Draft Recap Featuring Royals’ Head Scout Tanner McCall
Victoria, B.C. – Last week marked the end of the 2023-24 season for the Royals, and the beginning of the future as Victoria took part in the U.S. Priority Draft, and the WHL Prospects Draft. On Wednesday, the club selected two players, Brayden Willis and Cooper Avelar in the U.S. Priority Draft. The following day, Victoria made 11 selections, Jacob Shwartz, Ludovic Perrault, Eli McKamey, Koltin Herfst, Dryaden Uhrina, Seth Badry, Lucas Graham, Ryland Moore, Nolan Harding, Kieran Wilson and Declan Iacoviello in the WHL Prospects Draft.
To recap the draft, we spoke with Royals’ Head Scout, Tanner McCall as he provided an in depth analysis on the players that were brought into the organization.
“I thought we were very fortunate with how the draft shook out. We got a bunch of good young players here that we think can be really good Royals’ that fit the profile of players that we’re looking for,” said McCall. “It was a whirlwind day, but it will be a couple of days that we will look back on and be really happy with how it went. We’re very excited about the future of these young guys joining our program.”
The first player selected by Victoria was centreman, Jacob Schwartz. The Royals used the 8th overall selection in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft to nab the product of Vancouver, B.C.
“We think we found a fan favourite. Jacob is a very dynamic player. He’s a bit of an undersized offensive forward. He can skate extremely well, is very intelligent, and has great hands.” stated McCall.
Schwartz led the CSSHL in goals this season, scoring 30 goals in 26 games played for St. George’s U15 Prep.
“He often finds himself alone in front of the net and he can put it past the goaltender. On top of his shooting prowess, he’s also got a great set of hands, a really good passer, sees the ice very well and we love how competitive he is,” added McCall.
Standing at 5’7”, and 145 lbs, Schwartz often finds himself in the middle of the play.
“He’s very involved and a very competitive player. He is one of those guys that’s catching your eye all the time,” said McCall. “We were very excited to get him there at eight. He was a guy that we spent lots of time watching over the course of the season and we’re glad it shook out that way.”
Shortly after that selection, Victoria found themselves on the clock again, as they prepared to make their second pick in the first round. 2024 marked the second time in franchise history in which the Royals had multiple first round picks.
With the 18th overall selection the Royals picked centreman Ludovic Perreault from the Winnipeg Bruins U15 AAA team.
“He’s a very dynamic player, and can play any forward position. He can play in all situations – powerplay, penalty kill, five-on-five. He’s an energetic and dynamic player. He flies around you, makes plays in all three zones.” emphasized McCall.
Perreault played 32 games this season, scoring 67 goals and adding 25 assists for 92 points for his hometown team.
“He’s going to be another guy that has the potential to be a fan favourite and one of those guys that you can’t take your eyes off because he plays with a ton of pace,” said McCall. “He is involved in the play all over the ice, and makes other guys around him even better.”
As the time of the pick approached, McCall and the Royals’ brass were excited for the opportunity to select Perreault.
“We weren’t sure if he was gonna be there or not, so when the picks started rolling in and it was our turn at 18, we were very excited to get Ludovic,” stated McCall. “He was another guy we saw a lot of this season, and he never disappointed. His effort is up there with one of the hardest working guys in the draft.”
“He’s been productive at every level and we’re expecting him to keep taking some steps to become a big player for us in the lineup [In Victoria]” added McCall.
In round two, Victoria selected local product Eli McKamey with the 35th overall selection in the second round.
“We were pumped for Eli to be there. It’s a name that’s gonna be recognized by a lot of people in Victoria and out on the Island, he’s another guy that’s incredibly skilled, and very intelligent,” stated McCall. “He was dominant as one of the youngest players in the league. He was incredibly productive and did a great job challenging the older boys.”
McKamey suited up for the Shawnigan Lake U18 Prep (CSSHL) team this season, scoring 23 goals and adding 25 assists for 48 points in 28 games played. He was the third centreman that Victoria grabbed in the opening two rounds of the draft.
“You can never have too many good centreman,” stated McCall. “So whether everybody ends up playing down the middle or guys get moved out on the wing, it really doesn’t matter too much when we consider the overall stockpiling of talent.”
Rounding out the second round of the WHL Prospects Draft was the 37th overall selection for Victoria, with that pick, the Royals picked their first blueliner, Koltin Herfst.
