The Victoria Royals made drastic changes to their front office this off-season. After Mark Habscheid decided to step down as Head Coach and General manager of the hockey club to pursue a position in the Royals owner company RG properties, Royals owner Graham Lee was left to fill the vacant jobs.
Lee looked to the NHL to fill the vacancy at GM. He was able to convince former New York Rangers Assistant GM, Cameron Hope, to take the reins of the Victoria junior hockey club. Lee was told by many other executives throughout hockey that Hope would be a great GM. Hope even admitted that he was caught off guard when the Royals owner called about the job. Cameron Hope spent four seasons (2007-2011) as assistant General Manager of the New York Rangers. Hope's experience in the professional ranks will pay dividends to a young Royals team that was bounced quickly in the first round of the 2012 WHL playoffs.
Once Cameron Hope took the general manager job, he had the duty of picking his coach to teach his junior players. Many names were thrown around in the job search, such as former Ottawa Senators head coach Cory Clouston. In the end though, it was Dave Lowry who was hired by the new GM. Lowry joins the Royals after being an assistant coach for the NHL Calgary Flames the past three seasons. Lowry said that the Royals' decision to make the GM and head coach positions seperate played a big part in his decision to take the job. Lowry comes back to the WHL with previous experience in the league, as well as a good track record in the WHL. The 47 year old's last stint in the WHL was as head coach of the Calgary Hitmen in 2008-09 season. As head coach of the Hitmen, Lowry led the team to a record of 59-9-3-1, with 330 goals scored, and came within two games of winning the Ed Chynoweth cup that season.
Now that we know the new GM and Head Coach, it's time to look at what this means for the Royals. The Royals were an inconsistent team last year. They would go on great stretches of play, and follow it up with terrible runs of luck. Victoria was swept in the first round of the WHL playoffs by the Kelowna Rockets. The Royals' second period play was a main concern in the playoffs as they were outscored 16-3 in the middle of frames of the four games. The new coach will instill a sense of hard work and fun once training camps start.
Lowry's track record shows that he works great with young players. This is a very young Royals team that will need that kind of mentor. Look for Lowry to set up an offensive strategy to utilize the big bodies of the scoring forwards, as well as showing off defenseman who specialize on the offensive side of the puck. Players such as Nelson, Crooks, Hicketts, and Hodges will excel under Lowry's new system. I suspect that the powerplay will improve dramatically. This isn't to say that the Royals will be poor defensively, that's far from the truth. Defensive minded players such as Kanzig, Pilton, Walker, and Traber will be utilized more to their strengths.
It's an exciting pair of hires for the Royals to make. Hope and Lowry both come in with lengthy track records in the business. The idea to split the jobs of General Manager and Head Coach was also a smart move. I've always found it better when the GM can focus on GM duties and the Coach can just focus on the lineups and getting the team ready to play. If this summer is any indication of things to come, Royals' fans are in for a very exciting season.
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Saturday 28 January 2012
Royals Pick Up Big Two Points Over Blazers
The Stats
First Period
0:08 Kamloops Goal-Tim Bozon, Assists-JC Lipon, Tyler Bell
0:15 Kamloops Goal-Tim Bozon, Assists-JC Lipon, Tyler Hansen
7:57 Victoria Goal-Robin Soudek, Assists-Steven Hodges, Brandon Magee
Second Period
5:16 Victoria Powerplay Goal-Hayden Rintoul, Assists-Ben Walker, Logan Nelson
18:24 Victoria Goal-Ben Walker, Assists-Jamie Crooks, Logan Nelson
Third Period
11:24 Victoria Powerplay Goal-Brandon Magee, Assists-Robin Soudek, Jamie Crooks
Win: Keith Hamilton (33 saves) Loss: Cole Cheveldave (31 saves)
The Rundown
For such an important run of games for the Royals, this one did not start the way they would have liked. Two miscues in the defensive zone resulted in two Tim Bozon goals in the first 15 seconds of the game. It seemed at that point that the rout was on and Kamloops would have their way with the Royals. For the next couple minutes after those goals the Royals seemed to just hang on as Kamloops continued to look for the next goal. Kamloops tried their best to try to make this game out of reach for the Royals early, but a faceoff win in the Blazers' zone swung the momentum. Brandon Magee was able to win the draw to Steven Hodges. Hodges then passed the pack to Soudek, who fired it home to get the home team on the board. If that goal didn't put the momentum firmly in Victoria's hands then it was most certainly the back to back penalty kills that followed. Hamilton came up huge on two very important penalty kills as the home team went to the dressing room down one after one.
