The History of the Victoria Royals in The First Round of The WHL Prospects Draft
Victoria, B.C. – The Western Hockey League Prospects Draft is a pivotal moment of the season for teams across the WHL as they aim to shape their future by selecting promising young talent. The Victoria Royals head into the 2024 Draft with two first-round selections (8th and 18th overall), and seven selections in the opening four rounds of the draft.
We dove into the history books to look back on the Royals’ previous first round draft picks. Since relocating from Chilliwack, the team has made a total of 11 selections in the first round. Only once (2012) has the team made multiple selections in the opening round, that year saw Tyler Soy, and Chaz Reddekopp picked.
Of the 11 players picked by Victoria, here is the breakdown of the selections:
| Position | Times Selected |
| Forward | 4 |
| Defenceman | 7 |
| Goalies | 0 |
| Home Province | Times Selected |
| British Columbia | 7 |
| Alberta | 3 |
| Saskatchewan | 1 |
| Manitoba | 0 |
Three of those picks have taken place over the last four drafts, and they will all look to make an impact on the Royals’ roster in 2024-25.
4th overall – 2023 | D ‘08 Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, AB)
The Royals most recent first round pick saw them select blueliner Keaton Verhoeff. Standing at 6’3”, two-hundred-and-one-pounds, Verhoeff brings size and skill to the blueline, he was the fifth tallest player drafted amongst all skaters taken in the 2023 draft.
In his draft eligible season, Verhoeff was a standout with U15 RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna. His 87 points in 2022-23 was fifth most by any player in the CSSHL, and 30 more than the next closest defenceman.
Verhoeff played 12 games for the Royals during the 2023-24 regular-season, while also suiting up in four playoff games. Prior to his time with the Royals, Verhoeff kick-started his journey with his hometown team, the Fort Saskatchewan Ranger U15 AAA, before joining RINK Hockey Academy (CSSHL).
While spending parts of the season with the Royals and RINK, Verhoeff also showcased his talent on the international stage as he represented Team Canada at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea.
3rd overall – 2022 | F ‘07 Cole Reschny (Macklin, SK)
A name that Royals’ fans got to know this past season, Cole Reschny, is the highest selection in Royals’ franchise history. Reschny is fresh off his rookie campaign with the Royals in which he became the all-time leading scorer amongst 16-year-olds in team history. His 21 goals and 38 assists, for 59 points in 61 games had him finish with the fifth most points by a rookie in the WHL during the 2023-24 season.
Reschny was recognized for his impressive play this season, being named WHL Rookie of the Week twice, and WHL November Rookie of the Month. He also earned the opportunity to represent Team Canada at the 2023 World U17 Hockey Championships where he scored three goals and added five assists for eight points in seven games.
The skilled forward played his 13 and 14-year-old seasons with Northern Alberta Extreme Prep (CSSHL), before moving on to play for the U18 Saskatoon Blazers (SMAAAHL) where he accumulated 65 points in 34 games played.
9th overall – 2020 | D ‘05 Austin Zemlak (Fort McMurray, AB)
Victoria used their 2020 first round pick to select blueliner Austin Zemlak. The physical defenceman had a productive draft eligible season with U15 OHA Edmonton Prep (CSSHL), where he showcased his leadership being the team’s Captain. Zemlak recorded 36 points in 27 games during the 2019-20 season which was the fourth most by any defenceman in the CSSHL.
After his U15 season, Zemlak spent the Covid shortened season with OHA Edmonton U18, and suited up in three games with the Royals, making his WHL debut on May 3rd, 2021, against the Kamloops Blazers.
Zemlak joined the Royals full time for the 2021-22 campaign, and has been a staple on the blueline ever since.When the 2024-25 season begins, Zemlak will approach a milestone, as he nears 150 games played in the WHL.
Rewinding into the Past
While we took a look at the Royals three most recent selections in the first-round of the WHL Prospects draft, we also circled back, looking at the history of first-round selections who found success during their time in Victoria, and went on to be drafted by NHL teams.
18th overall – 2014 | D ‘99 Scott Walford (Coquitlam, BC)
The first player highlighted is blueliner Scott Walford. In his WHL Draft eligible season, he posted 12 goals and 39 assists for 51 points in 59 games played, while helping the U18 Okanagan Hockey Academy claim the CSSHL Championship.
Walford made his way to Victoria for his WHL Debut during the 2014-15 season, before arriving full-time in the 2015-16 campaign. He would play 229 games for Victoria, before being dealt to the Saskatoon Blades in 2019.Walford was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
13th overall – 2012 | D ‘97 Chaz Reddekopp (West Kelowna, BC)
The second player that the Royals picked in the first round of the 2012 WHL Draft was Chaz Reddekopp. The blueliner was highly touted from his time at the Pursuit of Excellence (OMAHA) where he neared a point-per-game pace, registering 59 points in 62 games played during his WHL Draft Eligible season.
The Los Angeles Kings selected Reddekopp 187th overall in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
8th overall – 2012 | F ‘97 Tyler Soy (Cloverdale, BC)
This pick saw the Royals select a skilled sniper in Tyler Soy. Soy suited up for the U15 Cloverdale Colts (PCBHL) during his draft eligible season, where he put up 58 goals and 129 assists for 187 points.
Soy had a successful WHL career with the Royals, becoming the Royals’ all-time leader in games played (323), goals (151), assists (176) and points (327).
Soy was selected 205th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the seventh round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
12th overall – 2011 | D ‘96 Joe Hicketts (Kamloops, BC)
Joe Hicketts, the first-ever selection by the Royals proved to be one of the most influential during his time in the Provincial Capital. In four seasons with the Royals, Hicketts played 224 regular-season games, registering 173 points. He earned the captaincy for his final two seasons with the Royals.
Hicketts’ strong play also earned him a spot on the 2015 Canadian World Junior Hockey Team where he helped Team Canada to a Gold medal. Hicketts represented Team Canada again in 2016, where he was named one of the top three players for his country at the World Junior Championship.
Hicketts has spent the past eight seasons between the NHL and AHL (Detroit Red Wings, Grand Rapid Griffins, Iowa Wild and Ontario Reign). He helped the Rapids claim the AHL Calder Cup during his professional rookie season.
