You can’t go home again, wrote novelist Thomas Wolfe.
Apparently, you can.
Brayden Boehm of Nanaimo will finish his WHL career on his native Island as the Victoria Royals acquired the over-age six-foot forward on Saturday from the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Although cast adrift from the national No. 2-ranked team in the CHL, Boehm will join what appears to be a rising Royals squad that moved to 4-1-1 with a 3-0 victory over the Wild (2-2-1) in Wenatchee, Washington, as Spencer Michnik recorded his first career WHL shutout with 22 saves and has now allowed only one goal in his two starts this season for Victoria. Royals captain and blue-liner Justin Kipkie, in his first game back from the NHL training camp of Utah HC, scored a goal while Logan Pickford had a goal and assist, Reggie Newman a goal and Teydon Trembecky two assists.
Meanwhile, WHL teams are allowed three 20-year-old players and the Tigers were over the limit while the Royals had only two. Boehm, who has 31 goals and 39 assists for 70 points in 153 regular-season games for the Tigers, expressed a preference to return to the Island if he was to be moved. A rare five-season WHLer, Boehm had an assist this season in four games after missing most of last season to a knee injury with five goals and 10 points in just 12 games.
“Brayden was a big part of our team and we really appreciate his work ethic and speed,” Tigers GM and head coach Willie Desjardins said in a statement.
The Royals gave up a third-round WHL prospects draft pick in 2026 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2027 in order to obtain Boehm. The third-rounder is an indication of the value the Royals have placed in Boehm, who skated in the rookie camp of the Edmonton Oilers last month.
“We are excited to be able to bring him home to finish out his junior career,” said Royals GM Jake Heisinger
The Royals’ 20-year-olds limit is now set with an all-forwards cast of Boehm, Vaughn Watterodt and Tanner Scott.
