Two members of the Victoria Royals' hockey operations staff have earned nominations following a standout 2024-25 Western Hockey League (WHL) season.
Head coach James Patrick has been nominated for the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy, while Jake Heisinger is up for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy.
Both Patrick and Heisinger joined the Royals last season – Heisinger in the summer of 2023, and Patrick taking over as head coach from Dan Price in November 2023.
The two are no strangers to each other, having worked together with the Winnipeg Ice and Kootenay Ice (now the Wenatchee Wild) from 2017 to 2023.
In his first full season as head coach, Patrick’s nomination for Coach of the Year comes after leading the Royals to a 40-17-4-7 record. Under his guidance, Victoria posted the second-best road record in the league and ranked among the top teams in goal-scoring and power-play efficiency.
Patrick’s influence is evident in standout performances from players like Teydon Trembecky, Brandon Lisowsky, and Kenta Isogai, each of whom scored over 30 goals.
This marks Patrick’s second nomination for Coach of the Year, having won the award in 2022 during his time with the Winnipeg Ice.
Heisinger, who also played a key role in the Ice’s success, has helped elevate the Royals by making critical acquisitions at the 2025 WHL trade deadline. The addition of goal-scorers Lisowsky and Isogai has significantly bolstered the team’s offensive depth.
Lisowsky tallied 18 goals and added 13 assists for 31 points following his move from Saskatoon, while Isogai notched 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points after being acquired from Wenatchee. Both forwards contributed at over a point-per-game pace during the Royals’ opening round matchup against Tri-City.
One of Heisinger’s most impactful moves was signing goaltender Johnny Hicks in early January. Hicks has dominated since arriving in Victoria, after moving over from the BCHL's Brooks Bandits, winning 14 of 19 total games with the Royals, four of those in their five-game series with the Americans.
A member of a renowned hockey family, Heisinger’s father Craig is the assistant general manager of the Winnipeg Jets.
Patrick and Heisinger join goaltender Jayden Kraus, forward Kenta Isogai, and defenceman Keaton Verhoeff as members of the Royals who have been nominated for awards this season.
Victoria hopes that the combination of Patrick and Heisinger will bring the same level of success they achieved in Winnipeg, where they helped the Ice become a perennial contender.
They helped steer the Ice to back-to-back Eastern Conference final appearances in 2022 and 2023.
During their time together, the two helped develop several future NHL players, including Peyton Krebs and Zach Benson of the Buffalo Sabres, Conor Geekie of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Matthew Savoie of the Edmonton Oilers.
The winners will be announced between Tuesday, April 22, and Wednesday, May 7, with each category including six nominations from across the WHL.
Meanwhile, the Royals continue their playoff journey against the Spokane Chiefs, with the second round starting Sunday, April 13, at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.
