WHL hockey sweeps into Cowichan Bay this fall, and one of the bay's brightest young stars will look to leave his mark in his hometown.
The Victoria Royals open their 2025-26 campaign in September with a pair of pre-season matchups against the Everett Silvertips, taking WHL action out of the capital and into Mill Bay and Duncan as part of Island Hockey Fest.
It’s a full-circle moment for the Royals' biggest off-season addition, Eli McKamey.
A product of Cowichan Bay, he could make his debut in Victoria colours just minutes from where he learned to skate.
His first opponent is Landon DuPont, the reigning CHL Rookie of the Year and one of the most hyped defensive prospects in junior hockey.
The pair of 2027 NHL Draft hopefuls will go head-to-head on September 12 at Kerry Park Recreation Centre – home of the VIJHL’s Kerry Park Islanders – and again on September 13 at Cowichan Community Centre, home to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals.
McKamey is just one piece of a Royals roster that’s undergoing a significant transformation, following their most successful season in a decade. They bowed out in the second round of the 2024-25 WHL playoffs after capturing the B.C. Division crown.
With the off-season barely underway, eight key names have already been confirmed as departures – including Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff (University of North Dakota), Nate Misskey (UMass-Lowell), Johnny Hicks (University of Denver), Brayden Boehm (Michigan Tech), Markus Loponen (HPK), and forwards Kenta Isogai (overage) and Brandon Lisowsky (Colorado College).
With players moving out, opportunity knocks for a new wave of Royals talent, and McKamey headlines a promising trio of 2024 WHL Prospects Draft picks.
Joining him are forwards Jacob Schwartz (8th overall) and Ludovic Perreault (18th overall), both of whom earned brief WHL call-ups during their 15-year-old seasons.
Schwartz racked up 29 points in 28 games with Delta Hockey Academy, while Perreault torched the Manitoba U18 ranks with 86 points in 44 games for the Winnipeg Wild.
For those three vying for full-time spots, the regular season opens one week after Island Hockey Fest with a night at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, as the expansion Penticton Vees play their first-ever WHL game on Sept. 19.
The Royals’ first road trip is a short one – to Langley for a home-and-home against the Vancouver Giants on September 26-27.
Several key matchups stand out across Victoria’s 68-game slate, including a rematch of their heated first-round playoff series with Spokane on January 9-10.
The WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers, led by phenom Gavin McKenna, visit the Island on October 18.
January features the club’s longest road trip of the year – a six-game, nine-day swing through Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The Royals will close out the season with back-to-back home games against Prince George on March 20-21, 2026.
Before all of that, Victoria will set their sights towards the CHL Import Draft, taking place on July 2, as they look to fill a hole left with the departure of Loponen.