“Koltin has a great frame, and skates very well. He’s so mobile and plays a very mature game,” said McCall. “He doesn’t make many mistakes, if any at all. Everything is just quick and simple with Koltin. The puck is going north all the time on his stick. Overall, he is a very well-rounded defenceman that checks all of the boxes for us.”
Herfst played the 2023-24 season with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U15 AAA (BCU15) where he scored 9 goals and added 26 assists for 35 points.
“He can defend how we would traditionally view defencemen play by taking away passing lanes and separating the man from the body while sealing guys in the defensive zone along walls just to kill cycles.”
The 14-year-old from Chilliwack, B.C. led the Thunderbirds in scoring by a defenceman in his second season with the U15 squad.
“He is going to be a very good Western Hockey League player. This is a great value pick for us, and we are so excited that we got him” said McCall.
In the third round, with the 53rd overall pick, Victoria selected their first winger, picking Drayden Uhrina from RINK H.A. Winnipeg U15 Prep.
“He played a key role on that RINK team this year. He can really skate and he has terrific hands with a great shot. He is one of those guys that really pops on the power play.” stated McCall.
Uhrina played 25 games this season, scoring 22 goals and adding 29 assists for 51 points for the U15 team, while also suiting in one game with the U17 team, where he scored one goal.
“Whatever position he ends up playing down the road, it was just important for us to get somebody that can hopefully play in the top six one day and contribute on the power play,” said McCall. “We were really surprised to see him there.”
The 5’10” and 159 lbs. product of Winnipeg, MB. led RINK in assists and points during the 2023-24 campaign which helped him be named a CSSHL (Prairie) First-Team All Star.
“Obviously he had a great season and he was up for some league awards, he had a great season statistically and we were absolutely pumped to get him” stated McCall.
The Royals used their fourth round pick, 75th overall, to grab goaltender Seth Badry from the PAC Saints U15 AAA.
“Every time I saw Seth this year, he was fantastic. He was the backbone of that club [PAC Saints], he could just flat out steal games for them. He is very athletic, and tracks the puck very well, with a really solid technical base,” said McCall. “He’s very competitive and technically, he’s very sound. We think he’s got a chance to be a really good goaltender in the Western Hockey League.”
Badry played 22 games this season, posting a 7-12-1 record, with a 3.22 GAA, and .919 save percentage. His numbers helped him earn AEHL U15 Second-Team All Star honours.
“He does a really nice job of getting out of the crease and challenging shooters. We just thought he was incredibly well rounded when we saw him,” emphasized McCall. “The scouting staff as a whole saw him steal lots of games this year and he’s pretty dynamic in goal.”
Hailing from Stony Plain, AB. Badry stands at 5’11”, and 150 lbs. McCall said that he is a goalie that thrives on heavy workloads.
“He can hold you in there if the team gets off to a slow start, he seems to thrive on a heavy workload,” said McCall. “He was excellent every time we saw him this year, we were really happy to get him there in the fourth round.”
The club went back to the blueline for their next pick, selecting left-handed defenceman Lucas Graham with the 119th overall selection.
“He’s a very intelligent player, with a longer, lengthier frame. He moves the puck extremely well, and sees the ice very well, often hitting a quick early outlet,” said McCall. “From what we saw, he supports his defensive partner very well, he is a great skater, and a heck of a penalty killer.
Graham suited up for the Red Deer U15 AAA Rebels this season, appearing in 34 games, where he scored 6 goals and added 22 assists for 28 points. He was second on his team for scoring by a defenceman.
“I thought he progressed and got better throughout the course of the year,” stated McCall. “I was out in Edmonton for the Alberta AAA Provincial Championships, and I thought he was fantastic there as well. He’s kind of that traditional style two-way defenceman that defends his zone very well. He boxes out strongly along the walls, and is really solid with his stick. We think he’s got a ton of upside”.
Graham was the lone left-handed defenceman selected by Victoria in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. The product of Red Deer, AB. stands at 6”0, and 170 lbs.
“Lucas has got a ton of upside, which is to be a really solid, well rounded guy that plays hard and a very smart game. This is exactly what we’re looking for down the road,” mentioned McCall. “He is a guy that we were really excited to get in the sixth round and I couldn’t say his name fast enough when our pick came up there, he just got better and better as the year went along.”
Moving into round seven, Victoria once again went back to the blueline, selecting Ryland Moore from the Winnipeg Bruins U15 AAA Team.
“Ryland’s a very well rounded defenceman. He can skate it up the ice by himself, with really good hands. He is a guy that thrives on the powerplay” said McCall.
