Five Royals Invited to NHL Rookie Camps
Victoria, B.C. – Five members of the Victoria Royals, Justin Kipkie (Utah), Reggie Newman (Utah), Nate Misskey (San Jose), Deagan McMillan (Vancouver), and Markus Loponen (Winnipeg), will be attending NHL Camps next week.
Justin Kipkie, who was selected 160th overall in the 5th round of the 2023 NHL Draft will be attending Utah Hockey Club’s 2024-25 Rookie Camp. Kipkie, hailing from Calgary, AB, led Royals defensemen in points, scoring 16 goals and 36 assists for 52 points in 67 games played in the 2023-24 season.
Reggie Newman will also be attending Utah Hockey Club’s 2024-25 Rookie Camp. Newman, who is from Kamloops, BC, is entering his fourth season with the Royals is coming off a 2023-24 season where he put up a career high 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points in 64 games played.
Nate Misskey will be joining the San Jose Sharks Rookie Faceoff roster. He joined the San Jose Sharks Development Camp in July after being selected 143rd overall in the 5th round of the 2024 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old is entering his third season with the Royals after putting up 7 goals and 27 assists for 34 points in 44 regular season games during the 2023-24 campaign.
Deagan McMillan, who was recently acquired by the Royals from the Tri-City Americans, is joining the Vancouver Canucks for their Young Stars Classic rookie tournament. McMillan, hailing from Vernon, BC, is entering his fourth WHL season. He scored 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 60 games in the 2023-24 season.
Markus Loponen, from Oulu, Finland, will be joining the Winnipeg Jets for the Young Stars Classic. Loponen was drafted by the Jets in the 2024 NHL Draft 155th overall in the 5th round. Prior to being drafted by the Royals in the first round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft, Loponen scored 25 goals and 29 assists for 54 points in 45 games played in the 2023-24 season for Kärpät U20.