The second period started with both teams trading chances. It wasn't till the about the midway mark that Hayden Rintoul wristed a powerplay goal past a screened Cole Cheveldave. The Royals continued to play their dump and chase offense, and at the same time the Royals kept the Blazers to the outside whenever they would gain the offensive zone. Victoria would take their first lead of the game off a Jamie Crooks centering pass that deflected off Ben Walker and into the open Blazers net. Hamilton continued to hold the fort in net throughout the period to keep the Blazers of the board in the second period.
The third period started with the Blazers trying to push the pace to the young Royals squad. The Royals though would not stray from their game plan and continued their hard nosed efforts on the night. Both teams started post whistle scrums and chirping after almost every whistle around the crease as the third moved along. Victoria would get the insurance goal thanks to a quick Brandon Magee snapshot powerplay goal. The Royals would continue a stingy defensive effort for the rest of the game and walked away with a 4-2 win.
Keys to the Game
Penalty Kill- The Royals killed off all 5 Kamloops powerplays. This was the best Royals penalty killing I've seen all year. They were agressive on the puck carrier and didn't get pulled out of position too much. The cliche goes: "Alot of the times your best penalty killer has to be your goalie," and boy was that also the case tonight as Keith Hamilton made some solid saves when his team was down a man. With special teams so important, especially down the stretch run, this game will hopefully be a confidence boost for this PK squad.
Team Philosophy- Ever since the Sundher trade this team has switched it's gameplan. They now play a more dump and chase game. This strategy definately suits this team better. All four lines have size and strength to forecheck along the boards. The Royals have also come together as a full team now aswell. None of them play as individuals and all of them rely on eachother when need be. Habsecheid also had a great set of lines constructed on the ice as well. The top line of Hodges-Magee-Soudek, second line of Nelson-Walker-Crooks, third line of Harrison-Carroll-Crunk, and the energy line of Conroy-Forsyth-Traber. All four of those lines bring some edge and grit to each and every shift. This team is now a hard nose hard working team, and that's the kind of mindframe that wins games.
My Three Royals of the Night
Ben Walker- This kid continues to impress me. Game after game his work ethic just continues to show how hard of a worked he is. He chipped in with the game winning goal and an assist against the Blazers. With 16 points in 23 games as a Royal this kid is showing his offensive worth. He is also very good in his own zone, putting him up their with the best two way players on the team.
Keith Hamilton- It would be easy to have written him off after those first two goals, but he was a big difference in this game. He held his team in it when both teams probably thought that it was going to be an easy night for the Blazers. He was perfect on the penalty kill and was solid whenever their was a scramble around his crease. He finished the night with 33 saves, although by watching the game you would think he never faced that many. That's just because he was so calm after those opening 15 seconds that he never really had to make an out of position save. Positionally sound and solid throughout the night.
Brandon Magee- Magee also chipped in with an assist and the insurance goal in the third period. Magee continues to take advantage of the Sundher trade. With Sundher gone Magee as thrived on the team. He is a great player for this teams dump and chase tactic because he always seems to slip by a defenseman or forward trying to pin him against the boards. He has a nose for the net and gets to the dirty areas of the ice. He was a big part of that top line tonight and I don't see him slowing down anytime soon.
Royals next game is tonight(Saturday Jan. 28th) at the SOFMC hosting the Kamloops Blazers for Pink in the Rink night.
First Period
0:08 Kamloops Goal-Tim Bozon, Assists-JC Lipon, Tyler Bell
0:15 Kamloops Goal-Tim Bozon, Assists-JC Lipon, Tyler Hansen
7:57 Victoria Goal-Robin Soudek, Assists-Steven Hodges, Brandon Magee
Second Period
5:16 Victoria Powerplay Goal-Hayden Rintoul, Assists-Ben Walker, Logan Nelson
18:24 Victoria Goal-Ben Walker, Assists-Jamie Crooks, Logan Nelson
Third Period
11:24 Victoria Powerplay Goal-Brandon Magee, Assists-Robin Soudek, Jamie Crooks
Win: Keith Hamilton (33 saves) Loss: Cole Cheveldave (31 saves)
The Rundown
For such an important run of games for the Royals, this one did not start the way they would have liked. Two miscues in the defensive zone resulted in two Tim Bozon goals in the first 15 seconds of the game. It seemed at that point that the rout was on and Kamloops would have their way with the Royals. For the next couple minutes after those goals the Royals seemed to just hang on as Kamloops continued to look for the next goal. Kamloops tried their best to try to make this game out of reach for the Royals early, but a faceoff win in the Blazers' zone swung the momentum. Brandon Magee was able to win the draw to Steven Hodges. Hodges then passed the pack to Soudek, who fired it home to get the home team on the board. If that goal didn't put the momentum firmly in Victoria's hands then it was most certainly the back to back penalty kills that followed. Hamilton came up huge on two very important penalty kills as the home team went to the dressing room down one after one.
