Royals’ blue line suddenly cause for concern
Injuries, suspension leave big holes
GAME DAY: VICTORIA AT PORTLAND 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Coliseum TV: None / Radio: The Zone 91.3 FM A porous Victoria Royals defence, which has allowed 22 goals in the last four games, has been further stressed to its core with the loss of two of its top-four blue-liners.
Chaz Reddekopp is out four to six weeks with an upper-body injury and Kade Jensen has been suspended for four games by the Western Hockey League.
Reddekopp, who is signed to an NHL entry-level contract by the Los Angeles Kings, was hurt in Saturday night’s 6-5 victory over the Kamloops Blazers at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Jensen was suspended for what has turned into a costly cross-checking major against a Kamloops player during a melee after the final whistle of Saturday’s game.
“It’s been one thing after another this season,” lamented Victoria general manager Cameron Hope.
“This will test the team in terms of adversity. Hopefully, we get this adversity out of the way before the playoffs start.”
Victoria head coach Dan Price said it wasn’t a lack of discipline which cost Jensen the suspension but instead a willingness to stand up for his teammates: “He was trying to protect [star forward Matthew Phillips] and sometimes things happen in the moment.”
The Royals other veteran WHL blue-liners — Ralph Jarratt, Jared Freadrich and Montreal Canadiens third-round draft-pick Scott Walford — will have to take on an extra load. And younger blue-liners Matthew Smith and Mitchell Prowse are going to have to accelerate their development curve.
“Our young defencemen are getting older by the minute,” said Hope.
“But Smith and Prowse have already logged lots of minutes and we feel they are ready for this.”
The situation has forced the call-up of 16-year-old prospect defenceman Remy Aquilon from the Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. Aquilon played his first two career WHL games for the Royals in November when he was pressed into blue-line service with Jarratt out with injury.
“We will have six defencemen [including Aquilon] for the next four games and they will see lots of minutes,” added Price.
“Smith and Prowse are constantly working on their games and are ready to step up.”
The compromised blue line couldn’t come at a worse time for Victoria (25-16-4), as it embarks on a four-game road trip that could prove telling. First up tonight are the touted Winterhawks (26-13-4) in Portland. There are two games at the Langley Events Centre against the much-improved Vancouver Giants (25-14-6) on Friday and Jan 26. The Giants are on the verge of ending their three-season playoff drought. It is looking increasingly like a Victoria-Vancouver first-round playoff match-up in the 2-3 slots of the B.C. Division, with Kelowna generally favoured for the division title because of more top-end talent.
Every point on offer in head-to-head games between the Royals and Giants could affect home-ice advantage in a potential Victoria-Vancouver series. The Giants are currently two points ahead of the Royals in the standings. Kelowna (27-13-3) is one point ahead of Vancouver and three ahead of Victoria with two games in hand on both the Giants and Royals.
Victoria is in Kelowna to meet the Rockets on Saturday night.
“The games this week will start to have that playoffs-like feel. You’re starting to feel that kind of playoff-like atmosphere and intensity,” said Price.
The B.C. Division fourth- and fifth-place Prince George Cougars and Blazers are 13 and 15 points adrift of the Royals, respectively, and would need major late-season rallies to catch up in the division. Prince George and Kamloops, however, are five and seven points from the last Western Conference wild-card berth currently held by the Seattle Thunderbirds and that is probably their best hope. The other conference wild-card spot at the moment is held by Spokane, which is a point up on Seattle.
“It’s going to be an intense fight to the finish line,” noted Royals forward Jeff de Wit.
De Wit, who has five goals and nine points in six games since being acquired by Victoria, is among the forward flotilla that has the Royals entering the stretch not worrying too much about offensive production.
It’s the depleted blue line that has become the Royals’ immediate concern.