The Victoria Royals are the Hottest WHL Team of 2025. Here are 3 Reasons Why.

There's no denying it, the Royals are absolutely humming lately. With such a strong start to the new year, Victoria is easily the most exciting team in the Western Hockey League right now. Why exactly are they on such a hot streak? What does this mean for the remainder of the season? Today on Royals Rebound, we'll be covering these questions and more.

1. Starting the New Year Off with a Bang

The Victoria Royals have not lost a hockey game in 2025. Yes, you read that right! With a 6-0 record so far this year, 2025 is looking like the year of the lion! Most of these wins came from a four-game Washington State road trip, on which the Royals were nothing short of dominant. Victoria outscored opponents a total of 19-8 along the crusade, including vanquishing the mighty Everett Silvertips 4-3 in the thrilling shootout that we've grown so accustomed to. This marks the Royals' third win in three games against the league-leading Silvertips this season, a team that only has 11 losses on the year. Victoria being the top team in the league's kryptonite certainly bodes well for the postseason, showing that the boys in blue can come up clutch even against the most robust of adversaries.

2. Star Players Lighting Up

No team can have success without their best players having an impact on the ice. Good thing the Royals stars are shining bright in 2025. Cole Reschny continues to lead the team in points with 46, while Teydon Trembecky's 22 goals have more than doubled his scoring output from last season. Not to mention the defensive core, which remains sharp at both ends of the ice. Keaton Verhoeff sits comfortably in the top 3 league-wide in goals by a defenceman with 14, another medal tacked onto his unstoppable rookie season.

The biggest star the Royals have in their current heater, however, has got to be Jayden Kraus. The 18-year-old puck stopper from Prince Albert has locked down a .932 save percentage over the past week, and has patrolled the crease with focus, fire, and the confidence of a young goaltender destined for greatness. Kraus also stands at second in the WHL in both save percentage (.912) and goals against average (2.66) this season. This lights-out performance has caught the watchful eyes of scouts as well, as the mid-season rankings from NHL Central Scouting put Kraus 11th out of all North American goaltenders for the upcoming draft. If this kind of play keeps up, the future is bright for Jayden Kraus and the rest of the Royals.

3. New Arrivals

This newfound fire hasn't just come out of nowhere. The Royals recently made two huge trades to acquire a pair of 20-year-old forwards who have been all gas, no brakes ever since they arrived. Kenta Isogai, of Nagano, Japan, has definitely impressed since being acquired from the Wenatchee Wild. Smooth and swift on his feet, Isogai has shown immense speed and playmaking ability in his first five games with the Royals. He has four assists so far, including on Verhoeff's latest overtime goal, as well as a shootout snipe that helped secure the win over Everett.

The Tanner Scott trade of Thursday, January 2nd, 2025 marked the tragic end of the epic Victoria Royals Scott Saga. Tanner, who one Royals blog says should have his exalted number nine retired as the best Royal of all time, will surely be remembered as one of the greats. However, there was a bright, lucrative silver lining to this deal. Brandon Lisowsky, a draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has come to Victoria from the Saskatoon Blades. The sniping speedster from Port Coquitlam has been wheeling, dealing, and leaving goaltenders reeling in his short but explosive time as a Royal so far, lighting the lamp five times in just five games. Lisowsky, playing on the second line with Loponen and Boehm, has provided a scoring punch that the Royals needed to scorch their path of victory through the U.S. division this January.

With the Royals really hitting their stride and everything coming together, Victoria is beginning a strong push in the second half of the season, and gearing up for what may very well be a deep, fiery playoff push come April.