The second period started with both teams trading chances. It wasn't till the about the midway mark that Hayden Rintoul wristed a powerplay goal past a screened Cole Cheveldave. The Royals continued to play their dump and chase offense, and at the same time the Royals kept the Blazers to the outside whenever they would gain the offensive zone. Victoria would take their first lead of the game off a Jamie Crooks centering pass that deflected off Ben Walker and into the open Blazers net. Hamilton continued to hold the fort in net throughout the period to keep the Blazers of the board in the second period.
The third period started with the Blazers trying to push the pace to the young Royals squad. The Royals though would not stray from their game plan and continued their hard nosed efforts on the night. Both teams started post whistle scrums and chirping after almost every whistle around the crease as the third moved along. Victoria would get the insurance goal thanks to a quick Brandon Magee snapshot powerplay goal. The Royals would continue a stingy defensive effort for the rest of the game and walked away with a 4-2 win.
Keys to the Game
Penalty Kill- The Royals killed off all 5 Kamloops powerplays. This was the best Royals penalty killing I've seen all year. They were agressive on the puck carrier and didn't get pulled out of position too much. The cliche goes: "Alot of the times your best penalty killer has to be your goalie," and boy was that also the case tonight as Keith Hamilton made some solid saves when his team was down a man. With special teams so important, especially down the stretch run, this game will hopefully be a confidence boost for this PK squad.
Team Philosophy- Ever since the Sundher trade this team has switched it's gameplan. They now play a more dump and chase game. This strategy definately suits this team better. All four lines have size and strength to forecheck along the boards. The Royals have also come together as a full team now aswell. None of them play as individuals and all of them rely on eachother when need be. Habsecheid also had a great set of lines constructed on the ice as well. The top line of Hodges-Magee-Soudek, second line of Nelson-Walker-Crooks, third line of Harrison-Carroll-Crunk, and the energy line of Conroy-Forsyth-Traber. All four of those lines bring some edge and grit to each and every shift. This team is now a hard nose hard working team, and that's the kind of mindframe that wins games.
My Three Royals of the Night
Ben Walker- This kid continues to impress me. Game after game his work ethic just continues to show how hard of a worked he is. He chipped in with the game winning goal and an assist against the Blazers. With 16 points in 23 games as a Royal this kid is showing his offensive worth. He is also very good in his own zone, putting him up their with the best two way players on the team.
Keith Hamilton- It would be easy to have written him off after those first two goals, but he was a big difference in this game. He held his team in it when both teams probably thought that it was going to be an easy night for the Blazers. He was perfect on the penalty kill and was solid whenever their was a scramble around his crease. He finished the night with 33 saves, although by watching the game you would think he never faced that many. That's just because he was so calm after those opening 15 seconds that he never really had to make an out of position save. Positionally sound and solid throughout the night.
Brandon Magee- Magee also chipped in with an assist and the insurance goal in the third period. Magee continues to take advantage of the Sundher trade. With Sundher gone Magee as thrived on the team. He is a great player for this teams dump and chase tactic because he always seems to slip by a defenseman or forward trying to pin him against the boards. He has a nose for the net and gets to the dirty areas of the ice. He was a big part of that top line tonight and I don't see him slowing down anytime soon.
Royals next game is tonight(Saturday Jan. 28th) at the SOFMC hosting the Kamloops Blazers for Pink in the Rink night.
Wednesday 11 January 2012
Royals Mid-Season Review
The Season So Far
The Royals started off their inaugural season with a decent 8-8-1 record. They dropped a couple close games early on, but they were winning a lot of games that quite a few experts considered guaranteed losses for the Royals. As the season grew on, those predictions started to unfold. The Royals started to show signs of being a young team without much experience. Consistency became a problem for the young hockey squad as they would go from a close game to a blowout loss throughout the schedule. Despite all the injuries, inconsistent play, and bad breaks, the Royals hold the last playoff spot in the West. They hold this position by three points over the Prince George Cougars.
