Royals swing deal to bring Gregor back
It took a while, but Noah Gregor is finally a Victoria Royal.
The Royals reacquired the forward from Beaumont, Alta., in a notable Western Hockey League trade Monday that sent veteran Royals forward Ryan Peckford to the league-leading Moose Jaw Warriors.
The fleet and talented Gregor is a San Jose Sharks prospect, taken in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL draft, and was a member of Team WHL in the recent CIBC Super Series against the Russian juniors. He was drafted by the Royals in the third round, 55th overall, of the 2013 WHL draft. Gregor’s rights were subsequently dealt by the Royals to the Warriors for veteran defenceman Travis Brown in 2014. The Chicago Blackhawks-drafted Brown is now a pro in the ECHL while Gregor returns to the team that originally drafted him as a bantam.
“It was a bit of a shock,” said Gregor, upon being informed of the trade.
“I have spent four years in Moose Jaw and grown up there. It was mixed emotions saying goodbye to all the guys,” added the six-foot, 188-pounder, who has 14 goals and 36 points in 30 games this season for the Warriors.
“But I am going to a good team in Victoria. We played the Royals recently and I know what they are about. They are a strong team with speed and my game should fit in well with that.”
Asked to describe his style, Gregor replied: “Speed and skill and hard worker.”
That is only part of this story. Dad Colin Gregor played in the WHL for the Victoria Cougars. When Noah Gregor attended the Royals rookie camp as a 15-yearold bantam draftee, Colin Gregor showed his son around town and pointed out where he used to live with his billets.
“I’m excited to be going to the team that drafted me. It’s full circle. Maybe it’s meant to be,” said Noah Gregor. Perhaps it is. “We never stopped watching him,” said Royals GM Cameron Hope.
Gregor can play both centre and wing, while Peckford is a natural winger only, and the Royals like Gregor’s added versatility.
“[Gregor] is a different style of player and he plays with more tempo. He fits our team well,” said Hope. “And he has more experience.”
With the latter comes a tradeoff. The 19-year-old Gregor is clearly the superior player, at the moment, in this deal and makes the Royals better immediately. But Peckford is a year younger at 18, with 13 goals and 27 points in 33 games this season, and 34 goals and 72 points in 140 career regular-season games for Victoria. It indicates the Royals (20-10-3) are all-in for this season.
“That should come as no surprise,” said Hope.
Gregor had 27 goals and 61 points in only 52 games last season in Moose Jaw due to knee surgery. His first full season in the WHL was in 2015-16 with 28 goals and 73 points and he was Eastern Conference rookie of the year, losing out the WHL rookie of the year award that season to Royals forward and Western Conference-choice Matthew Phillips.
“It’s funny how things come full circle,” said Phillips.
“It’s tough to see [Peckford] go. Ryan is one of my best friends. It’s not easy. But this is a business. We are getting a good player in return. [Gregor] is a fast player. He can fly and release. It’s a great addition.”
The deal also includes the Royals’ fourth-round 2018 WHL bantam draft pick going to Moose Jaw and the Warriors’ eighth-round selection to Victoria.
Gregor is expected in the lineup tonight when the Royals meet the Cougars in Prince George.
The Royals fell behind 3-0 after two periods to the Cougars on Sunday before rallying for a 5-4 overtime victory on Phillips’ second goal of the game.
“We want to play the whole game [tonight] like we did in the third period Sunday,” said Phillips.
Prince George is last in the Western Conference at 11-15-4. They will be missing tonight defenceman Dennis Cholowski, who is in the Team Canada selection camp beginning today in St. Catharines, Ont., ahead of the 2018 world junior championship starting Boxing Day in Buffalo.
After tonight’s game, the Royals travel back down to the coast for a game Friday in Langley against the surging Vancouver Giants.