| Victoria Royals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 |
| Website | chl |
| Franchise history | |
| 2006–2011 | Chilliwack Bruins |
| 2011–present | Victoria Royals |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (2015–16) |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
TheVictoria Royals are a Canadian majorjunior ice hockey team based inVictoria, British Columbia. The Royals play in the B.C. Division of the Western Conference in theWestern Hockey League (WHL). The team began play during the2011–12 season after the league announced the relocation of theChilliwack Bruins to Victoria. It marked the return of the WHL toVancouver Island, 17 years after the departure of theVictoria Cougars. The Royals play their home games at theSave-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
Victoria was left without a WHL team when the Cougars franchise relocated toPrince George in 1994.[1] The city acquired a professionalECHL—theVictoria Salmon Kings—in 2004 when theSave-On-Foods Memorial Centre was opened, but the city had made inquiries about returning the WHL to Vancouver Island in the past.[1]
While two minority owners of theChilliwack Bruins hoped to purchase the team and keep it in Chilliwack following the2010–11 season, they were outvoted by the remaining partners who opted to sell the team to a group planning to relocate the franchise.[2] On April 20, 2011, the WHL announced the approval of the sale and the relocation of the Bruins to Victoria.[3] The relocation was brought about partially by the WHL's desire to protect the Victoria market, as the league feared that a potential summer relocation of theNational Hockey League'sAtlanta Thrashers toWinnipeg could result in theAmerican Hockey League'sManitoba Moose moving to Victoria.[4]
The Royals got off to a relatively strong start in Victoria, making the playoffs in each of the team's first eight seasons; the team was on track to make the playoffs for a ninth straight year in2019–20 when the season was cut short by theCOVID-19 pandemic.[5] The team's best season came in 2015–16. The Royals reached the 50-win mark for the first time and secured their firstScotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the league's best team in the regular season.[6] They ultimately lost their second-round playoff series against the defending championKelowna Rockets; the Royals were leading in the seventh and deciding game when the Rockets tied the game with less than a second remaining in regulation, going on to win in overtime.[7]
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 (3–4KEL) |
| 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 toCOVID-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) |
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(August 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The following is a list of players from the Victoria Royals who have played in theNational Hockey League.
Marc Habscheid served as the first head coach and general manager of the Royals during the team's inaugural season; in June 2012, he announced that he was leaving both positions. The Royals namedCam Hope as their new general manager.[citation needed] The Royals namedDave Lowry as head coach for the2012–13 season.[8] He coached the Royals for five seasons, leading the team to franchise highs in wins and points on the way to a Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as WHL regular season champions in 2015-16. He left the club in 2017.[9] In 2017, the Royals promoted assistant coach Dan Price to the head coaching position. Price became the third head coach in franchise history.[10]
On November 6, 2023, following a 6–3 loss to theWenatchee Wild, the Royals dismissed Price and named formerWinnipeg Ice head coachJames Patrick the fifth head coach in franchise history.[11][12]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(August 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| # | 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 |
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(August 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy
WHL Regular Season Champion
St. Clair Group Trophy
WHL Marketing/Business Award
WHL Scholastic Team of the Year
Brad Hornung Trophy
WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy
WHL Rookie of the Year
Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy
WHL Coach of the Year
Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy
WHL Executive of the Year
WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team
WHL Western Conference Second All-Star Team
WHL B.C. Division First All-Star Team
WHL B.C. Division Second All-Star Team
