For the first time in franchise history, the Victoria Royals have a first-round NHL draft pick – Cole Reschny is headed to Calgary.
The 18-year-old centre was selected 18th overall by the Flames in Friday night’s NHL Draft, becoming the highest draft pick ever to come out of the Royals organization.
Nothing like Lanny calling your name at the #NHLDraft! pic.twitter.com/YaBUDmXPVU
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) June 28, 2025
Reschny is the 15th player in franchise history to be drafted into the NHL, and 2025 marks the third consecutive year a Royals player has been selected.
This is also the third time in five years the Flames have chosen a WHL player in the first round, joining Samuel Honzek (2023, Vancouver Giants) and Connor Zary (2020, Kamloops Blazers).
Reschny, from Macklin, Sask., entered the season as a well-rounded prospect, and finished it with a meteoric rise up the draft rankings.
His 26 goals and franchise-record 66 assists in 62 games helped power the Royals into the second round of the WHL playoffs. He capped off his season by winning a gold medal at the U18 World Championships in May, representing Team Canada.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy said Reschny's offensive play drew their attention, but he believes his defensive game is underrated.
“People talk about his offensive play, but the d-zone play really impresses me, too,” Conroy said after the draft. “I think it's going to get undervalued a little bit because of all the offence, but he can play at both ends and is super competitive. As his year went along, he just got better. And when we got to the crucial points in the playoffs, he was unbelievable.”
Reschny’s connection to Calgary made the pick all the more fitting – he spent the past season and a half playing under former Flames defenceman James Patrick, who now coaches the Royals.
“I can’t thank Victoria enough for all the work and effort they put into me,” Reschny said via CalgaryFlames.com. “James, especially – the time he’s put in to help me grow as a person and as a player. It’s been huge getting to play with him behind the bench.”
Before turning pro, Reschny is set to attend the University of North Dakota this fall – a decision he didn’t take lightly.
“It was an extremely big decision for me and my family,” he said. “Teams were calling and schools were calling during the season, and I told them all the same thing – I wanted to wait and really focus on the season in Victoria and try to win a championship there.”
Reschny wasn’t the only Royal to get the call.
Captain Justin Kipkie was selected by the Minnesota Wild, re-entering the draft two years after being taken by the Arizona Coyotes.
The 19-year-old blueliner from Calgary has been a mainstay on the Royals’ back end since 2020, suiting up in 206 games and setting the franchise record for career goals by a defenceman with 36. He added 111 assists during his time in Victoria.
Two other Royals were listed by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the draft – goaltender Jayden Kraus (ranked 12th among North American goalies) and defenceman Caleb Matthews (220th among North American skaters) – but both went undrafted.
Another Vancouver Island product also made headlines.
Hornby Island’s Tommy Lafrienere became the Edmonton Oilers’ first pick of the draft, going 83rd overall in the third round. Lafrienere played all 68 games this season with the Kamloops Blazers, recording 24 goals and 32 assists.
The WHL had 33 players selected in the NHL Draft, while the BCHL saw four of their own get the call.
Looking ahead, Royals' fans can expect former superstar Keaton Verhoeff to hear his name called near the top of the NHL draft order in 2026, while newcomer Eli McKamey may be selected in 2027.
