2012-13 record: 35-30-2-5 (lost to Kamloops in Conference quarterfinals)
After a not-so sterling start to their existence in 2012, the Victoria Royals improved by 22 points in the standings and were a dark horse to win the Western Conference in 2013. However, Kamloops put an end to those hopes in six games in the opening round. Don't let the 223 goals for and 252 goals against fool you, the Royals were competitive for many of those games and gave Kamloops all they could handle in the opening round. Alex Goglev and Jamie Crooks are gone due to graduation, and that means two of the team's top scorers will need to be replaced. However, Brandon Magee does return, as does Austin Carroll and Brett Cote. However, the Royals do need to improve their defense, as both Patrik Polivka and Coleman Vollrath posted 3.24 and 3.54 GAA, respectively. Those numbers should improve because the defense was young and should be a year wiser after playing in some meaningful games down the stretch. Offensively, it will have to be a scoring by committee approach again, as no one player stands out.
Prediction: 5th in the West
While there are no true superstars on the Royals, they play better when they stick to the system employed by coach Dave Lowry, and with another year in his system, the Royals should see the goals against totals drop, which should be enough for another appearance in the playoffs.
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