectory its players are on.
The Victoria Royals will be missing five players away at NHL camps when they open the 2024-25 WHL campaign against the Tri-City Americans tonight and Saturday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. The Americans have six of the 134 WHL players in NHL camps.
“We hope for the best for all five of our guys at NHL camps,” said Royals head coach James Patrick.
“It makes us not as strong this weekend, but in the long run, it makes us a stronger team because the experience these players are getting being thrown into the fire right off the bat. The longer they are around NHL players and NHL speed, our players are going to benefit.”
That makes roster depth crucial in the early going of WHL seasons.
“Depth is so important. If we’ve made any strides this season, depth is the biggest area that you will notice, and it will be really important his weekend,” said Patrick.
Helping in that regard for Victoria are the off-season acquisitions of WHL veterans Cosmo Wilson, a 19-year-old defenceman in a trade for forward Deegan Kinniburgh, and Vaughn Watterodt, a 20-year-old forward in a trade for forward Ben Riche. They were brought in because of their long previous playoff runs. Wilson last season played for the Moose Jaw Warriors, who won their first WHL championship in the 40 years of franchise history. Watterodt made deep playoff forays the last two years with the Eastern Conference finalist Saskatoon Blades and who last season lost in seven games to Wilson and the Warriors in the Eastern final.
“I had great success last season in Moose Jaw but I’m super- excited to come to Victoria,” said Wilson.
The Vernon native knows why he was brought here: “To teach the young guys how to win. If the young guys need a guy to look up to, I’m here for them.”
He has plenty of WHL wisdom to impart in the room: “It’s just a grind. The biggest thing is your mindset — stay ready and be in the moment.”
Wilson’s Warriors were just that in beating Watterodt and the Blades last spring in the Eastern Conference final. Now they are teammates in common cause with the Royals.
“We’ve had a lot of battles throughout the years, so it’s nice to play with [Wilson],” said Watterodt, who has played in 39 WHL playoff games with seven goals and 18 points.
Both take on leadership roles in Victoria.
“It’s about bringing it every day,” said Watterodt.
“It starts in practice to build a winning culture. That’s what we did in Saskatoon. I’m going to try to take the lessons I’ve learned over the last three seasons and apply them to this Royals team. It’s about bringing it every day. It takes intensity every day and a commitment to get better.”
The native of Rosetown, Sask., likes what he has seen heading into tonight’s season opener against the Amerks: “We have the group to do it. I can see it in the guys’ eyes. We want to win and we are going to win a lot of games this season and it’s really exciting.”
Missing this weekend will be the Royals’ blue-line anchors, Justin Kipkie and Nate Misskey, NHL drafted players skating in the camps of Utah HC and San Jose Sharks, respectively. Fourth-year Royals forward Reggie Newman is a free-agent invite in Utah HC camp.
Royals forward Markus Loponen of Oulu, Finland, is in the Winnipeg camp after being selected in the fifth round of this year’s NHL draft by the Jets. The Royals selected the Finnish U-18 and U-20 international in the first round of this year’s CHL import draft out of Kärpät U-20.
Off-season Royals acquisition, forward Deagan McMillan, is opening some eyes as a free-agent invite in the Vancouver Canucks camp in Penticton. The Royals had to give up blue-liner and 2020 top-10 WHL prospects draft pick Austin Zemlak to get McMillan in a trade with Tri-City.
“Yesterday was a bit weird walking in here [to the Memorial Centre visitors dressing room],” said Zemlak, before the Americans took to the ice for a practice Thursday.
“I was a little bit shocked [by the trade]. I wasn’t expecting it. But I thought about it and am now settled in and excited for the change and looking forward to the games this weekend.”
Although McMillan’s performance in Canucks rookie camp, and invitation to main camp, is showing Victoria perhaps won the trade, it was a difficult one to make. Zemlak is a stand-up guy who did a lot of outreach for the Royals in schools, youth leagues and service clubs around the Lower Island and won the Royals’ Community Service Award.
“Trades are emotional at the junior level. It’s the worst part of the job. Austin [Zemlak] is one of the best character players I’ve been around,” said Royals bench-boss Patrick.
“Austin was a pleasure to coach and good player. He got overshadowed by Kipkie and Misskey on our blue line and it was hard on him. We are strongest on the back end and needed someone [McMillan] to help up front. That’s the reason the trade happened. We are competing for points but you want other people you know to do as well as they can. I want Austin to have the best year possible and earn a pro contract because he’s a really good player but an even better person.”
McMillan was also well regarded out of bantam and went 25th overall in the second round to the Americans in the 2020 WHL prospects draft. He was ranked for the 2023 NHL draft by Central Scouting but not selected. It is thought that new surroundings will help both McMillan and Zemlak realize their early promise. That is one of the intriguing storylines as the new WHL season begins.
Another is that Bob McKenzie of TSN has ranked Royals sophomore forward Cole Reschny, co-leading scorer for gold-medallist Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky U-18 tournament, as 16th overall for the 2025 NHL draft.
