The ice spray has settled following the Western Hockey League trade deadline Thursday with some obvious truths emerging. The Victoria Royals are all-in for this season — recent acquisitions Brandon Lisowsky had a goal and Kenta Isogai two assists in Wenatchee on Friday night as the Royals beat the Wild 5-2 — but Victoria is not as much all-in as the Spokane Chiefs, Lethbridge Hurricanes or Calgary Hitmen. The latter three teams gave up truck loads of future assets, in the form of WHL prospects draft picks, to acquire players projected for the NHL.
The Royals weren’t quite in that category in acquiring Isogai, who was Wenatchee’s top scorer last season and this season, in a trade this month for a second-round selection in this year’s WHL prospects draft, a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2028 and the rights to two young players. Also making Victoria a mid-level player in this year’s trading was the acquisition of proven WHL points-getter Lisowsky from the Saskatoon Blades for veteran Tanner Scott and two second-round draft picks.
The only two Royals considered untouchable — projected respective 2025 and 2026 first-round NHL draft picks Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff — scored for Victoria in Wenatchee with rookie blue-liner Verhoeff’s goal on the power play for his 15th of the season. Winnipeg Jets draft pick and Finnish import Markus Loponen scored the winner on the power play and insurance goal for Victoria in the third period to break open a 2-2 tie. Lisowsky’s empty-netter was his 24th goal of the season and was assisted by Verhoeff.
Western Conference fourth-place Victoria (22-11-7) is on a five-game winning streak and has earned 11 of a possible 12 points in its last six games. Wenatchee is 15-19-4 and currently holds down the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference. Victoria won the season series against the Wild 3-0-1.
The Royals are in Kennewick, Washington, tonight to play the Americans, who made an interesting move at the trade deadline that looks to be a high-end wash. The Amerks (21-12-3) sent 2025 NHL draft-ranked forward Jordan Gavin, a gold medallist for Canada in the U-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, to the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for 2024 NHL second-round Columbus Blue Jackets blue line draft-pick Charlie Elick.
The sellers, meanwhile, during WHL trade season were the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds, who have pretty much pulled the plug on this year and are banking on better years ahead, with the Rockets unloading major players Caden Price to the Hurricanes and Andrew Cristall to the Chiefs while the Thunderbirds unloaded 91原创 Canucks prospect blueliner Sawyer Mynio to the Hitmen.
The Rockets, meanwhile, went even further by firing their coach Friday, Kris Mallette, as they look for a fresh start in their rebuild leading to hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup. Mallette was Team WHL head coach last month in the series against the U.S. Under-18 team and was the 91原创 gold-medallist head coach in the Under-18 Gretzky Hlinka Cup.
Teams like the Royals and Red Deer Rebels were middle-range buyers while the two-touted Western Conference teams, Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars, felt no need to do anything and stood pat.
