The first regular season game for the Victoria Royals is only two days away. Saturday night marks the first WHL game in Victoria since 1994. In honor of this, I will be listing the team roster and my 4 players to watch this upcoming season. Be aware that WHL teams don't have to submit their final 25 man roster till Oct. 10th, therefore, many roster changes will be made between now and then.
Roster
Center
Kevin Sundher- Shoots Left- 6"0 177 lbs- Born Jan. 18th, 1992- Hometown: Surrey, BC
Steven Hodges- Shoots Left- 5'11 167 lbs- Born May 5th, 1994- Delta, BC
Brendan Persley- Shoots Left- 6'0 195 lbs- Born June 3rd, 1993- Kelowna, BC
Brandon Magee- Shoots Right- 5'8 172 lbs- Born Jan. 23rd, 1994- Edmonton, AB
Logan Nelson- Shoots Right- 6'1 178 lbs- Born Sep. 9th, 1993- Rogers, MN
Left Wing
Zane Jones- Shoots Left- 6'2 192 lbs- Born June 8th, 1994- Olds, AB
Jamie Crooks- Shoots Left- 5'11 182 lbs- Born Jan. 8th, 1992- Vermilion, AB
Curt Gogol- Shoots Left- 5'11 185 lbs- Born Sep. 21st, 1991- Calgary, AB
Taylor Crunk- Shoots Left- 5'11 182 lbs- Born Jan. 20th, 1995- San Jacinto, CA
Mike Forsyth- Shoots Left- 6'1 192 lbs- Born June 20th, 1992- Calgary, AB
Right Wing
Tim Traber- Shoots Right- 6'2 192 lbs- Born Jan. 26th, 1993- Quesnel, BC
Lukas Kralik- Shoots Right- 6'1 188 lbs- Born March 19th, 1993- Sternberk, CZE
Austin Carroll- Shoots Right- 6'3 204 lbs- Born March 26th,1994- Scottsdale, AZ
Robin Soudek- Shoots Right- 5'11 194 lbs- Born July 31st, 1991- Ceske Budejovice, CZE
Luke Harrison- Shoots Right- 6'1 188 lbs- Born Oct. 7th, 1995- Westbank, BC
Defense
Hayden Rintoul- Shoots Left- 6'1 191 lbs- Born Feb. 2nd, 1991- Calgary, AB
Zach Habscheid- Shoots Right- 6'4 211 lbs- Born Mar 16th, 1992- Chilliwack, BC
Emerson Hrynyk- Shoots Right- 6'2 200 lbs- Born Sep. 9th, 1992- Okanagan Falls, BC
Keegan Kanzig- Shoots Left- 6'5 229 lbs- Born Feb. 26th, 1995- Athabasca, AB
Jesse Zgraggen- Shoots Left- 6'1 209 lbs- Born April 23rd, 1993- Lethbridge, AB
Tyler Stahl- Shoots Right- 6'2 215 lbs- Born Jan.29th, 1992- Drumheller, AB
Kade Pilton- Shoots Left- 6'5 186 lbs- Born Nov. 8th, 1994- Parksville, BC
Jesse Pauls- Shoots Left- 5'10 177 lbs- Born Feb. 10th, 1992- Chilliwack, BC
Brett Cote- Shoots Left- 6'0 204 lbs- Born May 21st, 1994- Oakbank, MB
Goal
Jared Rathjen- 6'1 180 lbs- Born May 13th, 1994- Prince George, BC
Keith Hamilton- 6'0 170 lbs- Born March 1st, 1992- Kelowna, BC
Braden Gamble- 5'11 180 lbs- Born Feb. 13th, 1991- North Star, AB
4 Players to Watch
Kade Pilton- This 6'5 d-man will be a force this season if he makes the team. In the Royals games I saw this preseason, Pilton stood out in the majority of them. He is very composed with and without the puck. He was rarely out of position in his own zone, and covered his forwards very well. Once he gains some experience, this kid looks like he could become the real deal.
Hayden Rintoul- The captain of the Royals, and a championship winner with the Kootenay Ice last season. Rintoul shows his leadership through his calm play. Rintoul has shown his dominant play throughout the preseason. He can score, quarterback the powerplay, break up scoring plays, and just control the game. He is dominant on both sides of the puck and he will be a very important player in the Royals' season.
Logan Nelson- Acquired in the off-season, Nelson has shown his worth to the Royals. He has lethal speed, good size, and a very good hockey IQ. He knows when to pinch in, and when to get back to cover his man. He has the finishing ability that a lot of players would love to have. Look for Nelson to have a very good year as a Royal.
Keith Hamilton- Hamilton was acquired from the Winterhawks in the off-season. His pre-season play started off rocky, but by the last exhibition game, he looked solid. It will be interesting to see who is named the starting netminder, even though it seems Hamilton will get the start. His rebound control is better, and he has been positionally sound. If he plays like he did in the last exhibition game, then I don't see any problems in net for the Royals.
My next post will be Friday night, a game recap of the first regular season game against the Vancouver Giants.
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