The right-handed shot blueliner led the Bruins in scoring by defencmen, amassing 6 goals and adding 29 assists for 35 points. He also impressed during the post-season, tallying 8 points in 3 playoff games.
“He’s very competitive and he’s even more physical, he is not afraid to engage in the defensive zone along the walls, while also stepping up and hitting in open ice,” said McCall. “He had a great season and we think he’s more than willing to put in the work off the ice and we just thought there was a ton of upside there.”
Along with his time with the Winnipeg Bruins U15, Moore appeared in three games for their U17 team, tallying one assist. The product of Winnipeg, MB. stands at 5’8” and 140 lbs.
“His right shot helps for sure, and he has a really good two way game,” mentioned McCall.
Three picks later, Victoria rounded out the seventh round by selecting centreman Nolan Harding from RINK H.A. Winnipeg U15 Prep.
“He skates very well, and is a really physical player. He’s got an underrated skill set and can make plays off the rush. He had a pretty good season in Winnipeg.” stated McCall.
The big centre, stands at 6’0” and 173 lbs. Harding tallied 36 points during the 2023-24 campaign for RINK, scoring 10 goals and adding 24 assists in 27 games played. Moore was one of two players selected by the Royals from RINK Winnipeg in the ‘24 Draft, joining Drayden Uhrina.
“He was used extensively by their team to take lots of important face-offs. So he’s kind of a defensive draw specialist and wins a ton of faceoffs, while also being very reliable in his own zone.” stated McCall. “We saw a very well-rounded, competitive 200-foot centreman that we think can come in and play an important role in all situations down the road.”
Moving into the ninth round, Victoria was able to grab homegrown talent, Kieran Wilson from Pacific Coast Hockey Academy U15 Prep.
“Kieran caught my eye very early on when I was out West at a showcase in Vancouver” stated McCall. “He’s a right-shot blueliner, with excellent skating, who can support his defensive partner very well”.
Wilson was the fourth defencemen that Victoria was able to grab in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. Wilson appeared in 27 games this season, scoring 3 goals and adding 16 assists for 19 points which led scoring by blueliners on his team. He also suited up in 2 games for their U17 side.
“This is the guy that you know is gonna be all over the score sheet,” stated McCall. “He can pass the puck very well, and he’s really good at alluding forcheckers which helps teammates get open in the play.”
The product of Sooke, B.C. grew up just North of the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
“His coaches had nothing but good things to say about him and it was a no-brainer for us to take Kieran there,” mentioned McCall. “We think he’s got a chance to develop and grow physically over the next couple of years. He checked lots of boxes for us, and being a local boy was a nice little piece to add to it. But at the end of the day, he was selected on the basis of his upside.”
Concluding the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft for Victoria was the selection of Declan Iacoviello from Burnaby Winter Club U15 Prep with the 207th overall selection in the 10th round.
“Declan was another guy that caught our eye early on at some of the sports school showcases,” stated McCall. “He’s got a pretty good frame, with lots of intelligence, and great skill.”
Iacovello suited up in 27 games this season, scoring 14 goals and adding 16 assists for 30 points. His point total was fifth most on the Burnaby U15 squad. The 14-year-old also appeared in 2 games for their U17 program where he tallied one assist.
“Because of his intelligence with and without the puck, he is a versatile player that has some position flexibility because of those factors,” said McCall. “He has lots of skill, and can be utilized on the powerplay and in different situations. He proved this year that he has lots of finish as well.”
The product of North Vancouver, B.C. who stands at 5’11” and 137 lbs. was the second winger, and sixth forward selected by Victoria in the ‘24 Prospects Draft.
“His coaching staff had nothing but good things to say about him on the ice, and his work ethic off the ice. He’s a great kid and we think we got really good value here with this selection.”
The Royals also made a handful of draft-day transactions, including moving fourth round picks for future second and third round picks. First, the Royals traded the 30th overall selection in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for the 37th and 77th overall selections. Shortly after, the club acquired a 2028 2nd round pick from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for the previously acquired 77th overall selection. Lastly, Victoria moved the 79th overall pick to the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for the 138th overall pick, along with a 2025 3rd round pick.
The 2024 WHL Prospects Draft provided a glimpse into the future for Victoria. In total, 13 players were drafted over the course of the U.S. Priority Draft, and the WHL Prospects Draft, which included seven forwards, five defencemen, and one goaltender.
Heading into the summer, there will be one more draft, the CHL Import Draft which will take place on July 3rd, 2024 with Victoria holding the 23rd, and 83rd overall selections.
