Weekend Preview: Royals vs Tri-City Americans
Victoria, B.C. — The wait is finally over, it’s officially hockey season in Victoria again.
Royals hockey is back this weekend at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, as the team is set to kick off the regular season with a set of back-to-back games against the Tri-City Americans beginning on Friday, with puck drop set for 7:05 pm.
Celebrate the home opener with a pre-game plaza party, featuring live music and games. Additionally, every ticket scanned for Friday’s game will work as an entry for a chance to win 2 tickets to see Taylor Swift live at BC Place in Vancouver this upcoming December.
GAME NOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
VICTORIA
Cole Reschny – Reschny is entering his second full season with the Royals after a successful rookie year which saw him finish third on the team in total points with 59 (21G-38A) and was followed by an appearance for Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup over the summer, where he tied for the team lead in scoring with 7 points in 5 games on the way to a gold medal. The 17-year-old is eligible to be selected in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
TRI-CITY
Jake Sloan – Sloan is entering his fifth and final year with the Americans, after having spent his entire WHL career to date with the club. The forward from Leduc, Alberta, played in all 68 matches for the Americans last year and led the team with 70 total points (31G-39A). In June, the Americans announced Sloan as the team’s captain for the 2024-25 season.
KEY ADDITIONS
Vaughn Watterodt – Watterodt was acquired by the Royals via trade this past June from Saskatoon. The center from Rosetown, SK, looks to be a nice addition for the Royals’ forward group after posting 22 points in 59 games last season (8G-14A).
KEY DEPARTURES
Dawson Pasternak – Pasternak was among the three 20-year-old players the Royals had to say goodbye to at the end of last season. The forward led the team in points, goals, and assists during the 2023-2024 season (27G-45A-72TP).
Braden Holt – Leaving alongside Pasternak was the team’s starting netminder during the 2023-24 season, Braden Holt. The American goaltender appeared in net for 47 games last season and would finish with a record of 21W-17L-4OTL-3SOL and played a key role in the team reaching the 2024 WHL playoffs.
ROYALS PLAYERS AT NHL TRAINING CAMPS
The Royals will open the 2024-25 regular season without five key players, who are attending NHL Training Camps.
Justin Kipkie, who was selected 160th overall in the 5th round of the 2023 NHL Draft is attending the Utah Hockey Club’s Training Camp. Also at Utah’s camp is Royals’ forward Reggie Newman who is entering his fourth season with the team after putting up a career high 19 goals, 21 assists and 40 points in 64 games during the 2023-24 season. Nate Misskey, who was selected 143rd overall in the 5th round of the 2024 NHL Draft by San Jose is attending the Sharks Training Camp, while Markus Loponen who was selected 155th overall in the 5th round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets is attending their camp. Deagan McMillan who the Royals acquired in an off-season trade is attending the Vancouver Canucks’ camp.
LAST SEASON RECORD
Vs TRI-CITY
- 5-1 W @ TC (11-24-2023)
- 3-2 W v. TC (12-15-2023)
- 4-3 W v. TC (12-16-2023)
- 6-4 W @ TC (03-01-2024)
ROYALS UPCOMING SCHEDULE
- 21, vs TRI • 6:05 pm
- 27, @ KEL • 7:05 pm
- 28, @ KAM • 6:00 pm
- 4, @ POR • 7:00 pm
- 5, @ WEN • 6:00 pm
WATCH & LISTEN
Online video stream
All Royals games will be available on WHL Live. WHL Live is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on the web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit watch.chl.ca for complete details and subscription options.
Written by Erick Dominguez
