Royals Rebound
The first half of the 2024/25 WHL season is officially in the books. Today, as we enter 2025, we will be taking a look back at our "3 Key Points for the Royals to Consider This Season" post to find out how things are going so far, and what has been/could be improved upon.
1. Goaltending
While there were initially worries about the Royals' goaltending this season, having a relatively inexperienced tandem, these were quickly silenced by the exceptional play of both Jayden Kraus and Spencer Michnik. Kraus has rightfully taken the starter role this year, boasting a 12-6-6 record and a .908 save percentage on the season, including an impressive .942 in the last ten games. Michnik has also proven that he can hold his own, and I'm sure the Seattle Thunderbirds will come to regret overlooking him. At this point in the season, it's safe to say goaltending will not be a serious issue, and Jayden Kraus has become a cornerstone of the team's success.
2. Discipline
Discipline has been an issue for the Royals in past years, but this season seems to mark somewhat of a turnaround. Victoria currently sits at tenth in the WHL for penalty minutes, and we've seen several players, Teydon Trembecky and Escalus Burlock for example, drastically decrease their time spent in the box and find more offensive success as a result, with Trembecky becoming the team's leading goal scorer. It just goes to show that when you stay out of the box, good things happen.
3. Teamwork
Teamwork is yet another category that we have seen improvement in this season. With so much depth contribution in this year's lineup, particularly on defense, the Royals are looking like a well-oiled Zamboni on the ice, showing strong passing ability and scoring goals up and down the lineup, without needing the play to be carried by one player. With a lot of young talent being introduced to the team this year (keep your eye on Nolan Stewart), the Royals will look to create positive on-ice and off-ice relationships to continue this teamwork in future.