The Top Three Players
Kevin Sundher - Sundher led the Royals with 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points in 40 games. For a few nights Sundher would be the most dynamic player on the ice on either team. He has great speed and a great set of hands to go with it. He also had a nose for the net and didn't have any issues in going to the dirty areas of the play.
Logan Nelson - Nelson currently has 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 41 games so far this season. Nelson is having an outstanding rookie season for the Royals. Not only has he shown his scoring prowess, but he has also been dedicated in helping out his teammates in his own zone. He has been a very solid two-way player for the Royals.
Jamie Crooks and Hayden Rintoul -I cheated, oh well. Crooks currently sits with 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points in 42 games. Crooks has also been a solid two-way player for the Royals. The thing that sticks out the most about Crooks is how he does so many small things right that end up as scoring chances. Rintoul currently has 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 42 games. Rintoul has been the Royals best offensive defenseman. He is also the team captain and has some of the most experience on the team. Although his defensive stats aren't as pretty, his leadership is a valuable asset for the young blueline of the Royals.
The Trade
On January 9th, Royals GM Habscheid dealt star player, Kevin Sundher, to the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Kings gained a great scoring threat who will excel on an already great team. In return, the Royals received 17 year old left winger Dakota Conroy, 18 year old defenseman Jordan Fransoo, and a first round 2012 bantam draft pick. The Royals got two good young players that will definitely help in the next couple seasons. Fransoo is a 6'3 defensive defenseman who can skate. He will help out the Royals as a good PK guy and shut down D-man. Conroy is a left winger who hasn't reached his potential in the WHL yet. With the Royals he will see more ice time and grow as a player. This deal helps the Royals for the future and now.
All in all, it has been a season a lot of people expected from the Royals. They weren't picked to be a favorite going into the season, but they have a chance to keep that playoff spot and try to make some noise in the post season. Get ready for the stretch run, because it will be even more exciting than the first half.
The Royals started off their inaugural season with a decent 8-8-1 record. They dropped a couple close games early on, but they were winning a lot of games that quite a few experts considered guaranteed losses for the Royals. As the season grew on, those predictions started to unfold. The Royals started to show signs of being a young team without much experience. Consistency became a problem for the young hockey squad as they would go from a close game to a blowout loss throughout the schedule. Despite all the injuries, inconsistent play, and bad breaks, the Royals hold the last playoff spot in the West. They hold this position by three points over the Prince George Cougars.
The Top Three Players
Kevin Sundher - Sundher led the Royals with 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points in 40 games. For a few nights Sundher would be the most dynamic player on the ice on either team. He has great speed and a great set of hands to go with it. He also had a nose for the net and didn't have any issues in going to the dirty areas of the play.
Logan Nelson - Nelson currently has 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 41 games so far this season. Nelson is having an outstanding rookie season for the Royals. Not only has he shown his scoring prowess, but he has also been dedicated in helping out his teammates in his own zone. He has been a very solid two-way player for the Royals.
Jamie Crooks and Hayden Rintoul -I cheated, oh well. Crooks currently sits with 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points in 42 games. Crooks has also been a solid two-way player for the Royals. The thing that sticks out the most about Crooks is how he does so many small things right that end up as scoring chances. Rintoul currently has 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 42 games. Rintoul has been the Royals best offensive defenseman. He is also the team captain and has some of the most experience on the team. Although his defensive stats aren't as pretty, his leadership is a valuable asset for the young blueline of the Royals.
The Trade
On January 9th, Royals GM Habscheid dealt star player, Kevin Sundher, to the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Kings gained a great scoring threat who will excel on an already great team. In return, the Royals received 17 year old left winger Dakota Conroy, 18 year old defenseman Jordan Fransoo, and a first round 2012 bantam draft pick. The Royals got two good young players that will definitely help in the next couple seasons. Fransoo is a 6'3 defensive defenseman who can skate. He will help out the Royals as a good PK guy and shut down D-man. Conroy is a left winger who hasn't reached his potential in the WHL yet. With the Royals he will see more ice time and grow as a player. This deal helps the Royals for the future and now.
All in all, it has been a season a lot of people expected from the Royals. They weren't picked to be a favorite going into the season, but they have a chance to keep that playoff spot and try to make some noise in the post season. Get ready for the stretch run, because it will be even more exciting than the first half.
Monday 9 January 2012
Royals Trade Sundher for Two and a Pick
The Victoria Royals traded away their leading scorer Monday night. The hockey club sent Kevin Sundher to the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for 18 year old defenseman Jordan Fransoo, 17 year old left winger Dakota Conroy, and Brandon's 2012 first round pick in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
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