Victoria Royals facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Victoria Royals |
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| City | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | B.C. |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Home arena | Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre |
| Colours | Royal blue, silver, white, black |
| Owner(s) | Graham Lee (Chairman - GSL Group) |
| General manager | Jake Heisinger |
| Head coach | James Patrick |
| Franchise history | |
| 2006–2011 | Chilliwack Bruins |
| 2011–present | Victoria Royals |
The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team. They are based in Victoria, British Columbia. The Royals play in the B.C. Division of the Western Conference. This is part of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team started playing in the 2011–12 season. This happened after the league moved the Chilliwack Bruins team to Victoria. It was exciting because the WHL returned to Vancouver Island. The last WHL team, the Victoria Cougars, had left 17 years before. The Royals play their home games at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
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Team History and Moves
Victoria did not have a WHL team after 1994. That year, the Cougars team moved to Prince George. In 2004, the city got a professional ECHL team, the Victoria Salmon Kings. This was when the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre opened. But Victoria had always wanted the WHL to return to Vancouver Island.
How the Royals Came to Be
Some owners of the Chilliwack Bruins wanted to keep their team in Chilliwack. This was after the 2010–11 season. But other owners voted to sell the team. A new group planned to move the team. On April 20, 2011, the WHL approved the sale. They also approved moving the Bruins to Victoria. The WHL wanted to protect the Victoria market. They were worried that another hockey team might move there.
Early Success and Best Season
The Royals started strong in Victoria. They made the playoffs in their first eight seasons. They were also on track for the playoffs in 2019–20. But that season ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team's best season was in 2015–16. The Royals won 50 games for the first time. They also won their first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. This award goes to the best team in the regular season. They lost in the second round of the playoffs that year. They were playing against the Kelowna Rockets. The Royals were winning the final game. But the Rockets tied it with less than a second left. Then, the Rockets won in overtime.
Season Records and Performance
This table shows how the Victoria Royals have done each season. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2011–12 | 72 | 24 | 41 | 3 | 4 | 233 | 325 | 55 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final (0–4, KAM) |
| 2012–13 | 72 | 35 | 30 | 2 | 5 | 223 | 252 | 77 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final (2–4, KAM) |
| 2013–14 | 72 | 48 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 238 | 181 | 100 | 2nd B.C. | Won Western Conference quarter-final (4–0, SPO) Lost Western Conference semi-final (1–4, POR) |
| 2014–15 | 72 | 39 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 244 | 219 | 82 | 2nd B.C. | Won Western Conference quarter-final (4–1, PRG) Lost Western Conference semi-final (1–4, KEL) |
| 2015–16 | 72 | 50 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 281 | 166 | 106 | 1st B.C. 1st WHL |
Won Western Conference quarter-final (4–2, SPO) Lost Western Conference semi-final (3–4 KEL) |
| 2016–17 | 72 | 37 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 239 | 219 | 80 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final (2–4, EVT) |
| 2017–18 | 72 | 39 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 287 | 264 | 84 | 2nd B.C. | Won Western Conference quarter-final (4–3, VAN) Lost Western Conference semi-final (0–4, TRI) |
| 2018–19 | 68 | 34 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 199 | 227 | 72 | 2nd B.C. | Won Western Conference quarter-final (4–2, KAM) Lost Western Conference semi-final (0–4, VAN) |
| 2019–20 | 64 | 34 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 176 | 190 | 72 | 2nd B.C. | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | 22 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 96 | 8 | 5th B.C. | No playoffs due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021–22 | 68 | 23 | 39 | 5 | 1 | 193 | 275 | 52 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 | 68 | 17 | 43 | 6 | 2 | 199 | 323 | 42 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2023–24 | 68 | 29 | 30 | 5 | 4 | 221 | 272 | 67 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final (0–4, POR) |
| 2024–25 | 68 | 40 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 272 | 218 | 91 | 1st B.C. | Won Western Conference quarterfinal (4–1, TRI) Lost Western Conference semifinal (2–4, SPO) |
Players and Coaches
Team Captains
- Hayden Rintoul, 2011–2012
- Tyler Stahl, 2012–2013
- Jordan Fransoo, 2013–2014
- Joe Hicketts, 2014–2016
- Ryan Gagnon, 2016–2017
- Matthew Phillips, 2017–2018
- Phillip Schultz, 2019–2020
- Tarun Fizer, 2021–2022
- Gannon Laroque, 2022–2023
- Justin Kipkie, 2024–present
Players Who Made it to the NHL
Some players from the Victoria Royals have gone on to play in the National Hockey League.
- Noah Gregor
- Joe Hicketts
- Brayden Pachal
- Matthew Phillips
- Brayden Tracey
Head Coaches of the Royals
Marc Habscheid was the first head coach and general manager for the Royals. He was with the team in its first season. In June 2012, he left both jobs. The Royals then named Cam Hope as their new general manager. The team chose Dave Lowry as head coach for the 2012–13 season. He coached the Royals for five seasons. He helped the team reach its highest number of wins and points. They also won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy in 2015-16. He left the team in 2017.
In 2017, the Royals promoted assistant coach Dan Price to head coach. Price became the third head coach in the team's history. On November 6, 2023, after a game, the Royals let go of Dan Price. They then named James Patrick as the fifth head coach. He had coached the Winnipeg Ice before.
List of Coaches
| # | Coach | Years | GC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc Habscheid | 2011–2012 | 72 |
| 2 | Dave Lowry | 2012–2017 | 360 |
| 3 | Dan Price | 2017–2023 | |
| 4 | James Patrick | 2023–present |
Awards and Special Honours
Team Awards
Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy
WHL Regular Season Champion
- 2015–16
St. Clair Group Trophy
WHL Marketing/Business Award
- 2015–16
WHL Scholastic Team of the Year
- 2016–17
Individual Player and Coach Awards
Brad Hornung Trophy
WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player
- Tyler Soy: 2015–16
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy
WHL Rookie of the Year
- Matthew Phillips: 2015–16
Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy
WHL Coach of the Year
- Dave Lowry (2): 2013–14, 2015–16
- James Patrick: 2024–25
Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy
WHL Executive of the Year
- Cam Hope: 2013–14
WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team
- Joe Hicketts: 2015–16
- Matthew Phillips: 2016–17, 2017–18
WHL Western Conference Second All-Star Team
- Joe Hicketts: 2014–15
- Tyler Soy: 2015–16
- Scott Walford: 2018–19
- Justin Kipkie: 2024–25
WHL B.C. Division First All-Star Team
- Gannon Laroque: 2021–22
- Bailey Peach: 2021–22
- Justin Kipkie: 2023–24
WHL B.C. Division Second All-Star Team
- Tarun Fizer: 2021–22
See also
- List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
